Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey dudes,

I recently built an outdor cage in my backyard. It has dimensions of 8 feet long, 5 feet tall, and 5 feet deep. Yes i know that it is a big cage! I constructed it around a bottlebrush tree in my backyard by wrapping pond cover(mesh) and it is totally excape proof. As most of you are aware i am located in sunny san diego. We have pretty hot summers ( 90-100) and winters that hover above freezing and reach the high 60's.

My problwm is this; what chameleon should i put in it? I plan on keeping this animal outdoors year round(it has a large wooden heat shelter). What species would be good for this arrangemen?

Feel free to post your opinions because i am open to anything and everything! I will post pics once it stops raining here!
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eric

hello,

I would personally go with the Oustalets chameleon(c.oustaleti). They are large, hardy and can withstand some extreme temperatures. I have kept them in a similar sized cage (in florida) and they did very well.

Regards,

Nick Mole
First Choice Reptiles
www.firstchoicereptiles.com

First Choice Reptiles

But if you brought them in during the winter or other extreme weather, then you can broaden your choices of chameleons that you can keep outside.
Another possibility is installing some misters in your cage. I did this when I had my chameleons in Riverside. I simply went to Home Depot and bought one of those backyard misting systems that hook up to your garden hose. That and some shade cloth will take you a long ways.
Just some ideas based on my own experience. Hope this helps.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com