Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, first time posting here. I had some questions about keeping a chameleon in a plant greenhouse. I have a 12x16 greenhouse that I use for growing orchids in Florida. In the center of the greenhouse I have a tree made from 100lbs of cork bark. I have been thinking about the possibility of adding a chameleon to the equation. I worked in a petstore for many years when I was younger and I am fairly familiar with the requirements of some of the common species. I was thinking that a jacksons would probably do pretty well out there. The lowest temps the greenhouse should see would be the low 60s and it would be as escape proof as possible.
I know that the any pesticide use would be a serious issue, but if I went through with this I would build a second enclosure to hold him in for several weeks until the coast clears should my plants require spraying of some sort.

Would a Jacksons be a good choice for this or would something less tempermental like a veiled be a better choice. I am going to try to attach a picture of the inside of the greenhouse (its not completed yet)

I appreciate you guys' input.

Dustin

it depends on the humidity if a jacksons or veiled would do good. im guessing a veiled because jacksons cant handle heats more than 90 and your in florida so in the summer he would bake. i wish i had a greenhouse to put my chams in.
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1.0 veiled chameleons(Rocket)

I guess I was looking at the low temperature tolerance of the jacksons while overlooking the potential problem with heat. Our summers are certainly hotter than 90 for weeks on end.
Thanks for the advice.

Dustin

Awesome! I wish I had a greenhouse.

That cork branch alone is not sufficient for a chameleon, and I'm not sure if one would use it. Chams have really little feet, and I've never seen my climb on a 2 inch diameter branch I have in his cage. I think it's way too big for him. It also does not provide any cover, which chams need to feel safe.

If you do put a cham in the greenhouse, know that you will still have to purchase a UVB light.

Sorry if you already know this stuff.

Chameleon crow has posted a link to an article on the forum about free ranging. Another can be found here. Good luck!
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)

I don't post here either, but used to keep many chams. Because the greenhouse is large, and not that heavily planted, you could also section off a part for the cham, and just plant it more and such. I forget his user name, but there was a guy who posted here a bit ago, who converted his whole greenhouse (I think it was smaller, though) into a rainforest type environment and housed a group of jacksons in it. Maybe you want to search in the archives for that. Anyway, good luck, sounds like it could be neat.

The whole thing isnt done yet, still plenty of plants to be moved in.
The point brought up in an earlier message about the UV light is probably a good one. I think the plastic film filters out UV light.

Dustin

Yes it probably will. I think your main issues will be summer heat and a UV source that the cham can get close to on a daily basis. With too large an area to roam it may not get the doses of UV it will need. There are types of glass that do let UV through, but you'd have to build them into your greenhouse roof. Greenhouses seem like such a natural fit for chams, but summer heat can be a problem. Also make sure your cham won't be damaging or knocking loose your orchids! Another species you could consider is a panther. They tolerate warmer temps than jax, but again it can get too hot for them.

Veileds, as most know, are the hardiest chams!
They live in Yemen for poops sake, they could probably handle the 85-90F. As long as they have shade, it shouldn't be too dangerous for them.

In a big space like that, an automatic mister would be handy, if not a must. If you mist with room temp water, or even cold water, this could bring the temp down.

I didn't know about veileds, as a constant high humidity level in the greenhouse might not suit them as well. Probably OK if the level is below 75% RH.

Hi,
I am a very horticultural person, so I am well suited to comment on this topic.
First of all, a Veiled would not be a good choice for this purpose. While they are a very hardy(for both hot and cold temps) species, they are not a high humidity species. Since this is a greenhouse for orchids, I assume it is has a high RH. You might consider a Jackson's, Panther, or if you would like a challenge, something a little less main-stream.
Second, you need some ventilation into your greenhouse. My first greenhouse had a RH of almost 100% and a temperature over 100 degrees during the summer. My problem was I had no ventilation. Due to the type of construction of your greenhouse, building in ventalation may be problematic. Perhaps you could have screen door replace your current door. I am not sure, but you have be able to build in some vents around the bottom perimeter of your greenhouse. One really cool way to vent your greenhouse is to put in some U-shaped PVC pipes. These would go under the walls, in the ground, with an open vent on the inside and one on the outside. You should also put in some vents near the top of your greenhouse for proper air circulation.
By the way, your greenhouse is really nice. Is it a pre-fab? Your method of hanging your orchids is very interesting; I don't believe I have seen them hung in that way before. That cork tree is really cool. Where ever did you get it? You might consider getting an iguana rather than a chameleon. An iguana would go great with that cork tree.
Hope I helped in some small way,
Josh