Basking Light Necessary?

[mschultz]

Quick question:

I have a UVB bulb in a metal heat lamp. But I read that those don't double as basking lights. I have a thermometer right under the light and its reading right around 82 F. I read that this is the ideal temp for basking anyway. However today Maka-nui (Jackson Cham) was upside down right under the light; not for super long, but it still freaked me out.

So the long and short... do I need a basking light if the cage is already at 82 F under the UVB bulb? (Lower temps away from light toward bottom of cage)

 

[SocialNumb]

Is it 82 where your cham basks? Or just right under the bulb? That's what you should be asking yourself. It might be the case that your cham is trying to get closer because it's an ideal temp right at the bulb. Young ones tend to do this from what I've read as well. Use an IFR Temp gun if you want to make super sure.

In most cases, where a enclosure is involved, yes, they tend to be necessary.

 

[kinyonga]

Male or female? How old?

 

[mschultz]

Female, pretty young. I think she's about 3-4 inches long... so a few months?

 

[mschultz]

Temperature Update...

So she's in a classroom in Hawaii....

So when my students are in the room I put on the air conditioner. Her enclosure is as far from the AC as possible. No direct airflow. She is near the door the kids use which opens up outside. So the temp near her is always the warmest. So the top of the cage is ~82F. But when the kids are done for the day, and I turn the air off. The temp at the top climbs to ~86F.

 

[SocialNumb]

The poor thing must be stressed the entire time with a door opening and closing with students coming in and out.

 

[chamfriend1]

I agree with the stress issue with her right by the door... is there any place on the other side of the room, as far away from the door as possible, that would work just as well??

 

[Wowbango]

The poor thing must be stressed the entire time with a door opening and closing with students coming in and out.

100% agree. She needs to be moved to an area with much less traffic. Every time someone walks buy or opens the door, it likely freaks out and stresses.

 

[mschultz]

I'll try moving her to the back. We are about to go on break (2 weeks of no students!! Just me and her) So I hope she settles in better. Ants are my other big issue. I had her behind my desk to keep the kids away... but the ants got in... I'll have to see what I can do.

 

[mschultz]

Moved to a new spot, but what about that light?

So I've moved her to a new spot, and I'm working on a drainage system so I can have the dripper on longer (is there a point where the dripper is on too much)? But my initial question still holds.

The temp under the UVB light is 82 with AC and 86 without AC. Is a basking light necessary?

(If it gets colder in winter... new to Hawaii... I'll buy a basking bulb)

 

[Ahoysteven]

An incandescent bulb and fixture would cost less than 10$ from your local hardware store. Save yourself the guess work and get a heat source.

 

[Venutus1]

An incandescent bulb and fixture would cost less than 10$ from your local hardware store. Save yourself the guess work and get a heat source.

An good first post Ahoysteven.
Makes perfect sense.
A heat source is important even if they don't use it all the time.

Reptiles need the option of getting their bodies warmer to digest food / a big meal or fight off an infection!


A simple dome light and a perch the correct distance under it so they have the option **if they choose** to get themselves 86 - 89 degrees is really what every set up must have.
And yes, a hardware store is a good place to look for an inexpensive dome.

Cheers!
Todd
www.lightyourreptiles.com

 

[DBDEAN]

cham - classroom pet...

Just as an FYI - my sons school had my chameleon (Mr. Wilson) as a class room pet also. He ended up so stressed out that I brought him home permanently. He was young when he went to the classroom and went for being okay when I held him (rarely) to hissing at anyone who came near him. He still hides when anyone walks into the room but no longer hisses and tries to bite people - he is slowly getting more social.

Im not at all sure a chameleon is the right pet for a classroom - now - our African Ball Python (leo) is GREAT in the classroom. He hangs out with students - sits around their neck and peaks over their ears while they work. . . he will cozy up inside a kids sweater and be happy as can be.

 

[mschultz]

I don't handle her often, and the kids are not allowed to handle her at all. I'm going to see if she gets too stressed, and if need be she will come out of the classroom. I got grant $ for her, before I fully understood how stressed they could get, so I'd feel bad if I at least didn't try to have her in the classroom. But I promise to monitor her closely and remove her if I think she can't handle it.

 

[mschultz]

Thanks!!

Thanks for the advice everyone if an iridescent bulb clipped above the cage (to prevent her from getting burns) will do the trick I'll pick one up ASAP.

 

[DBDEAN]

I don't handle her often, and the kids are not allowed to handle her at all. I'm going to see if she gets too stressed, and if need be she will come out of the classroom. I got grant $ for her, before I fully understood how stressed they could get, so I'd feel bad if I at least didn't try to have her in the classroom. But I promise to monitor her closely and remove her if I think she can't handle it.

Good plan. You can always put a towel to block her view of the kids if she is reacting to the movement too much. I noticed my Mr. Wilson is hyper sensitive to movement. The other issue was that I was NOT the teacher - I was the parent who ended up actually caring for the animal - leaving work to bring food to it on my lunch breaks.

Sadly, my father runs the school (small private school run by my church)...and he left care of it up to the older kids (its a one room school house style school - K through 12)...It was a BAD situation for a chameleon.

They would forget to spray the cage and water it etc. I would run up stairs every morning o check on him. They where not dusting the food with calcium. He did not have a UVB light bulb...pretty much EVERYTHING was wrong with the care - so I pulled the plug on it.

I do that alot with my dads grand schemes...he says I never let him have any fun.

Thats how I ended up with a wild caught garter snake (mean temperment) that I rehab and released to the wild - he brought it home when he found it in a coke bottle - stuck and injured. Thats how I ended up with that garters baby snake...had to teach it to hunt and release it...and thats why I have a ball python, a rabbit and 6 chickens!

 

[mschultz]

You sound like an animal lover. Me too. So the health of this little one comes before the grant $. I'll be sure to keep towels around. I actually put some up to block the light in at night and she likes them.

I bought the basking light. I've been watching the temperature:
- Day 1 temps as high as 93 --> so it was constantly on and off
- Day 2 temps stayed colder ~88. But she kept climbing to the BOTTOM of the cage no matter what I did with the light. She likes to freak me out.
- Day 3 - temps stayed around 88. She loved to bask. She ate crickets. She only ventured to the bottom like once. I hope Day 4-100,000 are like this one.

 

[junglefries]

Being a jacksons and in Hawaii you probably only need a small clamp lamp and a 25w oven or fridge sized incandescent bulb. They do like major temp drops at night to stimulate their appetites. Would consider leaving the a/c on at night and set to 62-65°f. For ants, just make a square (moat) of glue strips around her cage. Maybe get one of those 3 piece cardboard project displays and use it as a wall when kids are present.