10 vs 12 hours light

[FaunaBgirl]

I've switched the lighting time from the usual 7am to 5pm light time to the 8am to 8pm light time. He's adapted to the 8 rising time... and actually sleeps in a little if I let him, but he's on timer now, so... there'll be none of that. He is gradually adapting to the 8 pm lights out, but sometimes still "puts his eyes in the dark place" an hour to half hour early.
What is everyone else doing with their "light time" spans?

 

[roo_71]

With my true chams, their photo period coincides with what daylight hours I get here in the NE. I gradually change it though … slowly add time in the morning and evening during the spring months then the opposite in the fall. They will adjust better to the gradual time change instead of just adding hours at a time.

-roo

 

[FaunaBgirl]

With my true chams, their photo period coincides with what daylight hours I get here in the NE. I gradually change it though … slowly add time in the morning and evening during the spring months then the opposite in the fall. They will adjust better to the gradual time change instead of just adding hours at a time.

-roo

That was my instinct. The sudden change seemed too harsh. I'm lucky he's done as well as he has, then. Since he's on timer.... and the photo time does coincide with how the light is here now, I leave it. He knows when to nighty nite. lol But for later on.... I will do the gradual. Do you have a calendar date when you will be at the 12 hour photo time?

 

[roo_71]

Do you have a calendar date when you will be at the 12 hour photo time?

Not really, I just pay attention to the day length and go from there - so nothing marked on a calendar. Right now I am at 6:30-7:30 and by May-ish it will be 6:30-8:30 (every other week I tac on 30 minutes) and stay that way until fall. Some keepers even do it a bit more gradually like 15 minutes each week which may be more ideal. I have no problems with my routine though. I think I was at 12 a week or two ago. In the winter it’s something like 7:30-5:30.

The sudden change seemed too harsh.

Probably, kind of like jet lag with us.

-roo

 

[Tygerr]

Take a look at my post on this thread: https://www.chameleonforums.com/hours-light-1469/.
It shows that in the height of summer, chams in Madagascar are exposed to approx. 13 hours of light, and in the depths(?) of winter, they get about 11hours of light.

So the general 12 hours of light is a good approximation, and I think that most keepers keep their chams year-round on a 12 hour light schedule with no ill-effects.

Personally however, since I have a large window in the room I keep my chams, and since I've noticed that the sunlight from the window will wake them up/keep them awake regardless of their cage lights, I adjust my light timers once a month so that the lights never go on before the sun comes up, and never go off after the sun has gone down. Luckily South Africa has similar hours of daylight to Yemen/Madagascar, so by sticking to that routine my chams get about the same duration as what they would in their 'homelands'.
However, I'd expect that in places far North like the UK or Canada, you'd have to keep enclosure light hours independent of your actual daylight hours, so that they still get a minimum of 10-11 hours light.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Your efforts (time table) are extremely appreciated. I made a copy to post by his timer. I've already made the neccessary adjustment. Thank you :} =whew=

 

[roo_71]

I can appreciate taking the time to look up daylight hours in the areas they are indigenous to and at one point I did the same thing but the fact is my veiled doesn’t live in Yemen but in upstate NY and I thought it would be more appropriate to schedule photo periods for this region. I am so, so not dissin' the table put up by Tygerr but it just makes more sense for me to do it this way. Either way I think both methods are fine b/c chams DO adjust and seem to have comfort in routines and if I lived in Alaska with the cooky daylight hours I would go with the table.

-roo