Glad to hear the temps are looking good! If it were me, I might still insulate the tank a bit, to get the ambient temp up maybe 5-10 F. This isn't a make or break by any means, but it would reduce the animals dependency on basking a bit.
Chris- you are going to get some pushback on that opinion here.
I'm in the middle somewhere on it. I know you are saying is natural and see it in my own calyptratus, but there are forum members who strongly believe that lower basking temps for calyptratus leads to longer lifespans- especially for females whose reproductive system is apparantly effectively turned way down or off at the lower temps forum members recommend (low 80s basking site). I had a real hard time accepting this when I first got on the forums because it flipped everything I know from 20 years of breeding lizards- seems like they should be immune system repressed as well as reproductive system repressed at those temperatures for example. Also experience with other lizards suggests to me a very strong correlation between body temperature and ability to absorb certain nutrients effectively, and higher temperatures in the lab are related to more effective production of d3 from basking lights. Yet at least one forum member claims the worlds oldest female veileds using that method and many others are following her example with apparent success- it's hard to argue with successful experience. I wanted to try this method and see for myself, but I found this past year that it is impossible for me to provide those conditions most of the year. So, for now I just have to say I don't understand what is going on, but I can't argue with success...
I've run into this 80 F basking site business a number of times here, and find it to be utterly bizarre. With adult animals, during the winter only, I can appreciate the utility in maintaining temperatures this low. It's normal, and in some other species lower wintertime temperatures seem to really help to stimulate breeding (Veileds don't seem to care much IME). During most of the year, and certainly for young animals, this seems like a terrible idea to me.
These animals live in places that range from the 80's to maybe 100 F during the daytime, during the warm season. They actively bask (including outdoors) when ambient temps are in the 80's and 90's F. In the laboratory and nature, they actively select body temps in the mid 80's to low 90's F by behaviorally thermoregulating. Keeping an animal that functions best at a body temperature of 86-92 F at 80 F or below long term is going to have some negative consequences.
As for the low temperatures preventing egg production in females: I have no doubt it is true, but can't fathom why people would think that is a good thing. Imagine your 12 year old daughter, sister, niece, whatever comes to you and says that she doesn't want to get her period, so she's decided to eat only 2/3 as much food as is considered healthy for her. Sure enough, she'll survive and will never get her period. She'll likely also end up with developmental problems, and will be more susceptible to disease, slower to heal from injury, and have other problems.
Now, granted, this analogy isn't perfect, but the idea that you can maintain an animal during growth and for the rest of its life at suboptimal body temperatures and think there won't be any consequences is, frankly, ludicrous.
If there are people here with very old Veiled chameleons that they've kept at low temperatures, ok, I wish them all the success in the world, and hope for the best for the animals. However, if we take a poll of the chameleons, the several million that live in nature, all of whom maintain higher body temps during the day most of the year outnumber the few dozen we might consider here
cj
