Can my lights be on a couple hours extra?

[mswilly]

Hi,

My 2.5 month old nosy be baby is on a 9am to 9pm routine, and I'm supposed to be going away this weekend. I have someone coming in to feed/mist/monitor/turn on and off all of his lights all except for one night. One of my friends is able to come over and shut them off, but not until 11pm. Will he be okay for one night with this? Or is it bad news? Could I turn his lights on at 11 and she can shut them off at 11? If its not safe, I won't go, but I would like to get away for a night!

Thanks!

 

[Panthergirl11]

You could always just buy a timer lol. they are pretty cheap and will do the job.

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi!

One night of extra long light is not going to cause permanent damage.

Maybe you could split the difference: turn the lights on at 10 (so, an hour late) and have her turn the lights off at 11 (so only 1 extra hour of light).

For the future you might want to invest in a timer. I think they are in the $5-10 range. That would free you from this concern. You should definitely be able to get away for a night without worrying about your chameleon's lights.

 

[KirbyTheCham]

Hi,

My 2.5 month old nosy be baby is on a 9am to 9pm routine, and I'm supposed to be going away this weekend. I have someone coming in to feed/mist/monitor/turn on and off all of his lights all except for one night. One of my friends is able to come over and shut them off, but not until 11pm. Will he be okay for one night with this? Or is it bad news? Could I turn his lights on at 11 and she can shut them off at 11? If its not safe, I won't go, but I would like to get away for a night!

Thanks!

Yes he should be ok. Like Panthergirl said a timer is the ideal solution for your situation. Either way Chameleons usually have an internal clock that they follow. My Chameleon wakes up and goes to sleep at the same time whether lights are on, off or whatever.

 

[mswilly]

Okay thanks you guys! I actually have a timer, but can't get the stupid thing to work for me! I will just have to go out and get a new one I suppose. Elizadolots, I think I'll do what you said and turn them on at 10 so he only has an extra hour. Thanks again!

 

[Calypso]

I'm not sure if you're having the same problem I had, but I had the worst blonde moment trying to figure out mine. If it is the same problem, you have to press down on the little black things around the timer. I kept thinking the timer was preprogrammed for reptile lighting hours (12 hours between 7 and 7 or something). I returned one thinking it was broke before I realized it lol

 

[mswilly]

Haha too funny! I bought a new one like that, but the one I had before was this digital thing that had about 10 different settings but you never knew which one was the right one. No one could figure out how to use it! haha

 

[griddle]

I have had a bad timer before that left my lights on longer then normal, I came home to a panic but realized that all my Chams were sleeping like nothing happened. Obviously you want to be consistent, or do your very best to do so. In my experience it has been nothing to worry about.