cham hanging under basking light

K

kelso

New Member
For the past week or so i keep catching my baby panther hanging on his screen cage top directly under his basking light. I have recently switched from a basking bulb to a 60W house light bulb to drop the temperature a little bit, and am wondering if this could be why?
I'm very worried about him getting burnt and am scared to change back to the basking bulb.
Today when i caught him on the screen top his eyes were also closed... it was about 5:00 and his lights go off at 7:00.
Thanks for any input you guys might have,
Kelsie
 
60 watt sounds really hot for a baby. I use 40 for my adult. What is the temp right under the light? How high up do you have it off the cage?
 
it stays a constant 82.8F (except after misting it goes down a bit, even though i use hot water in the bottle) in his basking spot, measured by an electronic thermometer and hygrometer on the highest vine (right in basking spot) its about 2" from the top of the cage.
 
He wants it warmer. Make it easy on yourself, go get a rheostat and a 100 watt bulb. Turn it all the way down and then turn it up so the basking spot is about 85 degrees. Keep going a degree higher every day until he stops. To get him down just turn the light off. Leave the UVB on, he will move.

edit: I meant 80 degrees.
 
How old is this baby? My dughter does not even use a basking light with her babies....just a UV. I would not allow him to get over 82 IF he's a baby.
 
hes about three to four months. its kind of a guesstimate since the pet store i got him from wasn't too sure. so maybe a juv then?
so a zoo med 150 watt rheostat should do the trick for me?
 
I would use a household bulb.....try 40 watt and see how hot it gets. My daughter's babies are about 4 month old panthers......she's a breeder and she has no bashing light on them but we live in FL and they stay about 80 under the UVB light without using a basking light.
 
A 150 watt is fine.

My little guy got burns on his feet from doing this, so it is a risk. He's a veiled but flesh is flesh and his burned.

Jann what does your daughter keep her AC set at? The ambient temperature of the room has everything to do with basking temp, especially if you are just using a UVB.
 
yeah i'm not exactly in florida =/ Northern Alberta Canada. He needs to have a basking light as our temperatures are not reliable here and i work full time and am usually away on weekends. I just don't want it to burn him- i'm kinda scared that he may already have a burn on his side/slash belly- but it may also be a part of his color pattern.
The one i found online only shipped to the US =/
How much would one of those run me just at a home depot or something? any idea pure? Thanks a lot for your advice it sounds like it will work very well =]
 
Pure said:
A 150 watt is fine.

My little guy got burns on his feet from doing this, so it is a risk. He's a veiled but flesh is flesh and his burned.

Jann what does your daughter keep her AC set at? The ambient temperature of the room has everything to do with basking temp, especially if you are just using a UVB.
Click to expand...

Not sure what she keeps her ac on at her apartment but when I keep them at my house my ac ranges from 77 to 79. The temp under the UV's about 80.When they get older she then uses a basking bulb.
 
Kelso, I forgot whether or not you have supplied us a pic of his enclosure and a pic of his eyes..
I think you have something else going on with that eyes being shut.
I remember you talked to me couple of weeks about it too.
I did not remember if you have indeed post any pics for it.. if you have, then can you supply the link..

Thanks
 
yeah he hasn't been shutting his eyes before today, just bulging them. and i think there is something wrong with my camera i cant get a good pic of him they are always blurry and pixel-ey. i could probably get a pretty good shot of his enclosure and get it posted by monday... sorry i just don't take any pictures and am not set up for it, and will be out of town this weekend but i will get something up for monday- even if it is a blurry pic of his eyes. I was trying so hard to get a good pic of him today to post to see if someone could help me sex him but you could barely see him, i dont know i will have to play with the settings on my camera maybe- i got it for christmas and it hasn't even been hooked up to a computer before. haha i never use it...
Sorry, i will do what i can asap
Thanks for your help,
Kelsie
 
that's how Mista lost his toenails, he kept getting them stuck in the mesh so he can't do it any more.Still tries sometimes though,silly thing lol.
 
jannb said:
Not sure what she keeps her ac on at her apartment but when I keep them at my house my ac ranges from 77 to 79. The temp under the UV's about 80.When they get older she then uses a basking bulb.
Click to expand...

That's kinda what I expected. I just wanted to point out that if your house isn't that warm, 80 degrees is next to impossible to get from a UVB light. Floros just don't produce many BTUs. :rolleyes:

Edit:

How much would one of those run me just at a home depot or something?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, I got mine from petsmart. I know you can buy a dimmer switch and wire it in line of the power cord for pretty cheap. But you need to be comfortable with your ability to make this a safe modification.
 
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