Chameleon likes to hang out close to basking light

[BryanP]

9 month old panther for reference.

So I have my cage set up so the closest branch to the basking bulb is about 8in and about 82degrees at the highest point.

My chameleon likes to hang out on the screen, upside down, under the basking lamp and plant light depending on his mood.

There is no risk of burn by contact with bare bulbs

Should I be worried?

He can thermo regulate just fine and it has been a lot colder recently in my house so maybe he just needs to heat up faster?

 

[Andrew1283]

Clip the temp probe directly onto the screen where’s he’s hanging under that lamp and tell us how hot it is. They don’t “thermo regulate”. Younger chams seem to screen climb and do this kind of stuff. That’s why they aren’t a set it and forget it pet. They need to be watched and our husbandry is ever evolving. Chameleons are oblivious to how hot they’re getting and can burn themselves terribly. Turn off the heat bulb when he does that. Maybe he will get the hint.

FYI my first cham sustained thermal burns and it was a challenge healing them. This is a judgment free zone. We are all learning!

 

[BryanP]

Clip the temp probe directly onto the screen where’s he’s hanging under that lamp and tell us how hot it is. They don’t “thermo regulate”. Chameleons are oblivious to how hot they’re getting and can burn themselves terribly. Turn off the heat bulb when he does that. Maybe he will get the hint.

Yeah doing that now. Already up to 97 degrees F and still going up.
(UPDATE; it's plateaued around 101.5F)


Measure with a govee monitor so I trust it.

They don't thermoregulate? I've never heard that before!

 

[Andrew1283]

Yeah doing that now. Already up to 97 degrees F and still going up.
(UPDATE; it's plateaued around 101.5F)


Measure with a govee monitor so I trust it.

They don't thermoregulate? I've never heard that before!

No way. They will sit there and cook and cook and cook

 

[BryanP]

OK max temp today nearest to the light was 103.3 today so I guess I'll need to try to figure out a way to limit his proximity to that area... somehow.

 

[elizaann2]

Yowza that is hot. You'll want 80 degrees and not really anything hotter than that. I keep mine at an accurate temp by lower watt bulbs, lifting the heat lamp off of the screen (there are lamp hook things you can buy for this) aannnnd...most recenlty I got me one of these dimming temp thermometer guys. You program it to maintain a temp you want and it automatically does it by dimming the lamp etc. Quite nice actually

 

[BryanP]

Yowza that is hot. You'll want 80 degrees and not really anything hotter than that. I keep mine at an accurate temp by lower watt bulbs, lifting the heat lamp off of the screen (there are lamp hook things you can buy for this) aannnnd...most recenlty I got me one of these dimming temp thermometer guys. You program it to maintain a temp you want and it automatically does it by dimming the lamp etc. Quite nice actually

But like 85 (let's say) at the screen will be WAYYY colder at the basking branch...

 

[Andrew1283]

I don’t know how you keep the young chams from screen climbing though. He’s going to have to make it 80’s at the screen if that’s where his cham is going. And that’s not going to be a good basking temp at the branch. The only way I got mine to stop was turning off the basking light when they did it. I would turn the light back on when they got off the screen. Then they learned the branch was there the warmth was

 

[penelopegirl]

Wouldn't providing a digital heating pad for under the tank help regulate the perch while the top and be controlled by moving he.at lamp up?

 

[regal81455]

I don’t know how you keep the young chams from screen climbing though. He’s going to have to make it 80’s at the screen if that’s where his cham is going. And that’s not going to be a good basking temp at the branch. The only way I got mine to stop was turning off the basking light when they did it. I would turn the light back on when they got off the screen. Then they learned the branch was there the warmth was

I had to do the same. I just shut it off remotely every time I saw him attempt to go up near the light. It seems he has caught on cuz I don't see him trying much anymore.

 

[elizaann2]

But like 85 (let's say) at the screen will be WAYYY colder at the basking branch...

Oh I see. I don’t know how hot the bulb actually gets I just track the temp on the basking branch

 

[Andrew1283]

I use the Kasa smart outlet. It lets you control lights from an app on your phone and it’s wonderful. If he’s screen climbing you press a button and the heat lamp turns off. And it’s affordable too. You can set schedules that are easy to program. It’s dummy proof so that’s why I use it!

 

[BryanP]

I use the Kasa smart outlet. It lets you control lights from an app on your phone and it’s wonderful. If he’s screen climbing you press a button and the heat lamp turns off. And it’s affordable too. You can set schedules that are easy to program. It’s dummy proof so that’s why I use it!

Yeah I have that.

I'll just start doing that then when I see him