Cold room, bad New Jersey!

[KyleFitzz]

So I have my Jackson's in my room and it's very cold here in New Jersey especially in my room! I have all the necessary lights for my Jackson's chameleon but in the shader areas in his terrarium it was very cold. I decided to put a space heater behind his terrarium to add some direct heat to his repti breeze, do you think that will do the trick or should I buy him a glass terrarium for the time being until the summer?! Please let me know what you guys think!

 

[crocky]

What is the temp?

 

[KyleFitzz]

Well in the basking spot perfectly at 77-81 and then in the shade it was like 64-65 degrees f. I'm just worried about this little guy and want him to be safe. It's stressing me out haha

 

[carol5208]

yes tell us what the temps are in the cage. What is his basking temp reading? How cold is your room?.

 

[KyleFitzz]

The shaded spots where he likes to relax are really low 60's and the basking spot is 70-77 it fluctuates from day to night. Now that I have the space heater set at 64 behind his cage the temp in the shaded area is at 84. I don't know if it would be smart to just order a glass terrarium with a drain for now until it's warmer in jersey.

 

[dom1959]

he can prolly take it colder overnight than you would be comfortable with.
maintaining his daytime temps is all you need to stress over.
some keepers here keep jacksons outdoors where it gets into
the 30's and 40's at night.

"Jackson's Chameleons, like other reptiles regulate their own body temperature and it is thus important to provide them with a temperature gradient inside their enclosure. The best ambient temperature during the day for Jackson's Chameleons is fairly cool, between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. By placing the basking bulb approximately 8-10 inches away from a basking perch inside the enclosure, a basking spot of approximately 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit is achieved. This arrangement provides the warmest temperatures directly under the heat bulb and cooler temps lower down in the enclosures. Additionally, chameleons do well with a night temperature drop so no additional heat source is needed at night as long as your temps stay above the mid to high 40s and the chameleons are able to bask in the morning."

 

[KyleFitzz]

Yeah I def got all of that going on it's just very cold in this room for him and I just thought a glass enclosure would make a good substitute for the winter months

 

[Carlton]

Yeah I def got all of that going on it's just very cold in this room for him and I just thought a glass enclosure would make a good substitute for the winter months

Remind yourself that what feels cold to YOU isn't the same for a cham. Your body temp is a lot higher than a cham's. A cham may be comfortable with temps lower than your own, so you just aren't a good judge. Rely on the thermometer temps rather than yourself.

 

[Psychobunny]

Jacksons tolerate low temps pretty well, my room is 68 to 70 all winter long.
At night, it often goes down to low 60's since I turn the thermostat down at bedtime .
Like already mentioned, reptiles dont feel cold the same way we do because of their average blood temp is way lower.