Cold terrarium (for speacies like hoehnelii or bradypodion)

[teen]

And now that im really thinking about it, these mountain species that have adapted to deal with cooler night time temps, what are they really gaining from it? A cold blooded reptile will be looking for sun in the AM in most any circumstance and i know that holds true for my TJJ and hoeneli. Ive yet to see them thank me for turning the ac on at home, but they sure look happy when the lights come on in the AM whether or not the temp dropped as dramatically as it does in the mtns of kenya or not.

 

[Lunatuck]

Youre right that you wont be cooling below ambient but think about it this way. The room with a heat lamp (or multiple heat lamps in my case) is hotter than the rest of the house or ambient if youd like to call it that. An exhaust fan forces the hot air out essentially creating a vacuum effect in which the cooler ambient air of the house is now taking the place of that hot air. This is why i choose to say a 5 degree drop. Very reasonable amount. If you have conditioned air, its probably closer to the 10 degree drop i mentioned, possibly more. My cages are also misted for a brief duration shortly before lights out, which helps with cooling. Lights off obviously goin to contribute to a temp drop. Air flow is key and unless you live in the desert, i cant see the need to air condition a room for a chameleon. Maybe they wont get a dramatic temp drop in the summer months but i dont think its detrimental. Day time temps getting too hot would be more concerning to me.

I think we need to plug in numbers here. My Cham room is 72F ambient. The rest of the first floor of my house is 70F. If I can evacuate the air at a fast enough rate, I can approach the 70F ambient. I cannot get it below that 70F ambient without some other mechanism.

I saw suggested temps for some high altitude species at 50-60F. That's wine cooler temp. It's hard to get an unenclosed mass of air that cold.

 

[Lunatuck]

And now that im really thinking about it, these mountain species that have adapted to deal with cooler night time temps, what are they really gaining from it? A cold blooded reptile will be looking for sun in the AM in most any circumstance and i know that holds true for my TJJ and hoeneli. Ive yet to see them thank me for turning the ac on at home, but they sure look happy when the lights come on in the AM whether or not the temp dropped as dramatically as it does in the mtns of kenya or not.

Lol. I'm better versed in hardware and physics then I am Chameleons, though I am learning. I do really enjoy DIY projects like this. I'm not really looking for another Cham, but I am considering looking through my PC parts boxes to see if I can fabricate anything useful. IIRC, I have a PC radiator, pump and fans. And a nice collection of heatsinks.

 

[jamest0o0]

And now that im really thinking about it, these mountain species that have adapted to deal with cooler night time temps, what are they really gaining from it? A cold blooded reptile will be looking for sun in the AM in most any circumstance and i know that holds true for my TJJ and hoeneli. Ive yet to see them thank me for turning the ac on at home, but they sure look happy when the lights come on in the AM whether or not the temp dropped as dramatically as it does in the mtns of kenya or not.

Good question here. Could be metabolic? Like we need sleep, maybe they get improper rest when temps do not dip enough. I am pretty sure Parsons need a brumation period to be able to reproduce. If it effects their reproductive system to the point they need it, there is probably other health benefits from it. Even humans taking cold showers/ice baths/etc is supposed to have a healthy impact. I know that's a stretch from a reptile's night drop, but just a thought. I'm just guessing at all of this, I'd like to hear someone's experienced answer.

 

[teen]

I know someone was going to chime in with metabolic rate or something lol. I in no way mean to say that you can improperly care for these animals and its ok but take a look at this. Ok hike into the mtns and it might get a little cooler but i hope.somebody sees what im getting at here. You cant leave your TJJ outside in arizona.

 

[jamest0o0]

I know someone was going to chime in with metabolic rate or something lol. I in no way mean to say that you can improperly care for these animals and its ok but take a look at this. Ok hike into the mtns and it might get a little cooler but i hope.somebody sees what im getting at here. You cant leave your TJJ outside in arizona. View attachment 236683View attachment 236684

I wasn't arguing your point, you asked, I figured I'd contribute since I've wondered the same. I'm not familiar with Tanzania, but if it's anything like Madagascar's mountains, temps dip into the 30s during their winter, according to people who have been there. I'm not sure what they get from this, if anything, I'd assume it'd be metabollicly related.

 

[teen]

Im not arguing, im conversing. I was literally just waiting for someone to bring up metabolic rate since in most cases it directly correlates with temperature. Not sure why ppl think im being argumentative when i just have a lot to say. Lol doesnt mean im laughing at you.

 

[Lunatuck]

Lol. We're just hypersensitive on forums because you cannot hear peoples intonation.

I was going to apologize in advance if anyone was upset by my devils advocacy. I think of it as a brainstorming session.

 

[teen]

I got you. Im at work. i literally take a minute to spew out something that i just thought up and go back to work. Sorry if it comes out wrong.