Drop In Temperature.

[Gianmarco_Red]

Hi there! I’m really new to the chameleon owning and I have a questions. When we got my Cham it was Farley hot here in Florida (4 days ago) but it has dropped a lot to even 40°F and I was wondering since I’m out of the house a lot. Should I leave all the lights on for the Cham? Meaning Day, UVB + the night light for extra heat. I honestly didn’t recommend it but someone did it while I was away and I’m wondering if I should do it or not.
If you need info on the cage uhm well it’s basically the starter kit chameleon cage. We gave him a lot of foliage so he has a lot of cover and it gets Farley dark in the bottom if he ever gets too hot.
I shall await feedback.
Thank you!

 

[AnamCara]

Hi there! I’m really new to the chameleon owning and I have a questions. When we got my Cham it was Farley hot here in Florida (4 days ago) but it has dropped a lot to even 40°F and I was wondering since I’m out of the house a lot. Should I leave all the lights on for the Cham? Meaning Day, UVB + the night light for extra heat. I honestly didn’t recommend it but someone did it while I was away and I’m wondering if I should do it or not.
If you need info on the cage uhm well it’s basically the starter kit chameleon cage. We gave him a lot of foliage so he has a lot of cover and it gets Farley dark in the bottom if he ever gets too hot.
I shall await feedback.
Thank you!

Hello,

your UVB light and Heat / basking bulb should be on during the day -- 12 hours. At night there should be NO light, complete darkness and you can turn the heat off too. Unless you're seeing your breath at night in you're house it is not to cold for your chameleon.

I, too, but the chameleons starter kit and realized it is not sufficient for proper chameleon care. If you're interested I can run through husbandry with you and provide some links to proper enclosure supplies. Let me know!

 

[Lennoncham]

No lights at night. If you need extra heat at night use a ceramic heat emitter. They can have a drop into the 60’s even mid-high 50’s at night.

 

[Gianmarco_Red]

Hello,

your UVB light and Heat / basking bulb should be on during the day -- 12 hours. At night there should be NO light, complete darkness and you can turn the heat off too. Unless you're seeing your breath at night in you're house it is not to cold for your chameleon.

I, too, but the chameleons starter kit and realized it is not sufficient for proper chameleon care. If you're interested I can run through husbandry with you and provide some links to proper enclosure supplies. Let me know!

Ah that would be great!

 

[AnamCara]

Ah that would be great!

Let start with some pictures of your enclosure.

If i'm understanding correctly, you have only had him for 4 days, correct?

Fill this out the best you're able to and I will provide some feedback.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Gianmarco_Red]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, and (about) a juvenile. He’s been with me for 4 days.
• Handling - I don’t Handle my Cham, he still is new to us and I prefer not to stress him out over handling him, until he gets more comfortable.
• Feeding - Right now we started feeding him crickets, but I’ve been looking for places selling dubia roaches as well. We feed him about 4-7 crickets per day (he is still new so I don’t have much of an average to say..). I’ll usually feed him the amount of crickets to let loose in his cage because he does not like having a bowl yet. We give them Orange Cubes, and now that I think of it that might not be too good for him.
• Supplements - Vitamins we give him the standard which is Repti Calcium. He gets some from the UVB lights as well. And eventually once he starts eating from bowls I’ll feed him some fruit and vegetables that are good for him.
• Watering - I just get a spray bottle with clean water and spray his habitat so the humidity good. I most him in the mornings at 6:00 then get home at 3-4 and mist him there, then only mist a little around 10. Yes he drinks water from the leaves and the moss around him.
• Fecal Description - he’s usually a nice green that semi resembles his environment. Hell turn darker as well, but not too often, and when he goes all the way to the top he turns a bit pale (I assume due to being next to the heat source). No he’s fairly new, so we haven’t tested him yet.
• History - No, sorry.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - the cage is the chameleon kit one, we added waterproof paper in three sides in order to increase the humidity for my Cham. With the paper included he still can climb on all screens of the cage. Dimensions are 16x16x30.
• Lighting - I don’t know the brand, but They are in the chameleon kit + added a night light (red) that gives him heat during the night. I’ll turn on his day lights at 6:00 am and shift them back around 7 or 8.
• Temperature - Normally on the top it is around 80 and the bottom low 70’s. Until the drop in temperature due to winter the top is around 69-73 and bottom around 64. Usually lowest overnight on the top at around 75-79 and bottom around 70-73, now since the drop in temp it has been top 65 and bottom 60. Thermometer to the top and bottom of the cage.
• Humidity - usually they were around 70, but since the temperature drop it’s around 50. By having 3 sides covered and misting the cage it produces the average levels, before the drop in temp... We use a thermometer + a Humidity meter.
• Plants - We use fake plants that hold the droplets for him to drink. And some moss.
• Placement - It’s located in my room, on top of a small bookshelf. It’s below a fan that I don’t turn on, besides an AC that only turns on around 10pm at 73-74° and it isn’t hit by the air, and no high traffic areas. The cage itself is basically in the middle of the wall. It is at a good height. *See pictures if you need a reference*
• Location - I am located in florida!

Current Problem-
What to do with the temperature drop in Florida.

Please Note:

1. That he is new so he won’t trust us yet... he a scared boi.

[/QUOTE]

 

[AnamCara]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, and (about) a juvenile. He’s been with me for 4 days.
• Handling - I don’t Handle my Cham, he still is new to us and I prefer not to stress him out over handling him, until he gets more comfortable.
• Feeding - Right now we started feeding him crickets, but I’ve been looking for places selling dubia roaches as well. We feed him about 4-7 crickets per day (he is still new so I don’t have much of an average to say..). I’ll usually feed him the amount of crickets to let loose in his cage because he does not like having a bowl yet. We give them Orange Cubes, and now that I think of it that might not be too good for him. Orange cubes are blah. I'll attach some food / gutload sheets at the bottom of this -- gutload with commercial gut load or/ AND fresh veg and some fruit.
• Supplements - Vitamins we give him the standard which is Repti Calcium. He gets some from the UVB lights as well. And eventually once he starts eating from bowls I’ll feed him some fruit and vegetables that are good for him. You will want to make sure you also have a multi vitamin. Traditional supplement schedule is Phosphorous Free Calcium at every feeding -- then every other week you will supplement one feeding with just a multivitamin, and alternating weeks you will supplement one feeding with Calcium with D3. Alternatively, you could use Repashy LoD on 90-100% of feedings.
• Watering - I just get a spray bottle with clean water and spray his habitat so the humidity good. I most him in the mornings at 6:00 then get home at 3-4 and mist him there, then only mist a little around 10. Yes he drinks water from the leaves and the moss around him. You want to make sure you're misting for at least two minutes. If you are not running an automated mister I would suggest having a "dripper" going -- to drip water onto a leaf for the chameleon to drink. They will only drink "dew" drops on leaves.
• Fecal Description - he’s usually a nice green that semi resembles his environment. Hell turn darker as well, but not too often, and when he goes all the way to the top he turns a bit pale (I assume due to being next to the heat source). No he’s fairly new, so we haven’t tested him yet. you want poop to be relatively solid with a nice, white or pearly urate. I suggest finding a good reptile/chameleon vet and getting a fecal done sooner than later.
• History - No, sorry.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - the cage is the chameleon kit one, we added waterproof paper in three sides in order to increase the humidity for my Cham. With the paper included he still can climb on all screens of the cage. Dimensions are 16x16x30. You will want to upgrade to a minimum 2x2x4 ft enclsoure when they get older.
• Lighting - I don’t know the brand, but They are in the chameleon kit + added a night light (red) that gives him heat during the night. I’ll turn on his day lights at 6:00 am and shift them back around 7 or 8. Automatic Plugs / Smart Plugs are your friend -- but first -- the lighting provided in the Chameleon kit is not sufficent. You want a LINEAR UVB Bulb, either 5.0 or 6% , and if you have live plants you will probably want a second linear bulb 65K for the plants.
• Temperature - Normally on the top it is around 80 and the bottom low 70’s. Until the drop in temperature due to winter the top is around 69-73 and bottom around 64. Usually lowest overnight on the top at around 75-79 and bottom around 70-73, now since the drop in temp it has been top 65 and bottom 60. Thermometer to the top and bottom of the cage. This will likely be remedied once you get a proper basking light. Basking spot should be 83/84 with the temps gradually going down towards the bottom. I, personally, use a ceramic heat emitter as a basking / heat source and a digital thermometer to control the temperature. Highkey suggest.
• Humidity - usually they were around 70, but since the temperature drop it’s around 50. By having 3 sides covered and misting the cage it produces the average levels, before the drop in temp... We use a thermometer + a Humidity meter. 70 is a lot for the day time. While the lights are on, you want to get that number closer to 50% -- from lights out to morning a steady increase in humidity is best -- reaching around 80-100% Between midnight and 4 am -ish.
• Plants - We use fake plants that hold the droplets for him to drink. And some moss. Plants are half the fun of having a chameleon! Live plants help regular humidity (You may want to take the paper/plastic siding off the enclosure) life plants are suggested but not necessary if you are cleaning the fake plants regulary. I would removed any bark or moss in the bottom as they harbors bacteria. Bare bottom is easier to clean. If you want to go Bioactive, there are plenty of threads here to help with that!
• Placement - It’s located in my room, on top of a small bookshelf. It’s below a fan that I don’t turn on, besides an AC that only turns on around 10pm at 73-74° and it isn’t hit by the air, and no high traffic areas. The cage itself is basically in the middle of the wall. It is at a good height. *See pictures if you need a reference* That might still be a little close to the A/C You dont want to much "draft" going into / by the enclosure. Taking it away from the window will make sure it doesnt get *too* hot.
• Location - I am located in florida!

Current Problem-
What to do with the temperature drop in Florida.

Please Note:

1. That he is new so he won’t trust us yet... he a scared boi.

 

[MissSkittles]

You’ll also want to get rid of the red light...is not good for sensitive cham eyes.

 

[Gianmarco_Red]

Ah wow thank you so much! Also for fecal! Sorry I read facial and described his colors XD. Uhm so yeah his poops are solid, sometimes a little slimy. They are dark and sometimes there is the uhm (I forgot the name for it) a little white-ish yellow that comes out as well.