It is intact sitting on top but I've never seen her up there. I'll move it tonight. If I'm honest I'm freaking out because I "rescued" her and heard horror stories. I'm still building up her enclosure...
I've got a couple branches in there n stuff not much foliage yet....but soon...
I'm getting the liner bulb tomorrow.
I have the thermometer in the basking and it just doesn't heat up!
Ohhh also it is a redbulb do I need to get an "intense spot" from zoomed??
Don't stress. Just do
plenty of research. If you have a question, ask it. We all started out somewhere, and I found the forums to be the best source of information.
Females can require slightly different care requirements when it comes to lighting, feeding, supplementing, etc. Although, I don't know if any of that pertains to Jackson's females, since they don't lay eggs. I will let someone else chime in on this, since I've never owned a female. Make sure you are reading information on Jackson's Chameleons. Their care is different (higher humidity, lower temps) from a Panther/Veiled.
You don't need to get a heat bulb made specifically for reptiles. You can go to Walmart and get a much cheaper incandescent bulb, they are the same thing. I don't know if an "intense spot" light would be a good idea. They tend to concentrate the heat/light straight down, as apposed to spreading it out. I don't know if it would be a better idea to use a regular bulb vs. spot bulb with a Jacksons. Maybe someone else can better answer your question.
Chameleon's can see color, so the red bulbs don't do them any justice. It's more productive to stimulate the natural sun. Also, you don't need to use any light at night. Unless your house gets under 60 F, you won't need additional heat. If your house does get pretty cold, I would recommend buying a "ceramic heat emitter" for nighttime use. They give off heat, but no light.
Chameleon's do well with a temperature drop at night, and also need complete darkness. Some Chameleon's won't sleep if the room light is on. I cover my Chameleon's cages at night, so they aren't bothered by the television or light.
If your temps don't change much after you switch bulbs, I would test your thermometer. It could be faulty. I've had thermometers and hygrometers that won't go above a certain degree or fahrenheit. So you might want to take that into account too. I just thought it was worth mentioning.
Research, research, research. Search anything, and everything that comes to mind. If you can't find an answer, ask it. I'm sure many of us would be happy to help. As I mentioned above, make sure the information pertains to Jackson's Chameleons. You don't want to read the wrong information.
Main things you need to know:
1) Lighting/Temperature
2) Hydration/Humidity
3) Supplementation
4) Gut-loading/Food
Forgive me if I forgot anything, it's a little late.
)
