heat bulb advice

[unknown91]

so i have this problem ...
here, in the summer, we have 95-105F outside - 80-90F inside (75-80 if you live in a colder area) so it's kinda hot inside.
how important is the basking spot/light for their health ? can they live wihtout it 1 or 2 months/ year ?

whenever i turn it on she starts opening her mouth (i don't blame her, it must be like a sauna in there)

and it's bad for the humidity, the heat from the bulb evaporates the water kinda fast ...

bad for the activity too, when it's on she sits under it all the time, when it's off she moves around the cage, she eats, she climbs ...

oh, and when she's too hot and opens her mouth, she still sits under it, why is she not moving to the bottom, to a lower temp, colder place ?

i think 12 hours on (like the UVB) it's too much, i'm thinking keeping it off, and turning it on couple of hours after i feed her (for the digestion).

what do you think ?
(almost 6 months, veiled, girl)

 

[Psychobunny]

If it's that warm in your house, you wont need a basking bulb, but there's another problem.
Chams need to have a temp gradient, so they can regulate their temp and also move to cooler locations.
I have mid to high 80's F (depending on species) with lots of foliage inside the cage, and low temp around 70F, which would be about the middle of the cage.

So, if your house is always so warm, they cant get the temp gradient they need.

 

[unknown91]

well, since she always sits on the top, i think she's alright.

plus, if i don't let on the basking light, on the lower part of the cage it's 80-85F (why can't you guys just use Celsius ?! ))) )

 

[crazychamzoo]

Chameleons need a good proper temperature gradient within the cage. They need the warmth of the basking light to warm up from a cool night. They need the warmth for proper digestion. I'm not sure of the availible plants in Romainia, Schefflera, Pothos and Hibiscus are all good non-toxic plants. I would suggest a few things, possible a larger cage depending up the size you have now, with heavy very heavy plant foiliage at the bottom, with the foliage getting lighter as you move up the cage, adjusting the basking light to a distance and position as to keep a constant 87-90 degrees at the basking perch depending upon specie. Then more frequent misting in the bottom side of the cage to keep a higher relative humidity and to keep the coolness down. This will help create a good tempiture gradient that will allow your Chameleon proper thermo regulation and a good level of comfort.

Another way to help maintain the humidity would be to get a substrate tray for the bottom and add a substrate such as peat moss or potting soil, now I don't agree with substrate in the bottom of a chameleon enclosure so the only way a would suggest this is if you covered the substrate with a hard plastic sheet with small holes drilled all through out. You can then set your plants on this tray and what this does is create a hard smooth bottom that is still easy to clean but has the humidity advantage of substrate buy absorbing and maintaining the moisture longer. This substrate would have to be exchanged frequently as not to culture harmful bacteria.

 

[unknown91]

not to be rude (don't get me wrong), but i was just asking about the basking light, if it's totally necessary or not ...
the only problem is with the temperature cuz it's so hot in the summer, but it's still ok, no biggie
i have plants, the cage is ok (110 cm tall), humidity is ok (even it drops when the light is on, i mist her 4-5 times a day), from 40% to 60% when i mist.

 

[crazychamzoo]

Not to be rude, it was simple a suggestion to create a temperature gradient within the enclosure based upon your ambient constant of 85-90 in the entire house. Sorry you took it any other way!

 

[unknown91]

ok, let's get over it

 

[Lazy Boy]

in all honesty I would work on cooling the room some.

 

[unknown91]

it's not that hot in the cage people ) relax, i'm not cooking her
i can handle the heat + i have a fan for 100+ days

 

[Lazy Boy]

it's not that hot in the cage people ) relax, i'm not cooking her
i can handle the heat + i have a fan for 100+ days

Your NOT a tropical reptile. Even in their natural habitat of Madagascar the heat kills thousands of chameleons every year. Well it sounds like you got it all figured out.

 

[unknown91]

you people should chill the f**k out!
what is wrong with you ?
it's 77F on the bottom, and 90F MAX on the top.
yes, i have it figured it out, i have her for 5 months and she's even healthier than was before i got her. i asked a question and you all act like you know that i'm doing, and like i'm doing something wrong.
i was asking about a freaking heat bulb, if it's necessary for her health beside the heat source.

 

[Lazy Boy]

YOU said room temps get up to 90 so don't go changing what you said. So if indeed room temps get that hot it needs to be cooled. Its not that hard to understand. Can you cool her with misting YES that is a form of cooling but it would be better to cool the room. Boy you guys are strung tight there, must be that heat. Calm down