Heating Problems

K

katelynpc

New Member
OK so I got my cage all set up and and everything seems fine except that the branch underneath the heating lamp reads at 110 degrees. It's already 9 in. beneath the light and doesn't feel that hot. The rest of the branch reads around 85-90. My ambient is barely at 78 degrees and if I get a lower wattage my ambient will be too low. What should I do? :(
 
Live plants will help greatly I think, an automatic mister misting several times day, and a fogger also. All on timers. Get a different brand of low wattage basking bulb. Move the basking lamp vertically away from the terrarium screen, dont just allow 9 inches from the basking bulb just by moving the perch.
 
I have plants and my humidity is perfect. It's just the basking area. I'm using a 75 watt. I tried a 50 watt but my ambient was way too low. Moving my lamp away will just lower my ambient more right?
 
Maybe a 60 watt bulb. I wouldn't worry about the ambient too much, move the bulb away in small increments. Less than inches.
 
The chameleon will move around his cage to reach the different temperatures he wants to be at. I would be more worried about having a spot in the cage that could burn him vs a spot that might a little on the cooler side.

They can also drop down to 68 degrees at night so having the entire cage set at 78 during the day isn't necessary. Mine are usually around 74-76 during the day with a basking spot if they want to warm up and some lower branches under cover if they want to cool down. That is why having a large enough and tall enough cage is important to give them the different temperate gradients they will be looking for throughout the day.
 
May have to experiment with different watt bulbs.
Just place your temp probe in the basking spot and monitor the temp of
each bulb, in turn, allowing about 1 hour each change.
I have had to use 25W to get the right temp at 8'' away.

You can also cut some pieces of black mesh gutter-guard and put it between
the lamp and the screen, as a kind of filter.
 
i will post a video of what i did soon. Don't bother messing with lights and spending cash on lights.

Exo Terra has a lamp stand for like 12$ that is adjustable. It is made for glass cages but i drilled 6 holes in it and zip tied it to the cage. This allows me to adjust the height as needed, also taking the light off the screen. This is nice because now the screen is cool to the touch well not cool but warm. Not enough to burn your chameleon if he climbs up there.

I was having issues with my basking spoke which was 6 inches away from a 60 watt bulb getting to 105 ish. I tried 5 different bulbs and could NOT get to 88. So i bought this and now its PERFECT goes between 87-89. Also if my house cools in the winter i can easily adjust it and same for the summer.

I havent got my lil guy yet, but this made it really easy to get my temps dialed in before i get him this weekend.
 
I actually changed the heat bulb to a 60 watt house bulb and now the hot spot reads 87-90!!! So now I'm already for my little one!
 
Awesome, glad you where able to figure out something that works. One last test I would do is place your hand inside the cage as close to the light as the chameleon would be able to get to and see if you can hold it there for a good minute. If it is too hot for your hand it will be too hot for the chameleon and could cause a burn if they were to hang upside down under the light for too long.

What kind of chameleon are you planning on getting?
 
It gets very warm but I can hold it there. I'm getting a panther chameleon :D I plan on getting him in the next few weeks. The problem is I want one that's not a baby so around 7-8 months. But I don't want to spend more then $300. :/
 
how large is your cage though. At that age you will probably need close to a full size cage or with in a couple months. That is why i got a baby because i want to see the color that explodes and watch him develope. When i buy my female i will probably buy an adult though to get breeding going fast. but babies just seem cool to start with.
 
I'm sure you will be able to find one that you love for that price.

My panthers are right around that age now and the males would most definitely need a larger cage if I didn't already have an adult cage setup for them as Crixus said. If your cages isn't large enough, maybe you will want to look into a younger one and plan on purchasing a larger cage in the next few months.
 
That size should be fine for awhile. I keep my females in that size cage as they are a bit smaller than the males.

A 2 month on is tiny but a 4-5 month old should be a prefect size. At that point, some should have their colors starting to come in and you should have a bit of an idea as what they will look like.
 
just find a good breeder. I am getting mine through living color and Bamm Bamm the shire looks amazing and the females shire 14k is beautiful too.
 
There are some amazing breeder/sponsors here with reasonable prices. I know we all have budgets, but you do get what you pay for. Having a breeder who is an ongoing resource is amazing!! (Bruce that means you!) and choosing someone who is breeding to improve the species rather than make a quick buck is also important, although that one is a bit harder to determine I guess. Don't be afraid to ask questions and if you don't like the answers move on.

Glad you got your heating issues resolved.
 
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