I NEED A TEMPERATURE DROP AT NIGHT

[Sidthekid89]

Hello, I have an established cage and a 1 year old Jackson's chameleon. I was just wondering if there is something I need to do to get the temp to drop. It is currently 9 o clock right now and the temp is 75 degrees. I live in a really dry area. I have a fan running right now and my window is cracked, I don't see what else I can do, I have a Misting schedule of once in the morning at 7:30 and once at night at 7:30. The humidity gets really low in the day, like around 20% sometimes as low as 15%.

I NEED HELP

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[aleagueofherown]

Hello! I see you have a previous forum here regarding humidity, and here regarding foggers. In the second thread, @Mendez mentioned "You will need a portable AC unit to cool down the room or use your house AC. Night temp drops are important and should fall below 65 degrees at a minimum--lower is almost always better." Have you changed anything since your last postings in March?

 

[Tige21v]

^
You could mist more at night, evaporation cools surfaces. But it is not going to drop the temp to what you need for a Jacksons or any of the other montane species.
No easy way around it that I know of. As already mentioned, you will have to address it either with a portable AC unit (assuming that room can be closed off) or cool your entire house.
Which is expensive, and TBH, would be uncomfortably chilly. I try to get my house down into the mid 60''s at night for the panthers. It's shows on my electric bill in the summer. And it is uncomfortable for me in the morning, (partly because I hate the cold so much. To me, anything under 80 is cold. )
These critters are not cheap to keep!
Maybe, consider rehoming the Jacksons with someone who has the setup needed to care for montane species, and get a veiled or panther, or one of the lowland/more temperate species?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

The required nighttime temperature drop is EXACTLY why I chose another species in lieu of a Jacksons.

Since you live in a dry area, I'm guessing you don't have a basement(?)

Evaporative cooling by misting will drop the temperature a couple of degrees, but nowhere near the 20 degree drop required for a Jackson's.

I agree that you either need to get a small AC unit, or rehome the chameleon to someone who can provide its needs.

In the future, please research—and make sure you can provide—a potential pet's needs/requirements before getting it.

 

[Sidthekid89]

But the thing is, I did research about my pets needs, and I just need advice, i don't want to give my cham away because that would be like giving a 1 year old child up for adoption.

 

[Beman]

Get a window unit air conditioner for the room he is in. They are not that expensive. The small ones you can get for about $100 and they are easy to put in. This is the best way to keep temps during the day where you need them and drop them at night.

 

[Tige21v]

But the thing is, I did research about my pets needs, and I just need advice, i don't want to give my cham away because that would be like giving a 1 year old child up for adoption.

All good. I get it.
But there's only two ways I am aware of to drop the temp.
Open a window if the outside temp is lower than inside.
Or mechanically manipulate the indoor temp if the outside air is warmer (air conditioner).
The montane species are very cool. One day I would love to have a jacksons, a helmeted, or a deremensis. Jacksons are one of my favorites. But as of now, I am not set up to care for them and have them thrive. Once I can dedicate a room to them and provide the supplemental cooling they require, I will get serious about getting one. Until then, I will own one vicariously through the success of other members on this forum.

 

[Sidthekid89]

Thank you for the advice, since it is getting hotter, I might run my swamp cooler that is in my dining room to cool off my house

 

[aleagueofherown]

But the thing is, I did research about my pets needs, and I just need advice, i don't want to give my cham away because that would be like giving a 1 year old child up for adoption.

This comment is disrespectful and unrelated. There is nothing easy about giving a 1 year old child up for adoption. Giving up an animal may be extremely difficult, but it should not be equated with a child. Not to mention - the decision to give up a child is not taken lightly.

You asked for advice, and you are receiving it. @Klyde O'Scope was correct in urging you to research more in the future before committing to an animal. Had you done the proper research, you would have created the environment and fine-tuned it before bringing your chameleon home. In an ideal world, that's what we would all do. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't. But I will also be the first to tell you that if you ask for advice here, you're going to receive constructive criticism as well. Take it with a grain of salt and do what you need to create the ideal environment for your chameleon.

 

[Sidthekid89]

But I brought my chameleon home in the fall/winter time, so the temps and humidity was perfect then, so now it is getting hotter outside, so I'm making the adjustments.

 

[Beman]

Some of these comments really are not fair. 98% of the people who get chams end up finding out the wrong husbandry info. It is not our place to judge another. It is our responsibility as members here to help those that come here... Not judge them for their actions and not make them feel bad for getting the wrong info. They have the cham. They love the cham and they are looking for feedback on the husbandry and ways to correct it for a different season. Not to be told that they did the wrong research, or that they need to rehome it. OR that they should have done the right research before getting it.

And I have to say parting with a chameleon I adore and love that is part of my family would be just as hard and would compare it to the loss I would feel if my daughter told me she would rather live with her father. People bond to their pets differently.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

But the thing is, I did research about my pets needs, and I just need advice,

Then—logically—you would have asked this advice before you brought the chameleon into the wrong conditions.

But I brought my chameleon home in the fall/winter time, so the temps and humidity was perfect then, so now it is getting hotter outside, so I'm making the adjustments.

How does that make any difference? Seasonal climate change didn't just begin this year.
This was perfectly foreseeable.

You can try the swamp cooler, but that works by evaporative cooling. Ten degrees is about the best you can hope for under ideal conditions, and if the ambient outdoor RH is above 30%, it may struggle to do that.

A small AC unit has been suggested/recommended by a number of people in at least two threads, and I really think that is your best option.

Sometimes the answers we get aren't the answers we want to hear, but that doesn't mean they aren't valid.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Some of these comments really are not fair. 98% of the people who get chams end up finding out the wrong husbandry info.

There's a difference between getting wrong information and getting correct information and not heeding it. The OP acknowledged right off that s/he knew about the temp drop. This is not the first thread in which this has been discussed.

And I have to say parting with a chameleon I adore and love that is part of my family would be just as hard and would compare it to the loss I would feel if my daughter told me she would rather live with her father. People bond to their pets differently.

I think that's a flawed analogy. A better one might be your daughter having a health-threatening sensitivity to something in your home (e.g mold, formaldehyde). Even if you were willing to spend the tens of thousands of dollars to rid the house of the health risk, I think you would still rather she stay someplace else until the matter was rectified.

In this case, it's the too warm nighttime temps that are health-threatening.

Do you *have* to provide a night drop?​

Yes. Jackson’s chameleons prefer lower temperatures than other chameleons due to their montane origin. Many keepers have noticed that their chams are healthier when the temperatures are allowed to drop significantly at night.
https://reptifiles.com/jacksons-chameleon-care/jacksons-chameleon-lighting-temperatures/

From Chameleon Academy:

Each chameleon species will have different temperature requirements and it is critical that you understand what is needed by each species. It is even important to provide a cool down at night for a number of species.
....
While tropical chameleons do exist, an enormous number of species come from high elevations where they need mild temperatures and a significant night time drop in temperature. The infamous Jackson’s Chameleon “sudden death syndrome” where they suddenly drop dead has an unknown cause, but a likely scenario is physical exhaustion. Without the nighttime drops, their body does not get the sleep it needs. The body slowly exhausts itself and then just gives out. We are still investigating this particular situation, but giving your chameleon both the heat – and cold – that it has developed to require is part of the recipe for success.
https://chameleonacademy.com/basics-heat-for-chameleons/

I just re-read this thread several times in case I missed it, but I don't see anyone judging the OP.

 

[kinyonga]

@Sidthekid89 Where do you live?

 

[Sidthekid89]

I live in hesperia, CA

 

[JacksJill]

Because you have dry air a small personal fan filled with ice might help you get more of a drop at night. They work like a swamp cooler but only if you have dry enough air. Direct it into the cage but not directly where he sleeps. You can also place gel ice packs on top of the cage directly above the sleep spot each night to create a cooler spot there where it is most needed.

 

[Mendez]

Get a window unit air conditioner for the room he is in. They are not that expensive. The small ones you can get for about $100 and they are easy to put in. This is the best way to keep temps during the day where you need them and drop them at night.

Window AC units are superior to portable AC units in every way possible. The only downside...many Homeowner Associations do not allow them in the neighborhood. Something about going against the aesthetics of the neighborhood. This was the only reason I went with a portable AC unit. Window AC units are more efficient, less costly, take up minimal space, self-vent collected water, and are better for the environment. It's a darn shame that they have been banned by many HOAs, but it is always best to research your own neighborhood as you may have an HOA that allows them or you may not have an HOA at all. Either way, an AC unit is needed--at least for now.

All that matters is that you are making the changes. Your parameters were perfect during the cold season, and now that the weather is warming up, you are adjusting accordingly. A couple of warm nights is not life-threatening, but the stress builds up over time.

I think that's a flawed analogy. A better one might be your daughter having a health-threatening sensitivity to something in your home (e.g mold, formaldehyde). Even if you were willing to spend the tens of thousands of dollars to rid the house of the health risk, I think you would still rather she stay someplace else until the matter was rectified.

I think there is a difference between a person having a "health-threatening sensitivity" and a person having a suboptimal night of sleep. A few warm nights is not going to threaten a jacksons chameleon's life span. As long as you can provide nighttime drops sooner rather than later, your cham will be fine. Without playing the analogy game, a more apt analogy would be a person sleeping in a room with a loud fan or having a room temperature that is uncomfortably high or low. When you wake up from these nights, you feel more tired than usual because your body was not able to completely shut down and relax. Instead, your body was trying hard to regulate body temperature or drowning out the sound of the fan.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Be happy y'all (--that's an order)!

Oh, and let us know if you have any more questions.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I think there is a difference between a person having a "health-threatening sensitivity" and a person having a suboptimal night of sleep. A few warm nights is not going to threaten a jacksons chameleon's life span.

I would be the first to agree if that were the case, but it's not. You told the OP he'd need an AC unit 2½ weeks ago. Now he's asking (essentially) the same question again, getting the same answer, and making excuses—"I don't see what else I can do," "I just need advice" (which he's been given by several people, including both of us), "I might run my swamp cooler", "But I brought my chameleon home in the fall/winter time"...

Adjustments definitely need to be made, but I think some of us are concerned that because he's not getting the answers he wants to hear, he's not going to do what needs to be done to make those adjustments. After a while, those few warm nights can, may, and eventually will turn into a health issue.

 

[Mendez]

I would be the first to agree if that were the case, but it's not. You told the OP he'd need an AC unit 2½ weeks ago. Now he's asking (essentially) the same question again, getting the same answer, and making excuses—"I don't see what else I can do," "I just need advice" (which he's been given by several people, including both of us), "I might run my swamp cooler", "But I brought my chameleon home in the fall/winter time"...

Adjustments definitely need to be made, but I think some of us are concerned that because he's not getting the answers he wants to hear, he's not going to do what needs to be done to make those adjustments. After a while, those few warm nights can, may, and eventually will turn into a health issue.

I agree, I definitely missed that part, my b

 

[redhorse]

JMHO-- I don't live to far from you and it is in the low to mid 50 night time this time of year. JMO
There is always away sometime we have to think outside the box.
APR 42° 67° MAY 48° 73° JUN 53° 81°
These are average temps (like today was in the 80's).
The issue we have is that the sun warms the condo all day, and at night the cool outside air pushes the heat from the walls and roof inside making it warmer. Open the windows around dusk and let your house cool from the inside out.
Fun Fact! Some American Tribes would find stone that would allow for this heat transfer for their homes. So during the day it would keep the home cool and at night the cool air would force the warmth inside. No power or AC back in the day.. No Jacksons either.
Seems like you have plenty of info to assist in your- drop temp issue.
Good Luck!