Light cycle times for a baby Ambilobe

[Quantum Mark]

Hello!

After an unbearable three month wait, I'm finally picking up my first Cham next weekend! He's a 3 month old Ambilobe. Enclosure is all but complete - details soon to be posted in hope of some critique.

I was wondering about light cycle times. I leave the house at 9am for work Monday to Friday. I get back at 7pm. I'd like to spend some time with the little guy before bed (usually around 12am).

What sort of light cycle would be best? Would it be an issue to have light cycle from 12pm to 12am, even though some light would be seeping through the curtains during the morning?

I'm using a Repti-sun 5.0 and a 60w regular bulb in a clamp lamp.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[warpdrive]

I think that a 12am-12pm light time would not be a problem.
what is a problem would be having the cham wait untill 7pm for it's first feeding.

that's a 7 hour wait before it gets food.
I also think that a young cham would do better to feed twice a day, but that's just me.

as much as I hate to say it, it would be best to have the lights turn on an hour before you could feed it.
then shourtly after it eats, you can give it some water by misting.
before you leave for work you could set up a drip system for added hydration.
sadly, the lights should go out about by the time you come home, so you wont have any time to watch it. (other then on your days off)

Harry

 

[Vampire.queen]

What sort of light cycle would be best? Would it be an issue to have light cycle from 12pm to 12am, even though some light would be seeping through the curtains during the morning?

I'm using a Repti-sun 5.0 and a 60w regular bulb in a clamp lamp.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

It doesn't have to be from 12 to 12! the point is that it is 12 hours of light so you can have it from 1am to 1pm- your chameleon will learn that cycle.
It is usually adviced to copy the normal outside cycle- so from g.e. 6am to 9pm in the summer (that's 15 hours, right) and 12 hours of light in winter.
Reptisun and a bulb are OK.

 

[Quantum Mark]

Thanks for replies.

Warpdrive - I have an automister so hydration shouldn't be an issue. I see what you mean about waiting 7 hours for a feed though.

Would a workaround of this be to sneak some breakfast crickets into the enclosure in the morning? (ones that don't chirp) Then when the lights come on around mid-day, he can do some hunting, get some exercise and chow on some crickets. Then I could give him a meal when he gets home and enjoy him in the evening. Any reason not to do this?

Vampire.queen - Does that mean that a 15 hour light cycle in the summer is okay? I've read that 10-12 hours is what the light cycle should be.

 

[Vampire.queen]

Yes, I think so- the further from equator you are, the bigger differences between day length in Summer and Winter there are. So if you have a guy from Madagascar, you shouldn't be worried 15 hours in Summer is too much..

 

[Surfrat]

Thanks for replies.

Warpdrive - I have an automister so hydration shouldn't be an issue. I see what you mean about waiting 7 hours for a feed though.

Would a workaround of this be to sneak some breakfast crickets into the enclosure in the morning? (ones that don't chirp) Then when the lights come on around mid-day, he can do some hunting, get some exercise and chow on some crickets. Then I could give him a meal when he gets home and enjoy him in the evening. Any reason not to do this?

If light is getting into the room where he is, enough so that it appears to be daylight, then he will wake up. If this is the case you should have the lights on at that point. Chameleons do need their sleep. Turn your lights on at 8am, and right before you leave toss in some crickets. Then when you get home, you can toss in another batch if need be. The automister will be taking care of the rest during the day while your gone.

So yea, I would recommend a 8am to maybe 9pm light cycle for you.

 

[warpdrive]

I personaly don't like the idea of adding crickets to a sleeping chameleon's cage.
crickets have been known to BITE a cham while it sleeps.

yet other foods can be used such as houseflys, silkworms, phonix worms, butterworms.
once you are home, you can then feed crickets as the cham will be awake and hungry.

Harry

 

[Chameleon Company]

I'm with Surfat ...

In that it is best to go with the natural cycle. If you wanted to go to the trouble to completely darken the room to all outside light, then you could more easily adapt the animal to your cycle. Otherwise, he will be rising sooner than you want, reacting to outside light coming in.

Crickets need wings to chirp, and at 8 months, you can easily feed him 1/2- 3/4" crickets that have not winged-out yet, and will not chirp. Many of us free-range crickets as it is, and always have a few in the cage. I do not recommend a situation where you ration crickets such that he cannot find one in a cup, or loose, when hungry. You do need to keep loose crickets under control, where a half dozen may be OK with your cage size, but 15 or more would be asking for trouble. You can always have some simple food in the cage for loose crickets, that does not spoil quickly, such as a piece of carrot, or a piece of leafy greens, such as collards or romaine, to help minimize the risk of cricket chews. In our experience, the incidence of cricket chews (it takes about a 3/8" cricket to have the knawing capacity) is directly proportional to small cage-size, excessive quantities of loose crickets, and lack of available cricket nourishment. It is a very manageable risk.

Additionally, the duration of your light cycle should approach something closer to the tropics, regardless of how far north you are. Hope all goes well.