New with questions

[superfastemmyfish]

Hello there.

Long time reptile owner but got my first Jackson chameleon last week and wanted to get some advice.

I am having trouble keeping the heat down for my Jackson. I know they like cooler temps but it has been 90 where i live for the last few days and when i have his basking light on it makes his basking spot upwards of 95 so i have been keeping it off because he just stays down at the bottom where it is cooler. I try to keep the room as cool as possible but im not sure what to do. Does he need a basking light 24/7? I have a daytime light and a night time light but feel as if they make it too hot.

Also i dont know what to use for a substrate. I have been told just newspaper or paper towels but if he grabs a cricket off them it sticks to his tongue a bit and i am worried about it. Also the crickets tend to hide underneath the paper. Just wondering what everyone finds the easiest and safest.

 

[xephyr17]

I had the same problem with my young Veiled. I ended up installing an A/C unit and haven't had any trouble since then... I'm not sure about the basking light being on 24/7 or not for Jacksons, but I would imagine you'd only want the light on during the day. From what I know, Chameleons like it to be completely dark during the night time and like to have temp drops.

So far as the bottom of your cage is concerned with the substrate, I had that problem as well haha. I ended up just leaving the bottom of the cage completely bare... I got a solid black plastic sheet (the cage came with a white bottom) so it wouldn't look so ugly and just clean up the poop every day from the bottom when I see it...

 

[superfastemmyfish]

I have his UVB on during the day. Just not his basking light. Im not sure if the light is just for the heat or if the light itself does something for them? Cause i have plenty of heat

If i have to invest in an a/c i will but it rarely gets this hot up here so id hardly ever use one so im trying to avoid it.

Right now i have the bottom of the cage bare. I clean the cage daily anyway to take out uneaten crickets and mop up the water from his mister so i dont see a need for substrate. Just didnt know if it was the right thing to do!

I didnt know chameleons like the dark at night. Right now i have one of those red night time basking bulbs but if they prefer the dark so do i. I have trouble sleeping with that red light on.

 

[xephyr17]

I have his UVB on during the day. Just not his basking light. Im not sure if the light is just for the heat or if the light itself does something for them? Cause i have plenty of heat

If i have to invest in an a/c i will but it rarely gets this hot up here so id hardly ever use one so im trying to avoid it.

Right now i have the bottom of the cage bare. I clean the cage daily anyway to take out uneaten crickets and mop up the water from his mister so i dont see a need for substrate. Just didnt know if it was the right thing to do!

I didnt know chameleons like the dark at night. Right now i have one of those red night time basking bulbs but if they prefer the dark so do i. I have trouble sleeping with that red light on.

The heat lamp doesn't do anything but heat up the enclosure, so if it's too hot then you can just keep it off. But I'd suggest keeping the UVB light on at all times. It doesn't really provide any heat anyway so it won't make much of a difference in that regard... So far as the heat of the room goes, if you don't want to invest in an A/C unit (which I would understand--I actually ripped mine out of my grandparents' window for free because they didn't want it!) then I suggest getting a couple fans to help bring down the temp...

What are you using to check your temps by the way?

And yes, it's not necessary to have the red light on at night.

 

[superfastemmyfish]

i use the digital thermometer from zoomed and just a humidity gauge from petco.

 

[xephyr17]

Good that you have a digital thermometer... the other ones with the hands are no bueno.

I'd suggest getting a temp gun. They're really accurate and you can test the temps of the whole cage super easily

 

[ChiefRedman]

What kind of cage are you using?