nite owl

javsto

New Member
I consider myself to be a nite owl/early riser. that is I usually go to bed around 2-3 am and wake up for work around 7am mon-fri and tend to sleep in on weekends but still get to bed as late or later. I was wondering, if I keep my cham cage in my bedroom, should I cover the front of his cage with something so as to not keep him awake with any bright lights, either from the room lamp or tv then uncover him just before i hit the sack?? Ive read here that chams are deaf for the most part so im not concerned for the noise level, which isnt that loud anyway but rather I dont want to stress him/her out by keeping it awake with brightlights or whatnot. Also if I use regular tap water for the misting system, what would you recommend, if anything, as far as water conditioning ?
 
I would definitely cover the cage. My cham is right next to my computer and unless I cover the cage so it is completely dark he will sit there in the sleeping position with his tail curled up but his eyes wide open. I suppose you could look at him and if he is sleeping with his eyes closed then obviously the light does not bother him. As far as the water, I use regular water from the tap but that is just me and where I live. I think it is relatively safe, but not everyone's water quality is the same.
 
I have observed that my chams are knocked out at pretty much the same time every evening, even if I have another light source on that is not part of their cages. All 3 are kept in my room and I watch TV or am on the computer for a few hours after their lights out. I guess I might have heavy sleepers.
 
G'day Sledgehammer :)
Yes cover the cage wont hurt if you see it active when it should be snoozing.
Some go off like a frog in a sock with the slightest disturbance, some dont seem to care. :)
 
Last edited:
My cham... wil not fall asleep unless we cover his cage... he will go to his branch curl his tail and just stare at us... we will sut the tv off, lights everything but he still will not fall asleep... once that cover goes on he's out!!
 
G'day to you too mate :) But since i was going to fully cover the rear of its cage and 3/4 of the sides with a shower curtain to contain the mist/spray, if i also cover the front at nite should i use some sort of small fan, like a computer case fan to keep the air flow constant? Also i was considering a small watt ceramic bulb for night time heating instead of the red/blue light. What are your thoughts on that and if any of you use one what wattage ceramic do you recommend for night time use?
 
I'm somewhat of a night owl myself. My chameleons are set up in our second living room, and are on a 12/12 light cycle. However, I have my timers set up to come on at 10:30am and go off at 10:30pm. There is no ambient light in the room up until their lights come on in the morning, so they aren't being kept awake any longer than the timer is set. The reason I run the lights at this schedule is because if they came on at say 7:00 til 7:00pm, I would barely have 2 hours of interaction with my collection due to my work schedule. This gives me 4-5 hours to enjoy them. Their timer turns the lights out at 10:30pm, but I am always up several hours after this. There is a T.V. and computer in the room that will be in use for probablly 1-3 hours after the lights have shut off. When the timer turns the cage lights off, I do turn off the overhead lighting in the room. Even with the T.V. and computer on with activity in the room, they are always asleep when I look in on them. Neither seem to bother them at all. I don't know if they are just used to it or what, but it has never seemed to cause any problems with their ability to sleep. As far as water conditioning, I've never bothered with it. I just fill my buckets and let them sit for at least 24 hours so that the chlorine will disapate.
 
G'day to you too mate :) But since i was going to fully cover the rear of its cage and 3/4 of the sides with a shower curtain to contain the mist/spray, if i also cover the front at nite should i use some sort of small fan, like a computer case fan to keep the air flow constant? Also i was considering a small watt ceramic bulb for night time heating instead of the red/blue light. What are your thoughts on that and if any of you use one what wattage ceramic do you recommend for night time use?

the ceramic heater would only be necessary if it gets really cold in the room. what are your night time temps for the room your chameleon will be in?
 
Yeah you should be fine with the nighttime temps. I live in central Wisconsin and this winter was cold! My room never got below 60 though at night so I never worried about night heat.

A vet I spoke to about my husbandry back when I got my first cham had said that night time drops in temp are important to the proper body funtion of our lil cold blooded buds. My guess is that the drop at night allows for a "deeper" sleep thus conserving energy.
 
yeah winters in ny this year have been pretty cold as well but with the thermostat, my room stays between 50-75 degrees depending if i leave the door open or not. thats why i was considering the low watt ceramic to keep him warm but not overly hot.
 
Sledge, you might try one of these first (below) I do feel bulbs focus/radiate heat better than ceramics. These output a very dim light, they haven't ever bothered any reptile ive used them with unlike blue/red types which are still bright.

Re the fan, I dont think airflow overnight should be an issue provided whatever you cover the cage with is breathable as opposed to something heavy like a blanket.

:)
Nightlight_Reptile_Heat_Bulb.jpg
 
yea i was leaning toward the ceramic mainly because i didnt want to be kept up at night while trying to sleep with an overhead heatlamp shining above me like the blue/red ones. as for the cage covering, i was going to use what ever is left of the shower curtain that i was planning to use to keep my walls dry from the mister and use a section of that for the front of the cage while im awake and its asleep. nothing heavy like a towel or blanket, i dont want to smother him too badly.
 
Back
Top Bottom