Not basking as much

[Damicofam6]

My 1 year old panther Skittles has not been basking as much this past week. The basking temps are usually around 86-90°F, and I'm not 100% sure on the ambient temps right now but i can check tomorrow during the day. Skittles is in a 2x2x4 reptibreeze cage so he has plenty of room but he has actually been walking on the bottom of his cage. For his UVB light I have a ReptiSun 5.0 and a 10.0. Is this too much? I thought maybe there was too much heat so i unplugged the 5.0 yesterday morning but plugged it back in later that day. I also have the heat light on a dimmer so I can change the strength depending on the weather that day because his cage is partially in front of a window. Is using a dimmer for basking lights ok? He eats alright and drinks just fine but he just is not basking too much. I have only seen him bask maybe 5 times within the pat 2-3 days. I hope i provided enough information about the situation, I could just be over thinking all of this but I figured I would just post it just in case. I will post the ambient temps tomorrow. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Damicofam6]

I forgot to mention I do have central air AC in the room but i closed the vent near his cage, I also have my ceiling fan on most of the time and sometimes a box fan too because I am upstairs in my house with the chams so it can get kinda warm. The breeder said the ceiling fan was fine to keep on last time i spoke with him.

 

[Chamifornia]

Why do you have 2 uvb and at different strengths? Sometimes they just don't need to bask everyday there's nothing to be worried about. If he's on the floor though that could be he is trying to get away from the uvb especially on that sized cage. Personally I would just use the 5 and basking bulb but there are reasons why some use the 10. Just not 2 at same time

Figure out the ambient temp, that could also be a problem. For the most part once chams are older and used to their cage they will almost never go to roam the bottom

 

[Damicofam6]

Why do you have 2 uvb and at different strengths? Sometimes they just don't need to bask everyday there's nothing to be worried about. If he's on the floor though that could be he is trying to get away from the uvb especially on that sized cage. Personally I would just use the 5 and basking bulb but there are reasons why some use the 10. Just not 2 at same time

Figure out the ambient temp, that could also be a problem. For the most part once chams are older and used to their cage they will almost never go to roam the bottom

I will post the ambient temps tomorrow, I know i could just be over reacting about this and he may simply not need to bask. I have the 2 uvb lights because I had the 5.0 on his first cage and when i upgraded to a bigger cage and the 10.0 i just tossed the 5.0 up there too and figured it wouldn't do any harm. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[brownie64]

I would just use the 10.0 personally, but I don't think this is why he is staying on the bottom. Chams are arboreal they love to climb the higher the better, so the fact he wants to stay on the bottom of his enclosure would concern me more than him not basking. They regulate their heat they usually know what they are doing bask or not to bask they have it covered. However sense yours wants to stay on the bottom there could be something going on. Does he seam to be more lethargic or slower than normal? If your ambient heat is ok you might want to have him checked.

 

[Damicofam6]

I would just use the 10.0 personally, but I don't think this is why he is staying on the bottom. Chams are arboreal they love to climb the higher the better, so the fact he wants to stay on the bottom of his enclosure would concern me more than him not basking. They regulate their heat they usually know what they are doing bask or not to bask they have it covered. However sense yours wants to stay on the bottom there could be something going on. Does he seam to be more lethargic or slower than normal? If your ambient heat is ok you might want to have him checked.

He looks fine, he drinks fine, he eats alright. I can weigh him tomorrow and try to measure him. Last time I weiged him was at about 10 months and he was 82 grams, I posted a thread about his size and weight and others said he seems to be doing great.

 

[brownie64]

He looks fine, he drinks fine, he eats alright. I can weigh him tomorrow and try to measure him. Last time I weiged him was at about 10 months and he was 82 grams, I posted a thread about his size and weight and others said he seems to be doing great.

Well if everything looks fine then maybe his ambient is high and he is just trying to cool himself off, but I question that based on the fact you said your room is thermostatically controlled to be cool. Guess we'll find out tomorrow when you check. Hears hoping you figure it out. Like you said maybe we are just over thinking it.

 

[Damicofam6]

Well if everything looks fine then maybe his ambient is high and he is just trying to cool himself off, but I question that based on the fact you said your room is thermostatically controlled to be cool. Guess we'll find out tomorrow when you check. Hears hoping you figure it out. Like you said maybe we are just over thinking it.

My room with my chams is upstairs and the vents don't put out too much air, maybe if the ambient temps are too high I can actually open the vent next to the cage to help. Thanks for all the help so far

 

[Damicofam6]

Alright so it is 9:21 am right now and the temps range from 77 degrees Fahrenheit at the very bottom and mid-high 80's near the top with a basking area of 88 degrees. The spots he likes to hang out when not near the bottom I directly basking are about 83 degrees. It's still early so I will probably leave updates of the temps later today because the cage is partially next a window and depending on the weather it could change.