Provide Seasonal Changes?

[Brad]

Do you adjust your captive environment(s) to account for the seasonal changes that occur in your chameleon's natural habitat? If so, what specific changes are you making and what species are you making them for?

 

[RAFASTAR23]

Both of my Panthers are less than a year old, but I do plan to mimic the season changes for them. The temp does not change much, but the rainfall does. So i'll make it rain accordingly to madagascar's weather!

 

[morpheon]

I try to copy the seasonal changes as much as i can. The temperatures are lowered by a few degrees during winter, both during the day and at night. I also lower the light exposure as well, to give them as much light as the sun is available. And the rain is copied as well.

 

[Todnedo]

My adult Parsons have a night time low of 53-56 f from nov to early march.

 

[Seeco]

All my adult multituberculata live outside 1/8 mile from ocean in San Diego with no artificial light or heat. My cham room for young has no heat or insulation at night and gets just as cold as outside. Never cloudy in there though!

I think the seasonal change is important. It certainly synchronizes egg production.

I only get eggs in the 1st half of the year.

 

[skyedog]

I try to adjust the timers for the lighting to correspond to the outside light. I for the most part make weekly or biweekly tweaks to the timer. Usually my chameleons are headed to their sleeping areas before the lights go out.

 

[Seeco]

I try to adjust the timers for the lighting to correspond to the outside light. I for the most part make weekly or biweekly tweaks to the timer. Usually my chameleons are headed to their sleeping areas before the lights go out.

Same here but I just change it about 4 times per year.

 

[fluxlizard]

Seasonal changes as a result of ambient environment in my outbuilding. Temps this time of year when most of my other lizards lights are off because they are hibernating are low 50s nights and 60-70 days. Lighting I keep on 13 hours and basking light wattages are same as during the warm indoor months, so I suppose with lower ambient temps basking temps go down a bit as well. Summer everything is outdoors all summer so that's a definate seasonal change as well...

Oh yeah- I currently keep veileds, panthers, mellers and jacksons...

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

With the greenhouse I make use of the temperature drops during the winter and go from 74-80 F during the day in the summer to 60-74 F during the day during winter. At night during the summer the temperatures normally goes from 67-78 F at night in the summer to 60-68 F at night during the winter. I adjust my thermostat to allow these temperature changes. I think my chameleons respond well to temperature changes.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I too allow the ambient temps to change between seasons - mostly because my house is poorly insulated. But I change my light cycles with the seasons as well - shorter days in the winter, longer in the summer. I'm not breeding anyone but I still think it's healthier to try to recreate natural environment as much as I can.

 

[RePtAr11]

yes i have a 2700k cfl on right now and when it becomes spring i will put the 6500 k cfl in to act as a bright summer spring day. right now the 2700k is mimicing the fall/winter. and i have no drainage so i cant really make it rain.. i just have a dripp run for 6 hours a day. in the prosess of trying to figure something out..

 

[hallenhe]

My changes aren't really huge - mostly I change the light cycles to better reflect what's going on outside, especially since they go to bed early in the winter regardless of what the lights indoors are doing.

 

[BocaJan]

I think that living in S. Florida is fairly close to Yemen for my veileds. Although my lights on/lights off follow a 12 hour cycle, their room is a sun room so they get the daylight effects no matter what the lighting is. The room is hot/cold depending on the month of the year and they can enjoy temps in the 60's fairly often in the winter months and 90's in the summer months. I don't let them go without water, but make sure when it is hot they get misted enough. It gets pretty steamy in my sun room! LOL Baby bins are kept in a cooler part of the room so I don't cook them.

 

[kenya]

My house gets naturally darker and cooler during winter so the temperature adjustment takes care of itself. The timer is changed around as I see them putting themselves to bed earlier/later. My chams are put outside on nice days and I think that helps them adjust to the seasons as well, especially in early summer when they start getting a lot of sun.

I fatten my beasts up in summer and fall and provide ample "rain" year round. Food is less available in winter and my chameleons (and other herps) go into a mild brumation and generally slow down. In winter, the house can get into the low 60's, especially at night. I notice that the chameleons sleep much deeper and generally stay in one area of the cage. They all seem much healthier for it, especially in spring when they start becoming more active and come out of brumation. You can tell they are feeling awesome; their colors are bright, they eat everything in sight, poop endlessly, and roam the cages lookin' for babes. They are starting to do this now and I think I will put them outside on the next warm day.

This is two panthers and a veiled, by the way, but I do it for all of my reptiles. I think mimicking mostly optimum natural conditions with an emphasis on environmental makeup, changes, and nuances is the best husbandry.

 

[PGchams]

Seasonal changes

I change the light duration. Reducing by two hours. And allow temps in cham room to drop about 5 degrees throughout the entire day, except basking area. This year I changed my watering cycles from (4) five minute durations spaced throughout the day to (3) five minute on/five minute off/five minute on cycles. Have noticed that all chams seem to drink more and longer since already acclimated to mist and stay near leaves for fifteen to twenty minutes. So I think I will continue to do the double water even when lights and temps go back to normal.

 

[Hugh Wahl]

This is a very interesting post I've only been keeping chameleons for five months now and haven't really made any changes. Other then there timer on there lights. I like the idea of mimicking the rainfall in there natural habitat.

 

[KatCham]

When the clocks went forward at the weekend (UK) I just increased the time the lights/heat lamp etc... are on by an hour, so he'll get 13 hours of light until mid summer, then 14 hours, then I'll decrease towards Winter to end up at 10 hours in the middle of Winter.

 

[justjumpit621]

I allow the temps in the reptile room to go down a little lower at night than I would in the summer, and I have shorter periods of light.

 

[Seeco]

Just switched watering from one 20 minute session around 10 am to Three bursts of 8 minutes at like 9, 11 and 2. More for cooling and humidity and less for forcing them do drink.

 

[dionysus19]

It'd be cool if you could look up weather in your species territory and mimic it that way. That might be a bit of an overdose though