Hello! I have recently acquired a beautiful male veiled chameleon (so I'm new at this). However I live in Central NY and winters are cold, reaching below zero on a few of the worst days. As a chameleon owner, I am willing to do what it takes to keep him warm, however as a college student my house will remain at about 65 degrees F. I am wondering what lighting, heat sources or other methods I can use that will ensure my chameleon's enclosure stays at appropriate temperatures. Extra information that might be helpful in formulating a solution: The enclosure is mesh material on all sides for air flow. I have a mercury light, as well as red heat lamps. ALSO, my friend offered to give me a heating pad that she used for her snake, but those aren't good for chameleons, are they? Thank you!!
Taking care of veiled over winter months?
- Thread starter ejbadway
- Start date
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
First, if the temps at night don't go below about 55 F you won't need to worry about providing heat at night. For daytime temps, start checking the temp at the basking spot to see if it varies a lot if the house is cooler. It may not drop as much as you think. Your cham may end up basking longer in the mornings to warm up that's all. You can easily modify the cage to help stabilize the temp by putting some sheet plastic or coroplast around the upper portions of the mesh sides. If the room isn't drafty he may be fine. On a very cold day you can always drape a sheet around the cage temporarily. A second lower watt bulb aimed at the lower regions of the cage can help too. Heating pads won't do much as chams don't absorb belly heat from ground like a snake would...not worth trying.
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