temperature basking issue

[jamest0o0]

So today it was in the 90s for the first time since I've had chams, the room they're in is about 82 degrees give or take ambient. I have 5 month old and 8 month old panthers. Their basking spots with lights on were mid/high 90s today so I shut them off. I have my jungle dawns on and they seem to enjoy basking in that, it's a little cooler, but still has the temps in the high 80s. Do you think it is okay to just use the jungle dawn for basking now that it's summer? I'm worried about temps getting too high when I'm not home, not sure if i should look into something that I can check with my phone/turn off basking if it reaches a certain temp.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I worry about the same thing... I was wondering if the temp is the most important part, or the actual heat "light".

 

[JacksJill]

You could use a lower wattage of the summer months or raise your bulb up higher.

 

[jamest0o0]

I have dimmers, still had the basking too high. My jungle dawns did too. Lights are as high up as they can go already.. today it was 85 degrees ambient at it's hottest. I left the jungle dawns on but they had it back up in the 90s sooo idk, i'm not sure what to do outside of turning the bulbs off.

@opheliaeatsbugs i don't think that a high ambient is as dangerous, it's not ideal, but what we want to avoid is the focused burning heat from a light that builds up and can lead to burns. Correct me someone if i'm wrong on this.

 

[JacksJill]

If they are getting UVB and adequate heat from the same source then you should be fine. I'm concerned that as juveniles they don't have a cooler spot to retreat to with your ambient so high. Is your basking setup causing the excess heat in the room or is that just what summer is like where you are?
Side note: without light your plants may suffer but that's not important compared to your chameleons.

 

[jamest0o0]

I'm not worried about the plants they'll be fine. I just wanted to grow out some things in his planted cage a little faster, but i have no problem turning the lights off. I just won't always be home to so this manually. I live in PA, the temperatures jump all over the place on a daily basis. it was 90 and sunny today, could be 50 a few days from now. Sooo inconsistent, drives me crazy. It's like having every season in one week most of the year.

 

[jamest0o0]

Any other thoughts on what to do here? I have whole house AC, but the room my panthers are in doesn't really get it so i keep a window open.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I live in MD and have the same weather. You could use a portable AC or window unit.

Alternatively, you could change out your bulbs in some cases for less heat producing bulb types. What exact bulbs, number, type, and wattage do you currently use?
Having high ambient temperatures is stressful, dehydrating, and artificially increases metabolism. Your ambient temps should be 74-80F max.

 

[brownie64]

You could try a thermostatic controller. Just a thought. However I would be concerned about them over heating in general if there is no place for them to escape the heat they need a gradient. Might want too look into cooling the room they are in.

 

[jamest0o0]

I've been misting a lot, i have jundle dawn grow bulbs on atm(turned my basking off). i actually just bought a window cooling unit because of this. This is only a recent (as in this week issue to have come up, i want to solve it asap. I can get you the numbers on the bulbs i use for basking though. If i can keep temps down, would the jungle leds be okay for basking?

 

[jamest0o0]

Sorry rushing around-bad grammar please excuse lol

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Can Jungle dawns be used for basking? Sure, if you still provide UVB in a manner that ensures the chameleon is exposed to adequate amounts.
Are you able to utilize a baby gate and leave the door to the room open, utilizing a box fan to pull in cooler air and blow away warmer air?
There are different JDs as well, so I really will need the dimensions of your enclosure and wattage of the bulbs you are currently using, in order to make recommendations. I had to swap out the T5s in my parsons set-up to account for wattage consumption and heat output of the bulbs. My veiled prefers basking under the JD, over his MV and halogen spots, but they aren't actually hot enough, so he does use the the others as needed.

 

[jamest0o0]

Cool thanks! I'm not home atm, but i'll post what i'm using later on. I also have dimmers, at the lowest setting though it was still too warm. Unfortunately i can't leave the door open with a gate because i have to cats that will do anything in their power to get in that room. I haven't seen them even bother to take a glance at my chams, but still wouldn't trust them when i'm not there.

 

[Davecameos]

I think if you have the right temp, the basking may not be needed. I would change the bulbs to a lower wattage but you mentioned you are using a dimmer so not sure how the heat is that high.
The uv-a helps chameleon's vision. They are colour blind without it. I know the zoomed uvb tubes also have uva but basking spots do have uva.

My montane cham barely bask under the heat bulbs. They prefer the uvb and the jungle dawn.
Hope this helps.

 

[jamest0o0]

here is what I am using http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/jungle-dawn-40w-mega-plant-grow-spotlight/ as far as JD's go. @Davecameos my problem is the ambient is so high. I made some adjustments today and got the ambient down to 75ish though, just using the JD's as basking has my temps perfect atm. My problem is the inconsistency. I need to put something together that will let me monitor temps when I'm not home. @Extensionofgreen would you recommend a fan going in the room? Not directly on them obviously, but to have the air moving a little? I ran the AC today so I kept the window closed, but usually I keep the window open and the door closed. My problem is my house AC thermostat is unreliable. I have to manually turn it off and on, so this is a problem when I'm not home.

 

[Davecameos]

I misunderstood! I am used to the british weather lol
You could also try an air cooler. They work well when windows are open and you can add water and ice to it.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah up in the northeast, especially where I'm at in PA the weather is all over the place. Was 90 last 2 days, going to the 50s next week... Makes it hard to keep things stable, especially in a poorly insulated old townhouse that I rent. Can't wait to buy a house!

I guess a window AC unit might be a useful investment. I'm starting to get worried about all of the electricity running out of that room though lol

 

[Extensionofgreen]

All you are using are JD and sometimes basking lights? I need to know what lighting set-up you have in totality, so I can advise you on alternatives that may work well for plants and ambient lighting, without affecting temperatures as much. Yes, fans can help, as can utilizing the mist system to bring temps down. A window unit shouldn't run up the electric bill to much. Newer ones are rated at around $50 a year to run and you'd only be setting it to 75F or so.

 

[jamest0o0]

okay I'll probably just get the window unit then to be on the safe side. I have reptisun uvb 5.0/JD/65w indoor flood(dimmed low) on my one cage, this had temps pretty nice today at 84 basking/ 75 ambient, but I blasted the whole house AC when I got home and left the door open which helped tremendously( I can't always do this though so the window unit will probably be my best option).

My free range has the JD and http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ho-t5-48-quad-fixture-with-arcadia-12-bulb-3-x-6-5k-daylight-bulbs/
this has temps around the same today. I was using the same basking bulb as my other cage though, but removed it.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Your basking spot being a flood as opposed to a spot is one thing that could make things better as a flood light spreads the heat and light over a greater area and a spot light keeps the heat and light focused to a targeted area.
Depending on the dimensions of your cage, the following option will work well for your free range and enclosure.
Instead of T5s, which consume a lot of electricity and put out a lot of heat, I switched to a 48" 6tube T8 fixture ( can run as few tubes as you'd like, but I use all 6 ), from Home Depot. There are 3 and 4 tube options also, but the 6 tubes were best for my larger enclosures.
From there, use an Arcadia T8 UVB bulb and go to 1000bulbs.com and order the 5000k LED T8 retrofit tubes. Get the 2200 lumen ones. They put out a lot of good light for plants and don't need to be replaced until they burn out. You can save your T5 fixtures and floods for the cold Winter.