CasqueAbove
Chameleon Enthusiast
This is one of the most common problems I have seen, in all reptiles not just chameleons. When this occurs it does not mean you are a bad keeper, It is that you have found one of the unmentioned truths. I do not know why it is unmentioned, it is there if you search for it.
The mistake is often that we think the bulb must be to hot, switch bulbs, now I have to move closer to get my temp.
The real problem lies in the surface temp of the screen directly under the bulb. If you use even part screen you can not prevent your cham from getting there.
To test this simply place your hand on the screen. If it hurts you it hurts him. Well he will move of course, right? No reptiles do not feel heat like us. Sure they will notice fire or extreme heat, but they won't notice a slow burn.
So How do we solve this problem? Well the common thing is to lower the basking spot in the cage. This is wrong. One you lose valuable space inside the cage. Two as we mentioned he/she can still get to the hot areas. Changing the bulb doesn't solve our problem, because we are getting the heat from right next to it. Even a 40watt will burn in this setup.
The answer is raise the light. By doing this we can use the space all the way to the top. We prevent the screen itself from becoming hotter than max basking. Now our cham is safe and has more room. With no risk of burn.
The mistake is often that we think the bulb must be to hot, switch bulbs, now I have to move closer to get my temp.
The real problem lies in the surface temp of the screen directly under the bulb. If you use even part screen you can not prevent your cham from getting there.
To test this simply place your hand on the screen. If it hurts you it hurts him. Well he will move of course, right? No reptiles do not feel heat like us. Sure they will notice fire or extreme heat, but they won't notice a slow burn.
So How do we solve this problem? Well the common thing is to lower the basking spot in the cage. This is wrong. One you lose valuable space inside the cage. Two as we mentioned he/she can still get to the hot areas. Changing the bulb doesn't solve our problem, because we are getting the heat from right next to it. Even a 40watt will burn in this setup.
The answer is raise the light. By doing this we can use the space all the way to the top. We prevent the screen itself from becoming hotter than max basking. Now our cham is safe and has more room. With no risk of burn.
