too cold or too much leave coverage?

[wacky22jacki]

Ok so I have a 2 1/2 month old panther, he's been doing GREAT! I just have a question because this has happened twice so far since I've had him for 2 weeks- My lights are on a timer and they come on at 8:00 in the morning- this morning I came into my room around 10:00 and he still wasn't up - I am a little worried because I found him in the same spot I found him the first time he's done this - towards the middle/bottom of the schefflera plant I have and he feels cold (the light definitely does not reach where he was sitting) - once I move him he stays up and basks,drinks, and crawls around like a maniac! This has happened twice so far- at night it does get pretty chilly in my room but not freezing - Could it be too cold for my little guy or is it because he doesn't realize its daytime because of the leave coverage??

Any suggestions or opinions please !!!

 

[Iluvheidi]

It might be best to show us some pictures and let us know what kind of set up you have going on. lights, uvb, live plants and such. thanks.

 

[wacky22jacki]

I have a schefflera and a hibiscus plant
My lighting I have
UVB bulb - 13 watt
Basking bulb - 50 watt
and just a day light for my hibiscus which is a 60 watt ( keeps my hibiscus nice )

when my little guy is awake he is extremely active so when he's not up yet at 10:00 I am worried - I know that I should have started with a smaller cage, but this was all I had

 

[wacky22jacki]

 

[kplatvoet]

Where did you get him ?- -If you had him shipped from California he would be 3 hours off- My guy was on a different sleep wake schedual when I first got him and it took him a while to come around - I need to get mine up early so I can feed and water before I leave for work - I had to change his schedual in 15 min intervals for a couple of weeks before he settled in.

 

[wacky22jacki]

I got him from Florida and I live in NJ so it would be the same time zone - he normally wakes up as soon as the lights come on but one day last week and this morning he didn't! so I started wondering if maybe he's too cold or just can't tell that it is morning time because of where he was sleeping, he normally sleeps up towards the top of the cage and when he does he gets right up

 

[Carlton]

I got him from Florida and I live in NJ so it would be the same time zone - he normally wakes up as soon as the lights come on but one day last week and this morning he didn't! so I started wondering if maybe he's too cold or just can't tell that it is morning time because of where he was sleeping, he normally sleeps up towards the top of the cage and when he does he gets right up

As long as he can get the right distance from his basking light (the arrangements of perches permit this) he will be able to thermoregulate himself. I doubt he is so significantly cold that he can't even motivate himself to move. Even at a nighttime low of 60 F he could still move if he chose, but much slower! The LIGHT may not reach him in the plant, but the TEMP will rise normally once the lights come on in the morning.

Just a reminder...a cham will feel "cold" to your touch because you are a mammal that maintains a body temp of 98.6 F. A cham would not be anywhere that warm. If you want to check his body temp accurately using your hand won't work. Use a temp gun.

 

[wacky22jacki]

Thanks for the reply - Should I still be worried if he's not up yet at that time or just let him be?