When/How Much does your Chameleon Bask?

[cyberlocc]

@nightanole Made a good question, of how much everyone's cham bask. So I figured, it deserved its own thread, and a Real Poll.

So here it is. How Often Does your Chameleon Bask, and When. You are encouraged to go more in depth in the comments, if you can, if not the poll alone is fine.

 

[JacksJill]

I only keep one species and to get the temperature range I want with 40-50 watt bulbs it means that the bulbs go on and off throughout the day. They are off 15-30 minutes before and after any misting. When the bulb comes on they bask on the highest branch, females move off after bit and rest elsewhere, go feed or travel to the bottom to poop. Males bask a bit and then resume patrolling the cage. This repeats throughout the day. After the basking light goes off in the evening they find a sleep spot and wait for the rest of the lights to go off.
I don't have panthers or veiled only Jackson's.

 

[Ares05]

My boy goes up to bask right when the basking light goes on. He will stay there for an about an hour, then he will eat most/all of his food. He will go back to basking for an hour - 2 hours and then he will poop. He will bask again for a little while and then walk around and patrol his cage, then will go back up to his basking stick, or near it. He will continue to alternate with the patrolling and basking, and then will go to his favorite sleeping spot after his basking light goes off, wait for his evening mist, and go to sleep once his uvb is off. He is a 6 1/2 month old male veiled.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

We have 5 chameleon’s at the moment wasabi is the only real Basker . The other 4 might spend 5 min basking , then patrol . It’s a Cycle of this . Septiseye sleep spot since oct has been where he would bask . There basking lights are set with a 30 min difference then other uvb and grow .

 

[cyberlocc]

We have 5 chameleon’s at the moment wasabi is the only real Basker . The other 4 might spend 5 min basking , then patrol . It’s a Cycle of this . Septiseye sleep spot since oct has been where he would bask . There basking lights are set with a 30 min difference then other uvb and grow .

30 mins in which direction? That is a good data point too, to discuss.

Mine is set, basking is on first, then LEDs and UVB, then at night, I turn off LEDs and Basking, and then the UVB goes off, last an hour later.

I see the same as Jacksjill, once the LEDs and Basking goes off, they get ready for sleepy time, and find a place to snuggle up.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

30 mins in which direction? That is a good data point too, to discuss.

Mine is set, basking is on first, then LEDs and UVB, then at night, I turn off LEDs and Basking, and then the UVB goes off, last an hour later.

I see the same as Jacksjill, once the LEDs and Basking goes off, they get ready for sleepy time, and find a place to snuggle up.

I have same basking first then uvb and plants . I’m saying plant light for anyone whom may not know why 3rd light . I also have basking out for my girls mid day for an hour or so . I keep their temps much lower then recommended on care sheet . They eat early and at this point they have had digestion time . With this method I successfully managed either no clutches or very small ones . Mind you I’m just a simple hobbyist . I’m by no means an expert this works for my babies and climate .

 

[Ares05]

Mine is set uvb is on an hour before the basking, and then basking is off an hour before my uvb.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Let me add we keep panther and veiled chameleon‘s at the moment as well . My boys I keep a bit warmer not by much .

 

[JacksJill]

I guess I'm a bit backwards to many of you. My UVB and K6500 t5 come on first by 30 minutes. I was thinking of imitating the heat cycle rather than the UVB cycle. I was hoping to get them started on UVB for the day before they gravitated to the basking lamp. UVB and plant are last off as well.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

My ages are phoeb’s, wasabi , and clelia 2 years and 2 months hatch mates , septiseye 31/2 and Oliver 19 months .

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

I guess I'm a bit backwards to many of you. My UVB and K6500 t5 come on first by 30 minutes. I was thinking of imitating the heat cycle rather than the UVB cycle. I was hoping to get them started on UVB for the day before they gravitated to the basking lamp. UVB and plant are last off as well.

It makes sense nature rays before heat .

 

[JacksJill]

Both ways have their merits. Hard to say which is better. I should add that my UVB/plants are on and then a long misting and then the basking lights.

 

[Rlc1994]

For me Uvb/6500k lights come on first then half hour later basking and leds start to come on. I like to mist before lights come on and after uvb/6500k comes on. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have an afternoon rain shower that shuts the basking bulb and leds off while keeping UVB/6500k on. For evening last 2 hours everything shuts off except Uvb/6500k with some misting and fogging. I never mist or fog with basking or led lights on.

 

[cyberlocc]

I guess I'm a bit backwards to many of you. My UVB and K6500 t5 come on first by 30 minutes. I was thinking of imitating the heat cycle rather than the UVB cycle. I was hoping to get them started on UVB for the day before they gravitated to the basking lamp. UVB and plant are last off as well.

So my way, has been more focused on trying to intimate nature. To a degree.

The reason that our Morning sun is so Low K (2700-3000) is that Red light carries further than that of other spectrum. The first rays you see during a sunrise, is red light mostly, including infrared (Heat). As the sun gets closer, and better angled, the blue light begins to come through. As we move further, into the day the UV Rays (shorter than Blue) begin to come in.

So in a real sun light, we have Red mornings, into bluer midday with strong UV, back into red nights. (super simplified, there is alot more going on, but thats the simple version for this thread)


Now you do have a good point, that its also natural for heat to rise as the day progresses. This will be influenced mostly by your heating/cooling as well though.

Its a blessing and a curse, that AC doesn't work too well where I live. We use Propane Heat (so sporadic) and Evaporation Cooler (so Sporadic). My house gets hotter as the day progresses, in the winter it does because we keep the stat lower than a warmth of the day rises it, and the Thermometer for the Propane heat is in a hallway thats cooler, than the room with the chams that gets midday sun on the large windows heating up.

The Cooler in the summer simply cant keep up, so it gets warmer as the day goes. Same as in winter, but in a bad way lol.

My LEDs also add heat into the viv, a more top side ambient, but noticeable.

So my end goal, is dimming all around, Dimming Halogens in the morning on, to provide red mornings and then the 6500k leds will start, to balance the day, then the 8400k (our UVB bulbs are 8400k) will give a further rise in spectrum. Then I will dim all it all down in reverse. Im just trying to get all my ducks in a row, and make sure I have an easy to recreate system as a finished job, so I can share it here.

 

[JacksJill]

When this LED revolution arrives and becomes affordable maybe we can give them something more akin to a real day. It's going to get exciting. I'll let you pioneers work all that out.

 

[Rlc1994]

So my way, has been more focused on trying to intimate nature. To a degree.

The reason that our Morning sun is so Low K (2700-3000) is that Red light carries further than that of other spectrum. The first rays you see during a sunrise, is red light mostly, including infrared (Heat). As the sun gets closer, and better angled, the blue light begins to come through. As we move further, into the day the UV Rays (shorter than Blue) begin to come in.

That is a good idea and a very natural way to do it. Low Ks Morning and Sunset and slowly increasing to 6500 midday Instead of blasting them with full daylight the majority of the day.

 

[cyberlocc]

When this LED revolution arrives and becomes affordable maybe we can give them something more akin to a real day. It's going to get exciting. I'll let you pioneers work all that out.

Those Sunlike LEDs, are showing that it may be sooner than we think! Those things are great, it would not at all be hard for a reptile company to make strips with those diodes and UV ones.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Th

30 mins in which direction? That is a good data point too, to discuss.

Mine is set, basking is on first, then LEDs and UVB, then at night, I turn off LEDs and Basking, and then the UVB goes off, last an hour later.

I see the same as Jacksjill, once the LEDs and Basking goes off, they get ready for sleepy time, and find a place to snuggle up.

The other thing I want to add is wasabi , clelia , and Oliver turn in around 3:00 . Once clocks change 4:00ish . They do not go to sleep but watch the world go by . Septiseye gives one patrol after lights go out then to his sleep spot , phoeb’s go’s to sleep the Instant lights go out but is very active to that point . She is also a major plant eater . I do mean major . We keep her enclosure with less greens .

 

[Lennoncham]

I have 3 chams. A veiled and 2 panthers.

my lights are setup like this.

I have trimmer light switches on the actual ceiling lights in the room. The ones further from the Cham cages come on. 5 mins later the ones close / above the Cham cages come on

5 mins after that the lights on the cages come one. Plant lights, uvb and basking bulbs all at the same time. It’s just easier for me that way.

all my chams will go bask first thing in the morning for A while. Then they start to explore their cage, look for food, etc. Go back to basking for a bit. Go exploring , maybe poop, go bask , go exploring , either bask again or just chill for a bit before going to their sleeping spot.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

I have 3 chams. A veiled and 2 panthers.

my lights are setup like this.

I have trimmer light switches on the actual ceiling lights in the room. The ones further from the Cham cages come on. 5 mins later the ones close / above the Cham cages come on

5 mins after that the lights on the cages come one. Plant lights, uvb and basking bulbs all at the same time. It’s just easier for me that way.

all my chams will go bask first thing in the morning for A while. Then they start to explore their cage, look for food, etc. Go back to basking for a bit. Go exploring , maybe poop, go bask , go exploring , either bask again or just chill for a bit before going to their sleeping spot.

So a cycle as well . It seems most are this way . My wasabi has been treated for Mbd as well as had a tongue injury . When he came to us he had no use of his tongue . He can not shoot it out but is starting to shoot a bit . This may be why he a basker . 2 times this week I found him patrolling . However he go’s mid way sits then Back to bask . We keep his backing low 80s but Constant .