Basking temperature issues

[BryanP]

Hey everyone. Have a 6 month old panther and I'm asking about the basking. I know that 90deg F (88-92) is what I'm aiming for and here is the dilemma.

I'm measuring my temp with a govee small thermometer/hygrometer held to the basking spot with a vine.

Using a 100watt bulb on a dimmer to be able to control the temp. Dimmer is probably at 75% of max currently.

You can see from the graph of the week and the daily (yesterday) that it takes until about noon for the heat to ramp to range. If I bump the dimmer up, of course it achieves the temp faster but then is TOO hot as you can see with the red on the weekly graph when I was playing with it.

Is that an issue? I'm sure this is more data than most people have but as a "Trust the Science" (Man hasn't that phrase been bastardized in recent time) kinda guy I am looking for input.

 

[kinyonga]

Why are you aiming for such high basking temperatures?

 

[BryanP]

Why are you aiming for such high basking temperatures?

I was under the impression that 88-92 was an appropriate basking temp for a juvenile panther...?

 

[Jevin]

Personally, I don't see an issue with the daily chart, the spikes earlier in the week are concerning. I actually think that having the basking spot slowly get up to temperature is more like what would happen in the wild and probably beneficial to the chameleon.

 

[BryanP]

...the spikes earlier in the week are concerning.

I was playing with the temps over the weekend to try to get it in range faster and while it worked it was obviously TOO much in the long run so I backed it back down as indicated on the Monday-present chart.

Honestly, having this data is just so cool to me that I can even monitor it like this and be able to have discussion about it!

 

[Jevin]

I was playing with the temps over the weekend to try to get it in range faster and while it worked it was obviously TOO much in the long run so I backed it back down as indicated on the Monday-present chart.

Honestly, having this data is just so cool to me that I can even monitor it like this and be able to have discussion about it!

See in heavy into science always have been, so I know temps don't peak in nature until later in the day. Mind you I also run my basking lamp in a vertical fashion with a angled basking branch rather than the angled basking lamp and level branch. Honestly there's a lot of different setups, I chose vertical as in theory it should make air flow through my enclosure faster.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I was under the impression that 88-92 was an appropriate basking temp for a juvenile panther...?
View attachment 313008

+1.

Source: https://chameleonacademy.com/panther-chameleon-care/

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

See in heavy into science always have been, so I know temps don't peak in nature until later in the day. Mind you I also run my basking lamp in a vertical fashion with a angled basking branch rather than the angled basking lamp and level branch. Honestly there's a lot of different setups, I chose vertical as in theory it should make air flow through my enclosure faster.

In Alberta, true. In Madagascar, it warms up a little earlier.
daily temperature ambilobe madagascar
Besides, basking has little to do with the ambient air temp. If the Sun is out, surfaces warm up fast.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ski...HZTtAbMQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1024&bih=625&dpr=1

 

[Jevin]

In Alberta, true. In Madagascar, it warms up a little earlier.
daily temperature ambilobe madagascar
Besides, basking has little to do with the ambient air temp. If the Sun is out, surfaces warm up fast.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ski...HZTtAbMQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1024&bih=625&dpr=1

Definitely true about the surface temp being more important than ambient. Honestly it's one of the issues in keeping reptiles as they rely on surface temps and ambient. Ambient I think affects them more at night and early in the morning before the sun starts pumping out the heat.

 

[DocZ]

You could downsize the wattage on the bulb.
I keep all of my heat sources on dimming thermostats. The ambient conditions in my home vary considerably throughout the year and this helps account for those changes. Herpstats are great products