Heat bulb vs natural temp

[Boston Pitty]

Not sure gow to word the title, but I have a jackson whos basking temp is supposed to be 85, but outside and in my house it reaches the 80s. If i have his heat bulb on it makes it like 90 and sometimes hotter. I have a dimmer and turn it all the way down and it still gets to 88+

My question is could i just turn off the heat bulb and let him just enjoy the real heat vs artifical?

He still has his uvb light plus an led (for the plants, but helps light his cage)so the cage wouldnt be dark.

 

[Boston Pitty]

I should also note that he does want to hang around the heat bulb during the day. He escaped the other day and yesturday he just wanted out of his cage to free roam

 

[bloftis1]

That is what my breeder does with all his chams, I live in Florida so it's perfect, never was anything wrong with his chams in the sun, they enjoyed it. They were out there most of the day until night. My cham seems to be doing fine from being in the sun. But yes your cham can.

 

[random user name]

I bought off Amazon a Temperature Controller that let's me set the Max Temperature I want the basking spot to get, it comes with a thermometer attached, and when the thermometer gets to the max temp you set, it will turn off your heat lamp. You also get to choose what the lowest temp it will allow it to drop.

I just leave my ceramic heat emitter plugged to this and it kicks itself on and off on hot days and cold days as needed.

Here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZ5NVB...9015-03dc96b374fa&ie=UTF8&qid=1527599371&sr=1

 

[Boston Pitty]

Thanks, ill look into ordering one. I just dont want Argo to over heat or get to cold. Als do t want him escaping again either

 

[random user name]

Thanks, ill look into ordering one. I just dont want Argo to over heat or get to cold. Als do t want him escaping again either

For sure. I definitely recommend this then. I live in Western Washington, where it can be cold and rainy one day and hotter the next during Summer. Since I'm away from home most of the day, it is hard to control the temperature without one of these controllers. I tape the thermometer reader (not sure on the name, but the metal stick that gauges how hot it is) to the basking spot of my Chameleon (he uses the wire as another vine so he doesn't seem bothered at all ). I let the basking spot get as hot as 82 Degrees Fahrenheit which is about 5 inches away from the top of the cage, this makes it so that if Thor climbs his cage and sits under the heat lamp, it only gets about 85 when on the ceiling of cage and doesn't let him get burnt.

The controller kicks off the heat once the basking spot his 82, and turns back on if it drops below 72. Nice, easy, and automated Definitely worth it in my opinion.

 

[random user name]

Thanks, ill look into ordering one. I just dont want Argo to over heat or get to cold. Als do t want him escaping again either

If you're really worried about over heating as well, it looks like Inkbird makes a controller for Heating and Cooling systems as well:

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-...id=1527606571&sr=8-2&keywords=inkbird+ITC-308

There's another controller for Humidity that they make as well I believe, but the one I mentioned first, or the one above should do the trick. Not sure what you can use to cool, maybe a fan, or maybe someone else can pitch in with what to use for cooling, maybe even connecting a Mister to the cooling part? Maybe once it gets too hot, kick on a Mister? Idk it might make things more humid than needed, but here's the tools to get your brain juices flowing

 

[Boston Pitty]

I might just do the heat one. My house is older and i swear the room humitiy never drops below 40 and spends most days around 60 for the average so humidity is safe till winter (good thing about humid ohio lol) if i were to hook it up to the mister it would be to humid. After i spray it goes over 70 and i think that might be to humid

 

[JacksJill]

In the summer months I run the basking bulb for shorter periods of time using an analog timer. I use every other tab on the timer so it's on for 30 off for 30 and then has a solid two - three hours during the mid day. It's my low tech solution and get him back under the uvb more often.
I'm wondering if you will be able to drop the overnight temp for him. Rather than chill my whole house down to 60˚F every night (brrr) I use the cool mist humidifier and ice packs out of the freezer set on top off his cage at night above their usual sleep spot.

 

[random user name]

In the summer months I run the basking bulb for shorter periods of time using an analog timer. I use every other tab on the timer so it's on for 30 off for 30 and then has a solid two - three hours during the mid day. It's my low tech solution and get him back under the uvb more often.
I'm wondering if you will be able to drop the overnight temp for him. Rather than chill my whole house down to 60˚F every night (brrr) I use the cool mist humidifier and ice packs out of the freezer set on top off his cage at night above their usual sleep spot.

That works too! I keep my Inkbird Controller running 24/7 with my Ceramic Heat lamp plugged in and at the temps I mentioned above. My Chameleon just sleeps in the lower branches of his Fig Tree where it stays in the lower 60s. In fact, he actually has come to favor a specific branch for bed time, it's kinda cute, in the evening maybe 30 minutes before his UV lights kick off a separate timer, I see little Thor climbing down to his sleeping branch, I just imagine him telling himself its time to tuck into bed

 

[Boston Pitty]

The bottom of f the cage stays pretty cool. At night its alwats around 60