My chameleon is always dark while basking

[jojackson]

Yes exactly! I thought you might need to 'phone a friend' for a while there!

50f being a specific difference between two values in the particular gradient

its equivalent 10c being a specific difference between two values in the particular gradient

 

[MINItron]

But you were talking about temperature as a quantity, a specific difference between two values in the particular gradient, not a particular temperature.

100F = 37.7C
50F = 10C

In Fahrenheit that is a 50 degree gradient, but in Centigrade it is only a 27.7 degree gradient. That's why they math is funny.

I've been trying to wrap my head around this issue. It sounds like she displays normal colors when she is not basking, but always displays very dark colors when she is. If I am understanding this correctly then it seems that she is maybe misinterpreting the strength of her basking lights. It is possible that a change of the UV bulb may be required to change her behavior (which has been mentioned).

Veileds actually exist over a wide range of habitats. I have personally seen veileds in the wild that were active and roaming across open sand in broad daylight in temperatures of over 120F. They were not actively basking though, and were normally in very light color.

When I had a veiled he would normally only show the dark basking colors when the lights first came on. After he started to heat up he normally started to lighten very quickly.

 

[jojackson]

but in Centigrade it is only a 27.7 degree gradient.

No.....its a 10 degree gradient. 10c is 10c

A 10c gradient being 10c difference between hot and cool aka lowest point 25c - highest 35c
A 50f gradient being 50f difference between hot and cool aka lowest 40f -highest 90f

Actual temperature points at either end being irrelevant for the examples shown and not
recommended temperature ranges for any given lizard. examples only.

 

[MINItron]

No.....its a 10 degree gradient. 10c is 10c

A 10c gradient being 10c difference between hot and cool aka lowest point 25c - highest 35c
A 50f gradient being 50f difference between hot and cool aka lowest 40f -highest 90f

I think too many hairs are being split. It is difficult to compare centigrade to fahrenheit due to the difference in size of the degrees, and the different starting point. The difference between 100F and 50F is 27.7 degrees centigrade. That is the point that I was trying to make.

 

[Jakama]

Thanks, Mini!
Jo, 70F is room temperature. To achieve a 50F temp gradient I would need to utilize a heat lamp and a refrigerator.

 

[jojackson]

I did say...

The best (WIDEST) gradient you can manage to achieve within your means.

Yours is a good enough gradient provided you have a range of perches at various temps
along that gradient top to bottom. You wont know that without an accurate thermometer.
As I said before. My mention of a 50f gradient was not intended as instruction, merely my own
preferred minimum gradient where possible.

Sufficient thermal gradient can be difficult to acheive for chameleons, particularly due various cage types. All screen or similar, tend to leave the animal at the mercy of ambient room temp due to air flow/stabilisation.
since the only heat source is generally above the the cage and heat rises,
there wont be much 'gradient beyond 12" or so from the top.
I suggest arranging a series of perches in that top 12" where possible, at different levels, both vertically and horizontally to allow atleast some choice for the lizard. Again, here a an accurate and reliable thermometer is your friend.
Your lizard is a fine tuned instrument when it comes to thermoregulating, it can detect incredibly small incremental thermal changes, but it relies on thermal variance to function succesfully.

The difference between 100F and 50F is 27.7 degrees centigrade. That is the point that I was trying to make

Thats irrelevant to what I was trying to explain to Jakama and simply further confused things. Its not splitting hairs, your on another page entirely mate.
But thankyou for confirming that 50f =10c


ten four and goodnight.

 

[MINItron]

Thanks, Mini!
Jo, 70F is room temperature. To achieve a 50F temp gradient I would need to utilize a heat lamp and a refrigerator.

I would say a 50F temp gradient would be totally unrealistic. Assuming an 85-95F basking area your cool zone would be nearly freezing.

 

[jojackson]

Crikey! Assuming a 95f basking temp the coolest spot would be 45f (at the bottom right!)
Chams are arboreal and dont stay on the floor anyway, what difference would that matter
provided the lizard can bask, its what they do for crying out loud. Were talking day time thermal gradient here.
Ofcourse its unrealistic for the reasons I've mentioned several times over now already.
Did you read the post above? I said I feel that atleast a 50f gradient is much preferred (my opinion, not my recommendation). It wont happen in a screen cage in a modern home in California, but not everybody lives in California. Not everyone has central heating either.

One last time for posterity ...

The best (WIDEST) gradient you can manage to achieve within your means.

 

[wsidepinoy]

hey !

im in fairfield, ca ! lol; my gradient is about 73f - 92f (average)

basking spot is about 88-92 (mostly 85-88f; occasional 92 bump here and there)

im using a 100w bulb in a completely open air screen cage; my female veiled is completely fine; and she used to be dark while basking a more so dusty green or rustic looking green, and in the past couple days she has settled imo and now she is more so a green /light green with darker stripe and u shapes and small spots here and there...

an occasional yellow here and there as well but more so a mustard and not much of anything else...

(picture down below)

i also have switched from an analog to digital thermometer and it is WAYYY better (much more accurate)

i have one from my work (radioshack) http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2863470 (not the exact one but the same feature except this is wireless and more expensive, i have the 14.99 one).

it has a wired probe for outdoor temp (OR BASKING ?!?!) and indoor temp (AMBIENT?!?!) and hygrometer (sp?)...

works fine !!!

drop me a pm if your trying to get one for a decent price ! i will be happy to give you the chamforums treatment (in no way endorsing either!! )

 

[Jakama]

Ooh, why didn't I think of Radioshack? Of course! There's a radioshack ten minutes from where I live, I'll stop by there as soon as I get some cash. Beautiful chameleon, by the way. How old is she?
Also, I have a 100W basking light, but it gets crazy hot. Apparently it is double reflective, so it produces a lot more heat. Is your 100W bulb just a normal house light?

 

[wsidepinoy]

Ooh, why didn't I think of Radioshack? Of course! There's a radioshack ten minutes from where I live, I'll stop by there as soon as I get some cash. Beautiful chameleon, by the way. How old is she?
Also, I have a 100W basking light, but it gets crazy hot. Apparently it is double reflective, so it produces a lot more heat. Is your 100W bulb just a normal house light?

lol, yeah i figured there was a radioshack in sonoma, a co worker of mine got transferred from fairfield to sonoma then promoted from that one to her own store as a gm of it.

the age of my cham honestly...i have NO clue (i got her from petco in vacaville by the outlets) and i didnt know she was female to begin with until i read more in depth about chams; AND petco didnt tell me either (to be expected). I havent had her lay a clutch yet and ive had her since i believe late january.

my 100w basking bulb is about 8-9" from the highest basking perch and 5" away from my cage (and i know people will tell me to move it up higher to prevent burns but i havent been able to get the temps good until it was about this range of distance). It is a two pack basking bulb from zoomed for like $15 from a local petco sitting in the zoomed mini dome light...

i have plants and substrate (yell at me..i know..its the coconut fiber type) to keep humidity in; humidity is about 48-52% gradient at times...

if anyone else could help me determine my chams age it would be appreciated !...emotionally she's at the point where she will hiss and strike for a bit to scare any hands (or cams) in the cage but after a bit she just leaves her mouth open and realizes that im not a threat or im not threatened...any guesses ? (sorry i didnt mean to thread jack)

 

[Jakama]

Feel free to use the thread, I got my questions answered. Guess once I get the digital thermometer I will just mess with different bulb wattages until I get one that works.
Yikes, I had problems with Petco too. They are just the worst at keeping pets.

 

[wsidepinoy]

yeah they are...they discounted the chameleon i have (because it was bigger) and i got her for 65 rather then the 90 they were charging....i didnt think anything of it, until i read about clutch laying then iwas like OMG...wtf what if they sold me her on purpose with the intent that she would have eggs stuck and pass !!....shes still alive, but i will not deal with petco "pets" again..

 

[Jakama]

Yeah, same here. No idea why I didn't buy from private breeders, I guess because this was my first chameleon and I was PetCo's target audience- uneducated, inexperienced pet owners.

 

[wsidepinoy]

..exactly...sadly to say but its true !