Thanks in advance for any advice.
Got a Jackson's Chameleon last week - until this weekend he "seemed" normal (based on my zero experience), eating a few (3) crickets a day, drinking twice that I've seen (he HATES being misted) and just hanging out near the top near his basking spot. This was with temps 85-95(almost 100) here this last week, and very humid. Then I was reading and realized this is too hot for Jackson's, so I moved him near a window in a cooler room but since then he has not behaved like when he first arrived.
If cage is 70F - 80F, bottom to top with basking spot at 85F, he moves all over the cage, goes to bottom and climbs up about 6 inches off the floor, then returns to bottom, keeps repeating this all around the sides of the cage like he is trying to get out.
If cage is 75F - 85F, bottom to top with basking spot at 90F, he sits at basking spot and after a few minutes his mouth is open, which I've read means it's too hot. But he acts more normal at these temps and isn't spending all his time trying to get out.
If I turn off the basking light, he gets up as close to the UVB light as possible and stays there and generally will spend all his time there, except to grab a cricket when I first put a couple in.
Point being if I try to use normal Jackson's temp range for daytime (which per everything I've read is 70-80 with basking up to 85) he seems uncomfortable, but if I raise it 5 degrees he opens his mouth (too hot?).
What should I do?
Got a Jackson's Chameleon last week - until this weekend he "seemed" normal (based on my zero experience), eating a few (3) crickets a day, drinking twice that I've seen (he HATES being misted) and just hanging out near the top near his basking spot. This was with temps 85-95(almost 100) here this last week, and very humid. Then I was reading and realized this is too hot for Jackson's, so I moved him near a window in a cooler room but since then he has not behaved like when he first arrived.
If cage is 70F - 80F, bottom to top with basking spot at 85F, he moves all over the cage, goes to bottom and climbs up about 6 inches off the floor, then returns to bottom, keeps repeating this all around the sides of the cage like he is trying to get out.
If cage is 75F - 85F, bottom to top with basking spot at 90F, he sits at basking spot and after a few minutes his mouth is open, which I've read means it's too hot. But he acts more normal at these temps and isn't spending all his time trying to get out.
If I turn off the basking light, he gets up as close to the UVB light as possible and stays there and generally will spend all his time there, except to grab a cricket when I first put a couple in.
Point being if I try to use normal Jackson's temp range for daytime (which per everything I've read is 70-80 with basking up to 85) he seems uncomfortable, but if I raise it 5 degrees he opens his mouth (too hot?).
What should I do?