Night Time Tempuratures

[PBandJammers]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male, Jackson's, about 4 days.
• Handling - I haven't besides originally putting him in his terrarium.
• Feeding - So far Crickets dusted with vitamins. the first day was 4 crickets, day 2 was 5, day 3 was 0, today was 1. I found he doesn't like free feeding so I made a feeding cup. He ate the cricket i put in there to test to see if he likes it so I'm hoping tomorrow he eats more.
• Supplements - Reptivite and Repti calsium
• Watering - The Reptirain automated system. I have it set up for 15 seconds every 3 hours. I have seen him drink every day so far.
• Fecal Description - It was dark brown and white. I'm not sure about parasites though.
• History - Just got him so not much history yet.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - I have a screen cage 16x16x20
• Lighting - I have the Zoo med double dish thing for lighting and I'm using a UVB as well as basking light in it. it's set from 8am to 8pm on a timer.
• Temperature - In basking spot it hits mid 80's and bottom of the tanks is generally around high 60's during the day. I've been using a purple night lamp but I'm not sure if that's good or not. I have a digital thermometer in the basking spot.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I don't have a humidity monitor yet, but i'm using the reptirain as stated earlier. I also have paper towels at the bottom to hold in the moisture.
• Plants - All the plants are artificial.
• Placement - It's in the corner of my living room next to a window with wooden blinds. I keep the window closed but open the slats during the day. it's not near any vents or anything. the top of the cage is about 6 1/2 from the ground as it's sitting on a desk.
• Location - I'm in northern California

Current Problem - My living room is usually really cold in the mornings, like high 40's low 50's cold, I live in a house built in the 50's so it's not very insulated and has single pane windows. I'm just worried that my little guy is going to be too cold without the night light, but I also read that using the purple night lights is also bad. Just looking for some clarification.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

First of all, you need to have at least one real plant. They are crucial for the comfort and safety of your cham. Here is a list of safe plants for your cham: https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
The night light is not really recommended. When a chameleon sleeps, they should be in total darkness.
If you are going to have paper towels on the bottom of the enclosure, you need to be sure to change them out every day or so so that they can't grow bacteria, mold, etc.
That is a bit cold for them. You may want to find a way to insulate the cage, and I have heard of people using very subtle and gentle heat pads. How does your chameleon act in the night? Is he staying awake or wandering? Just trying to get a clear picture here. Maybe someone else will have a better way to keep the heat in at night.
For the cage, you may want to upgrade the size once your cham gets older, but that is a topic for another time. Hopefully some of that helped, good luck.

 

[PBandJammers]

From what I've seen, he sleeps pretty peacefully. He picks a spot and stays there all night. Even if you approach the cage he stays light green and keeps his eyes closed, but that was with the night light on. I've done every other day with the paper towels, but I can totally switch to everyday. Thanks for the insight!

 

[WyattN.]

I agree definitely need at LEAST one real plant, my veiled had all fake plants the one day and got so mad she wouldn't stop hissing and puffing at me. I finally realized and got her some more around 3, but she was mad for a while.

 

[bobbydigital]

My house was built in the 40s and I have the same issue. I have a ceramic heat bulb that I use at night when needed. They generate heat but produce no light. I would suggest getting one of those and using it instead of a night light. I also have my lights on a timer and use a separate single light fixture just for the ceramic bulb and plug it into the outlet so it stays on when the timer turns the lights off.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

From what I've seen, he sleeps pretty peacefully. He picks a spot and stays there all night. Even if you approach the cage he stays light green and keeps his eyes closed, but that was with the night light on. I've done every other day with the paper towels, but I can totally switch to everyday. Thanks for the insight!

You can still stick with every other day. One or two days won't grow a bacteria farm. Just change it every couple days. Seems like you got it handled.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

My answers are in red.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male, Jackson's, about 4 days. How old is he?
• Handling - I haven't besides originally putting him in his terrarium. Pictures please, is it an aquarium, screen enclosure, etc.?
• Feeding - So far Crickets dusted with vitamins. the first day was 4 crickets, day 2 was 5, day 3 was 0, today was 1. I found he doesn't like free feeding so I made a feeding cup. He ate the cricket i put in there to test to see if he likes it so I'm hoping tomorrow he eats more. Are those he ate in a row? He should be eating more. Are the insects gutloaded?
• Supplements - Reptivite and Repti calsium What is the schedule? Reptivite contains prEformed Vitamin A, do you need a supplementing schedule? Is the Repti-Calcium with d3 or without d3?
• Watering - The Reptirain automated system. I have it set up for 15 seconds every 3 hours. I have seen him drink every day so far. You should have it run longer. Misting is also for hygiene, and it takes longer than 15 seconds on average to get a response for them, on average.
• Fecal Description - It was dark brown and white. I'm not sure about parasites though.
• History - Just got him so not much history yet. Where did you get him, what subspecies is he?

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - I have a screen cage 16x16x20 That is a bit small, try to get something more like 18x18x36
• Lighting - I have the Zoo med double dish thing for lighting and I'm using a UVB as well as basking light in it. it's set from 8am to 8pm on a timer. Please specify. You should have a linear UVB, what is the basking light? Please provide more information.
• Temperature - In basking spot it hits mid 80's and bottom of the tanks is generally around high 60's during the day. I've been using a purple night lamp but I'm not sure if that's good or not. I have a digital thermometer in the basking spot. Your temps are too high in the basking spot. Try to get it to the upper 70's (Fahrenheit).
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I don't have a humidity monitor yet, but i'm using the reptirain as stated earlier. I also have paper towels at the bottom to hold in the moisture. Watch for mold, and get a digital humidity gauge soon, humidity levels are important to keep moderately high for Jackson's.
• Plants - All the plants are artificial. In your climate, and for a Jackson's, please get at least one plant, and make sure it is safe.
• Placement - It's in the corner of my living room next to a window with wooden blinds. I keep the window closed but open the slats during the day. it's not near any vents or anything. the top of the cage is about 6 1/2 from the ground as it's sitting on a desk. Does he get drafts from the window? That can cause a URI if you are not careful.
• Location - I'm in northern California

Current Problem - My living room is usually really cold in the mornings, like high 40's low 50's cold, I live in a house built in the 50's so it's not very insulated and has single pane windows. I'm just worried that my little guy is going to be too cold without the night light, but I also read that using the purple night lights is also bad. Just looking for some clarification. There are things that need to be clarified, what are the temps at night? Please take this information and use it, there are changes to be made, and feel free to ask questions. Happy Chameleon Keeping!!!