panther sleeping before lights go off....

[sqwkr]

I have a ambanja panther that is almost 7 months old and this is the first time ive seen this but he was sleeping about an hour before his lights normally turn off. I have a reptisun 5.0 and a house bulb for heat as directed on here lol. And his temp in his cage is 84 degrees. He is eating normally and drinking well. Occasionally I hear him sneeze but not often and he doesnt have any discharge or anything coming out of his nose. I took him out to check him out when I found him sleeping and his body was very cold, he was down a ways from the heat source. I noticed this about 9:10 and his lights turn off at 10 pm everyday its on a timer...and he has a bedroom that is closed off so it stays warmer than the rest of the house for him. I might be worrying for nothing but he is my baby and I want to make sure nothing is wrong. Please help...I'm

 

[Olimpia]

Well, it is getting darker earlier so maybe he's going by light through a window? If it's getting darker outside an hour earlier, maybe he's using that to time himself and he doesn't realize he has an hour of light left. Mine are typically in their sleeping spots about an hour before their lights are out, sitting comfortably until the lights go off. So I wouldn't worry about it.

10pm is a little late for my tastes, I like keeping their rythm even with what the sun is doing. When are his lights on?

 

[carol5208]

I agree with Olympia, my chameleon usually gets into his position about an hour also before the lights go out. My timer goes on at 7:00 am/ off at 7:00 p.m. and when the time changes here shortly I will cut back to 10 hours as suggested by the breeder. As far as the sneezing goes, I am not sure what that is all about. Just keep an eye on him. I wouldn't be too concerned about the sleeping thing. If it was at 2:00 in the afternoon I would say there is a problem!

 

[coffeeguy89]

He's probably fine, I had the same experience when I first got my panther. I had the timer set to turn off very late, and I would sometimes catch him dosing off an hour or two before his lights turn off. If your located in CA the sun probably sets around 6:30 this time of year, right? As long as he's eating, drinking and behaving normally you shouldn't have anything to worry about. I do agree with Olimpia on keeping the lights on with the natural rhythm of the sun, especially if there's a window letting light into the room he's in.

 

[sqwkr]

Thank you all...there is a window in the room but it has a very thick dark curtain over it so that he wouldn't get all miscombabulated (haha I love that word) with the light from it vs. his lights. I was told to put his lights on a timer for 12-13 hours so his lights go on at 9am and go off at 10pm. I try to let him out of his cage everyday for a couple hours to just hang out with us and roam around, its cool because he doesn't get stressed and never has shown any signs of stress with being handled since I got him.

 

[sbristow]

Photo periods for Panther Chameleon.

Hi,

I think it's crucial you follow the heat and photo periods from Madagascar. Easy to find on the net. My lights on at 6am and off at 6pm with infra red heat at night. Temp 80 at night dipping as seasonal averages change locally. To prevent light ingress I have fixed a blind. My Panther is nearly 4 and this regime works for him. Hope this helps.

 

[Gensen]

Same here...

Yes, both of my guys also nest into their sleeping spots about an hour before lights out... it is their routine and they are very aware of this. So if everything else is ok I wouldn't worry about it; it can be a common behavior.