Should you have substrate in an outside cage where the temps get hot or potted plants

[twosidedwolf]

Good day so I put substrate in my 11 week old cage who spends all day outside and I put substrate in and i noticed he keeps going to the bottom of his cage and the floor so I know it a sign he looking for a place to cool off should I take the substrate out and just repot the plants or keep it in because we move him between 11 to 3pm in Germany shade that when temp shoot up

 

[Beman]

How hot are the temps... Babies dehydrate really quickly. The substrate can become an issue if the cham is eating it.

 

[twosidedwolf]

How hot are the temps... Babies dehydrate really quickly. The substrate can become an issue if the cham is eating it.

It gets about 32, he not eating it but afraid condensation is happening if he in the shade the temp gage stays about 25,26,c and in sun it about 28 29 c mid day

 

[MzLaurie]

One thing I noticed that I want to ask you about is uvb rays can’t go through glass and I see you have no uvb light on the cage. Is the cage put all the way outside or just next to the sliding glass like in the pics. Also if the substrate is getting moisture then you are going to have a mildew problem. Also what kind of stuff are you using for substrate? The reason why we stay away from substrate is contamination from feces etc to offer additional shade you can set plants outside if the cage that you can move around to give him areas out of the sun. Too much direct sun can cause sunburns so you need to always have an area that is shaded without covering the screen so there is airflow. How old is your little one?

 

[Beman]

It gets about 32, he not eating it but afraid condensation is happening if he in the shade the temp gage stays about 25,26,c and in sun it about 28 29 c mid day

So 32 is far too hot. Babies that young should not have basking temps hotter than 26. Their ambient temps need to be 21-23. They have to be able to fully cool down if needed.

Is there a reason you are keeping it outside vs setting it up inside where you can control temps and humidity?

 

[twosidedwolf]

One thing I noticed that I want to ask you about is uvb rays can’t go through glass and I see you have no uvb light on the cage. Is the cage put all the way outside or just next to the sliding glass like in the pics. Also if the substrate is getting moisture then you are going to have a mildew problem. Also what kind of stuff are you using for substrate? The reason why we stay away from substrate is contamination from feces etc to offer additional shade you can set plants outside if the cage that you can move around to give him areas out of the sun. Too much direct sun can cause sunburns so you need to always have an area that is shaded without covering the screen so there is airflow. How old is your little one?

There is no glass at all on the cage or around the porch is mostly shading net that we lift up and down and I'm using organic potting soil with hydration beeds under it to pull down the water and we move the cage to the shade as the day goes on

 

[twosidedwolf]

So 32 is far too hot. Babies that young should not have basking temps hotter than 26. Their ambient temps need to be 21-23. They have to be able to fully cool down if needed.

Is there a reason you are keeping it outside vs setting it up inside where you can control temps and humidity?

Reason he outside is because they doing electrical matince in our earia the last few weeks so keep getting power cuts and our hvb light and heat lamp keep popping due to it so waiting for them to be done

 

[Beman]

Reason he outside is because they doing electrical matince in our earia the last few weeks so keep getting power cuts and our hvb light and heat lamp keep popping due to it so waiting for them to be done

So I would only put him outside if the ambient temps are cool enough for him. Make sure you have a dripper going so he has access to water.

 

[twosidedwolf]

So I would only put him outside if the ambient temps are cool enough for him. Make sure you have a dripper going so he has access to water.

Noted we uslay keep him from 6 to 10 am outside then for the rest of the day on the patto that cover with shading net and we keep playing ice on top to keep him cool

 

[Beman]

Noted we uslay keep him from 6 to 10 am outside then for the rest of the day on the patto that cover with shading net and we keep playing ice on top to keep him cool

Just make sure the rest of the time when it is the hottest outside he is in total shade. His little body will have a really hard time if it is not. Hopefully they fix your electricity soon for you.

 

[twosidedwolf]

So update we got the lights working and set him up inside replacing the HV globe end of the month with a longer one

 

[Beman]

So update we got the lights working and set him up inside replacing the HV globe end of the month with a longer one View attachment 359661

What exactly is the lighting your using and what are the temps it is producing? You really want to get a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 or 6% bulb This one would require a 8-9 inch distance to the branch to put the cham in a 3 uvi level. Which right now would be hard with this cage size. Granted due to how small this cage is you could get a T8 Fixture with a 10.0 bulb and lay it directly on top. This will work with a 5inch distance to branch providing the same 3 UVI. But this would mean later for the adult cage you have to upgrade to the T5HO and 5.0or 6% bulb.

 

[twosidedwolf]

What exactly is the lighting your using and what are the temps it is producing? You really want to get a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 or 6% bulb This one would require a 8-9 inch distance to the branch to put the cham in a 3 uvi level. Which right now would be hard with this cage size. Granted due to how small this cage is you could get a T8 Fixture with a 10.0 bulb and lay it directly on top. This will work with a 5inch distance to branch providing the same 3 UVI. But this would mean later for the adult cage you have to upgrade to the T5HO and 5.0or 6% bulb.

We upgrading a cage to bigger size end of the month we got miss information about the starter kit we had the a small t5ho but it blew with contact power cuts so had to use the starter UV globe again and it a heat lamp with UV in don't have the box ATM need to find it again

 

[Beman]

Ok reason this may be an issue is more than likely it is a Mercury vapor 2 in 1 bulb. These produce very high UVI levels and heat. Too much for a chameleon. If it is a bulb that swirls up like an ice cream cone it is a compact uvb bulb. In this case depending on the strength they produce a very shallow area of uvb not enough for a chameleon depending on placement.

I can help more if I know what exactly you have when you find the box.

 

[twosidedwolf]

Ok reason this may be an issue is more than likely it is a Mercury vapor 2 in 1 bulb. These produce very high UVI levels and heat. Too much for a chameleon. If it is a bulb that swirls up like an ice cream cone it is a compact uvb bulb. In this case depending on the strength they produce a very shallow area of uvb not enough for a chameleon depending on placement.

I can help more if I know what exactly you have when you find the box.

The uvb is a compact one and we place it to the side closes to the most branches we then move him 2 hours outside to get natural sunlight if it not to hot but I'm going to replace all lights month end with the correct form and cage as well

 

[Beman]

The uvb is a compact one and we place it to the side closes to the most branches we then move him 2 hours outside to get natural sunlight if it not to hot but I'm going to replace all lights month end with the correct form and cage as well

If it is the coil compact bulb it should say on the bulb what the strength is... See if it says 5.0 or 10.0. Your distance will make a difference for UVI he can get. You will get your regular lights soon so honestly 2 weeks with the wrong UVB is not a big deal and nothing I would stress over