Sleep/Light/Feeding Schedule

[Jpavinator]

Hi everyone! I'm new here! I'm about to be getting a Panther Chameleon after a lot of research and I'm currently in the planning/habitat purchasing stage! My vet has sent me tons of information, including this forum.

As I'm planning a schedule with timed lights and trying to figure out the location of the cage, im running into a few questions I'm not finding direct answers to.

1) is there a particular time the schedule must be set to or do i do whatever 12 hours works best for my schedule?
2) do they eat in the morning or night? I saw something somewhere they need to eat in the morning so they can bask afterwards, but then everythi g else I'm seeing says they hunt at night before bed.

i leave for work, usually around 9a but theres the occassional time I'm out at 730a. Then 3 days a week i get home around 9pm and the other days I'm home around 7pm or 8pm. Would a 10am to 10pm schedule be too late or does it matter as long as the lighting is correct for the schedule?

Last question: cage location. Originally i wanted to do my living room but with the windows, dogs/cat, roomates with diff schedules, I'm thinking my room would be best amd safest, but i sleep with my tv on/low volume and it auto turns off around midnight. Ive heard a blanket over the cage will help with that but is that safe?

I think thats all for now! Thank you!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hi Jpavinator, welcome to the forum.

1. Is there a particular time the schedule must be set to or do i do whatever 12 hours works best for my schedule?
2. Do they eat in the morning or night? I saw something somewhere they need to eat in the morning so they can bask afterwards, but then everythi g else I'm seeing says they hunt at night before bed.
3. I leave for work, usually around 9a but theres the occassional time I'm out at 730a. Then 3 days a week i get home around 9pm and the other days I'm home around 7pm or 8pm. Would a 10am to 10pm schedule be too late or does it matter as long as the lighting is correct for the schedule?
4. Cage location. Originally i wanted to do my living room but with the windows, dogs/cat, roomates with diff schedules, I'm thinking my room would be best amd safest, but i sleep with my tv on/low volume and it auto turns off around midnight. Ive heard a blanket over the cage will help with that but is that safe?

1. Whatever 12 hours works best for your schedule, but keep it consistent; changing the on/off times can be stressful.
2. IME, they eat when they're hungry (and drink when they're dry. If whisky don’t kill 'em, they’ll live till they die... ) but overall, I'd go for the mornings.
3. Try to keep the lighting schedule consistent—however that works out.
4. IMO, Your room. Chameleons don't have ears, so if the TV is low, there should be no problem. A blanket is fine, as is an opaque barrier (big piece of cardboard) between or blocking direct light from the TV. If it's indirect or blocked, it shouldn't be a problem.

It might be a good idea to copy/paste this form into a post, answer the questions (best if in a different color) and include a pic of your enclosure from the lights (top) to drainage/substrate (bottom). Then folks here can go over it with you.

 

[Beman]

Hi everyone! I'm new here! I'm about to be getting a Panther Chameleon after a lot of research and I'm currently in the planning/habitat purchasing stage! My vet has sent me tons of information, including this forum.

As I'm planning a schedule with timed lights and trying to figure out the location of the cage, im running into a few questions I'm not finding direct answers to.

1) is there a particular time the schedule must be set to or do i do whatever 12 hours works best for my schedule?
2) do they eat in the morning or night? I saw something somewhere they need to eat in the morning so they can bask afterwards, but then everythi g else I'm seeing says they hunt at night before bed.

i leave for work, usually around 9a but theres the occassional time I'm out at 730a. Then 3 days a week i get home around 9pm and the other days I'm home around 7pm or 8pm. Would a 10am to 10pm schedule be too late or does it matter as long as the lighting is correct for the schedule?

Last question: cage location. Originally i wanted to do my living room but with the windows, dogs/cat, roomates with diff schedules, I'm thinking my room would be best amd safest, but i sleep with my tv on/low volume and it auto turns off around midnight. Ive heard a blanket over the cage will help with that but is that safe?

I think thats all for now! Thank you!

Welcome to the forum. I kinda love that your vet sent you here for more info.

So to answer your questions... I match my lighting pretty close to sunrise to sunset. 7:30am-7pm. I do this so that the light from windows does not throw them off. Everyone does this differently. You just don't want to mess them up with outside lighting so that they are up with that light rather then their cage lights and same at night. You do not want their sleep cycle disturbed after cage lights are off. I have heavy curtains up on my windows to help to help keep it dark when they need it dark.

Feeding is typically a morning thing. If you have a baby they can eat morning and afternoon. Or if your going to be gone you will need to load up the feeder run so they have access to as much as they need. We typically do not feed at night or they go to bed with undigested food that they hold until the next day. So by feeding in the morning hours this gives them the entire day to digest. ( I would not free feed. Hungry crickets will bite chams that are sleeping if left loose in the cage)

I would put the cage in your room... You need to be able to lock other animals out of the room and keep activity and stress low. Minimize lighting interference at night by not using a ceiling light and hooking a black out curtain to the sides of the cage. Just remove it when you go to bed so they have the air flow. Or make sure that the bottom 6 inches of the screen cage is exposed with the ceiling panel to ensure the chimney effect for airflow.
TV volume will not bother the cham however having the cage right next to it they may feel the vibrations from the sound. So just have it farther away. The light from the screen may so just take the proper precautions to limit lighting.

I would recommend automating everything possible since your work schedule is not steady. From lighting to misting. Also if your the type to worry, look into getting a wyze cham or something similar.. So that when your at work you can spy on baby https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076H3SRXG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Here is a great site full of accurate info https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
https://chameleonacademy.com/panther-chameleon-care/

 

[Jpavinator]

Thank you both. Yes i have an automated plug im going to use with app access for lighting and misting and i actually saw a picture of someone with a wyze cam and i already have one that i used to check on my senior chihuahua before she passed so I'm was like that's perfect!

Tell me more about a feeder run, @Beman ? I was wondering if there was something i could put on a timer or control with an app for feeding some days since my schedule is a little wonky.

Yes i also started the chameleon academy! Learning so much!

 

[Beman]

Thank you both. Yes i have an automated plug im going to use with app access for lighting and misting and i actually saw a picture of someone with a wyze cam and i already have one that i used to check on my senior chihuahua before she passed so I'm was like that's perfect!

Tell me more about a feeder run, @Beman ? I was wondering if there was something i could put on a timer or control with an app for feeding some days since my schedule is a little wonky.

Yes i also started the chameleon academy! Learning so much!

I like both of these... But I used the first one with my babies when I feed a lot of small crickets... They stay in it better I feel. It hooks on the screen and the feeders run around the screen.
https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery

For hybrid cages without screen this one works really well. But like I said the other works better when your feeding lots of small crickets because they do not jump out. I like the 3 inch size in these. https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/feedercups

 

[Psychdoc]

I like those (shooting gallery feeders). Thanks guys. I had never seen these before. I'm going to order one right away.

 

[Beman]

I like those (shooting gallery feeders). Thanks guys. I had never seen these before. I'm going to order one right away.

Get the large size I linked.. It is easier to pour feeders into and as you move up in feeder size I find it holds them better.