Trying to beat the heat!

[werecat]

*Not sure if this is general or health, but played it safe and placed in health.

The weather has been very HOT here in Southern California and will continue for another day or so. Despite keeping the windows open and fans going, my apartment reaches 88 F and up. Worried about my 2 yr old panther chameleon, today I took him to my in-law's home to stay cool. My cham stresses easily and had to spend the day in his carrier (which is a spacious clothes hamper filled with fake plants and branches, though smaller than his normal cage). He also did not have a basking lamp and therefore was at the mercy of the ambient temp which remained around the low 80's.

What I am debating is if it is worth doing this again tomorrow. Is it more stressful for him to take a trip away from home and spend most of the time in a smaller enclosure with no basking lamp, but maintain a reasonable temperature? Or stay in the comfort of his home and deal with uncomfortably high temps? I want to do whatever is best for his well-being.

 

[SipeCsus]

I feel u mann these santa ana winds have given us a nasty heat wave.. Im to the point where im gona install my a/c in my room again.. But then again i dnt want the temp to drop to low.. As soon as i get home i take my chamm outside to some plants that are in shade nd drenched with water so she can cool down.. Much luck to u bro..

 

[OwenPowell]

Another So Cal resident here, suffering through this weeks heat.
I try to make it a habit of opening up my house at night and getting it cooled down (since it hasnt been too cold for that lately) then closing everything up when I get up for work in the morning. That keeps my place cool enough (rarely breaking into the 80's indoors) until the sun goes down and I can open it up again.
Not sure what your living situation is, but maybe something along those lines could work for you, and be a bit easier on your cham.

 

[Sinfulintent]

Not so-cal but sittin in the valley, hit 100 yesterday. Luckily my house stays reasonably cool because I have a chinchilla so I have to keep my house colder than Id like (those energy bills are gonna kill me man) But I'll turn their basking lights off sometimes if it does get too hot during the peak hours of the day, usually between 3-5, and make sure they get a couple extra mistings though the day. Only advice I could give is find the coldest spot in your house and set them there, probably where ever your thermometer for your thermostat is at, or I was debating finding a window AC unit to put in the room they are in to keep that room colder for them. I'm going to have to move them soon though, the room they are in has a window facing the sun during the afternoon which makes the room heat up a lot more than I'd like for them, its not an issue yet, but once these summer temps hit it wont be good.

 

[Action Jackson]

Yep, supposed to be another cooker today. I live by the beach and it is really hot. I can't imagine how tough it is for people more inland. I think I hit the heat threshold with my outside chameleons yesterday. I programmed my misters to come on every hour from 10 to 4 today so I hope that will keep them cooler.

 

[Mike Fisher]

No basking light and frequent mistings. An automated mist system is a must have in this case. Luckily you don't keep montanes.

 

[spottea]

I do have a Jackson's, a little girl, and I had to brave the heat yesterday to take her to see Dr. Greek. She hasn't been eating for several weeks, and even though he couldn't find anything wrong last visit, this time he drew some labs which I'm waiting on. He still thought she looked pretty good, so,there's that.
Anyway, usually she's fine outside. There's a big pepper tree outside my patio which gives a lot of shade, and I've had the mister going for 5 to 10 minutes at a time about 5 times a day for a month or so because it's been so dry.
But yesterday I packed up her cage and put it in the bathtub. It was so hot outside i even dismantled the mister! She only has a dripper in the bathroom unfortunately but I misted her well before I left for work. She wasn't really awake yet, so didn't appreciate it. It is the coolest place in the house, around 74.
Don't really know what else to do. I gave her Repta Boost on Monday and tuesday, but yesterday she wasn't really thirsty so didn't open her mouth. I sneak it in while giving her a drink, and she quite likes it!
Don't get home until 8 p.m. And she'll be asleep I'm sure. Thank goodness the end is in sight this weekend.

 

[werecat]

Yes, this is why I don't keep montanes (although Jackson's are one of my faves!). Even though I do live on the coast, my apartment can be like an oven on very hot days like these! I'll try keeping the windows closed and hope that keeps the cool air inside! I'll increase misting too. I'll keep monitoring the temps and turn off the basking light if I need to, but if it climbs over 90 F, what's the best option? Can a panther handle this for a few hours?

Good luck to all of you in keeping yourselves and your chams cool!

 

[croastbeast]

I believe this is a situation of "cutting off your nose to spite your face". IE- stressing the animal without reclocation to try to prevent stress. Id look into a homemade evaporative cooler if you dont want to run AC in your room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHbQYajfGqM

 

[werecat]

That's a really neat evaporative cooler! I'll have to try building that for the future! I was putting up cold, wet towels in front of the fan, but I'm sure that is much more effective!

 

[croastbeast]

That's a really neat evaporative cooler! I'll have to try building that for the future! I was putting up cold, wet towels in front of the fan, but I'm sure that is much more effective!

People discount how much heat can be drawn out by evaporation. There a ton of energy that goes into making water a gas. They work really well.