Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a new owner of veiled chameleons and so far i have found many different opinions concerning the correct temperatures for juvenilles. right now I have an ambient temp in the low 80's and a few basking spots to choose from that range from 85 to 95- the nighttime temp is 63-66 , is this a little low? another problem i have is that in the morning and early afternoon his temps are a little low, and in the end of the day his ambient temp is a little high, like 87- any ideas on how to make the temp level off during the day without building up too much excess heat?also what bulb configurations do you use in your setups to obtain certain temps? and finally your opinion on the proper temps for juvenille vieleds- thanx much

The ideal ambient is the mid 70's, but some chameleons like the low 80's, if the cham doesn't bask much or at all, it is too high, and if they gape for long periods of time, scratch at the cage or are constantly on the bottom, the temp is too high. Basking temp should be ~95 F. basking temps for a juvi veiled should be 90F maximum. Unless the air temp isreally strange in the room, you should only have to use one light for one chameleon, and it doesn't matter where, as long sd the branch is about 8" away from the bulb, and for juvis about 6". Bulb for adult should be 60-75 watt (you should use 60 watt because of the higher air temp) and juvis should have 60 watt bulbs. VERY small juvis should have even a 40 watt bulb.