Light Replacement Frequency

For indoor chameleons, how often do you replace your uvb lighting?

i change evrey 5 months. tho i have only needed to do this once i figure that if i subtract a month of of the companies recomondaiton i would make up for marketing scemes.

My experience has been that Zoomed flourescent tube UVB lights always exceed the 6 month recommendation. I regularly check my lights with a UVB meter and it confirms that this manufacturers lights often last up to 9 months.

If your light is failing to produce UVB , you should notice your cham spending a lot more time under the fixture as it tries to absorb as much of the diminished UVB radiation as possible.

thanks for the info. i just wanted to make shure i was on the safe side i will uses them for 6 months or until i get a meterfrom now on.

I use a UVB meter to monitor the intensity of my bulbs and i always have at least 2 spare bulbs just in case. The older the bulbs get the more frequently I check the UVB meter.

Recommend a good UVB Meter brand to get

To Junn and others who have already purchased a UVB Meter,

What brand did you purchase and price that you paid.

Thanks,
Christine

Oh, the price of a meter!!

Thanks Cham Man for a recommended UV Meter.
I have to admit that I was shocked at the cost but if that is the going price....I think I will pass siimply on the cost and just make sure to change his UV florescent tube light at least within a year's time.(I have the Zoo Med 10.0).
Since I live in Southern CA, we're fortunate to pretty much have sun light and warm temps year round so I make it a point to transfer my C. into a smaller screen cage so that he can be outdoors and benefit from real sunlight for at least several hours a day.

Christine

Yup thats the one I use also. I got mine here the same time I purchased the mega ray low UVB kit. http://www.reptileuv.com/solartech-solarmeter-uvb-meter-model-6.2.php

it is my experience that the longer flouro tubes do not last as long as the shorter 24 inch in uvb comparison although both surpass the 6 month mark by a long shot, but I don't use mine all day every day either my lights get turned off when my chams go outside....but its my experience that the tubes have good shelf life

also just a piece of wisdom to any newer owners....I use to set my tubes directly on top of my cages with no barrier and this decreases the lifetime....in normal applications you could use the tube protectors but because those diminish a lot of the positive qualities of your spectrum and thats not what we seek for our chameleons, the best choice is to suspend them at least an inch and a half off the top of your cage using which ever wire you'd like to from home depot....thicket wire has a more attractive look in my opinion and I also use diamond plated shoplights because I like the "bling" of it Its very attractive because I display my cage like art work

Some tips:

-Rotate linear bulbs monthly.
-Write the start date on the bulb, or somewhere visible.
-Use "Instant Startup" fixtures/balasts.
-Wipe dust and water spots off your bulbs on a regular basis. Use a slightly moistend cloth.
-Bulbs are filled with gas, and heat effects it. Supposedly a heat lamp close to the UV bulbs will wear them out faster, so to lessen this, you can flip the bulb periodically also.
-For Mercury Vapor type Reptile UVB bulbs, if you are using a extension cord, make sure it is rated for the requirements. Also use the largest size domes possible. Do not use dimmers or thermostats with them. Let them cool before moving them- at all.

also do if your lights go off for any reason, its a good practice to give them at least a 5 minute cool down period before you fire them up again, this is especially true with h.i.d. lighting and you'll want to wait 15 minutes for those, its nice to have an extra smaller bulb close by so your cham doesn't have to sit in the dark

Hmmm,this is interesting, can you buy UV meters at like a hardware store?

natural light

honesty my guys rarely use there lights every morning i get up at 9 and they get there lights while i make feeding bowls and we all go out side they go in their outside cage for the dat with 4-6 times mist. they love going out side and nothing replaces natural light but luckily for me and my guys we live in so cal so we have nice weather 11 months out of the year but once winter comes im thinking for tuning my closet (which i dont use ) in to a sort of sun room idea just with bulds and vines and stuff.....

Lighting

Is it absolutely necessary to have uv light exposion for your Jackson chameleon? I live in Hawaii where they grow wildly so I just keep them outside hanging in screen cages. I figure it's their natural habitat.

I read that if they aren't exposed that they will experience bone disorders. Is that a true statement?

every 6 months

Akn Up said:

Is it absolutely necessary to have uv light exposion for your Jackson chameleon? I live in Hawaii where they grow wildly so I just keep them outside hanging in screen cages. I figure it's their natural habitat.

I read that if they aren't exposed that they will experience bone disorders. Is that a true statement?

Click to expand...

Howdy,

Keeping them outside with hours of exposure to unfiltered (no glass/plastic) sunlight is the best source of UVB. You won't need an artifical source of UVB Without that exposure to UVB, disease and death are likley to follow.

does anyone know where i could get a meter and the cost

Every 6 months. The ones that get replaced I recycle into the brev enclosures for another 6 months. Then they get recycled into the recycling plant.

What is a uvb meter?