compact florescent bulb

[kdinkel]

so after reading the mistakes post, I think I have a correction to make. I have a compact florescent reptisun 10. Is this bad on any size cage? My setup is 53 inches tall by 33 wide by 22 deep. I have a 9 month old panther in it. He is doing great and hunts just fine (no signs of vision problems).

 

[draetish]

so after reading the mistakes post, I think I have a correction to make. I have a compact florescent reptisun 10. Is this bad on any size cage? My setup is 53 inches tall by 33 wide by 22 deep. I have a 9 month old panther in it. He is doing great and hunts just fine (no signs of vision problems).

It's only a matter of time before the light will affect his eyes. The best lights to use is the ReptiSun 5.0 linear bulb and a 40-60 watt regular household bulb for basking. Also 10.0 bulbs are too harsh and are used for desert reptiles.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I've seen this said before on forums but I've asked two board certified reptile vets about this (one is the top vet at A&M vet school, the other the head vet for the San Antonio Zoo so they know their stuff) and neither of them have ever actually seen this problem and told me not to worry about it. How common is this? Is is just the older bulbs, or still a problem, maybe just too close to the cham? I want the best for mine but I'd like know how much of a risk it actually poses since some are deathly afraid of these and others aren't concerned at all...

 

[draetish]

I've seen this said before on forums but I've asked two board certified reptile vets about this (one is the top vet at A&M vet school, the other the head vet for the San Antonio Zoo so they know their stuff) and neither of them have ever actually seen this problem and told me not to worry about it. How common is this? Is is just the older bulbs, or still a problem, maybe just too close to the cham? I want the best for mine but I'd like know how much of a risk it actually poses since some are deathly afraid of these and others aren't concerned at all...

Don't know for sure but my thinking is "why" take the risk? Stick with what has been proven to work, IMO.

 

[FroggtheCham]

Here is the thread that explains the problem with cfl's.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/clf-bulbs-vs-household-bulbs-food-
thought-40169/?highlight=wavelengths

 

[rocket89]

let me get this straight, can i know the 2 kind of light that your suppose to use for a chameleon.

 

[draetish]

let me get this straight, can i know the 2 kind of light that your suppose to use for a chameleon.

ReptiSun 5.0 linear (tube) light for UVB and regular household bulb for basking. Try different wattages to obtain desired heat.

 

[rocket89]

what about that Zoo Med 25 watt day bulb or Zoo Med 15 watt red bulb or Exo Terra 50 watt Sun Glo Basking Spot Light? does it work?

 

[draetish]

what about that Zoo Med 25 watt day bulb or Zoo Med 15 watt red bulb or Exo Terra 50 watt Sun Glo Basking Spot Light? does it work?

Do not use red bulbs but the others would be okay as the "basking" light. Just watch temps in basking area and raise or lower wattage as necessary. The reptisun 5.0 is the UVB bulb is the choice of the majority.

 

[withlime]

I've seen this said before on forums but I've asked two board certified reptile vets about this (one is the top vet at A&M vet school, the other the head vet for the San Antonio Zoo so they know their stuff) and neither of them have ever actually seen this problem and told me not to worry about it. How common is this? Is is just the older bulbs, or still a problem, maybe just too close to the cham? I want the best for mine but I'd like know how much of a risk it actually poses since some are deathly afraid of these and others aren't concerned at all...

I had a chameleon die from this problem a few years ago. ZooMed says that they have re-done the CFLs now and they are supposedly safe. In this situation, I prefer to err on the side of caution and use linear tubes.

How far away do you have the CFL from the cage and how far away is the basking spot?

 

[kdinkel]

The light is about 1" above the black mesh top and his basking area is about 6" under that. Sound like it is time to change bulbs!