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There's rarely as much blue wavelength light in the lighting we provide in captivity as compared to natural sunlight, and even so, how would we expect bluish lighting to affect chameleons anyway? CFLs do not cause eye problems. One particular type of fluorescent available several years ago...

CFLs, especially those intended for household use or plant growth, are nothing but safe. People have been using them in many applications for decades. The idea that CFLs are somehow harmful to chameleons comes entirely from a problem with a single type of UV producing bulb several years ago that...

It sounds like it should be fine as basking bulb.

As mentioned, only the least efficient incandescents are being phased out, not incandescents on the whole. More efficient incandescents are already available, and are cheap. Compact fluorescents cost more per bulb (althought I'm quite surprised by how much the price has come down over the last...

There was a problem a few years ago with the formulation of the phosphors in some of the CFL bulbs that were available at the time. The wavelength range that comprises UVB is 280-315 nm and peak synthesis of vit D3 occurs upon exposure to a wavelength of 295-297 nm. All UVB has the potential to...

I largely agree with what Melrito says above. They are much less forgiving of temperature extremes than the adults. Personally, I would provide a very small, low wattage basking light, as they do sometimes appreciate basking, even at this size, but would check the temperatures thoroughly...

Only bulbs specifically designed to produce significant amounts of UVB do so and are clearly labelled as such. The bulb above looks like a great source of (relatively) full spectrum light and will help keep plants happy (and probably have some psychological benefit for the chameleon as well)...

Agreed with the above. Waterfalls can be problematic for two reasons. First, they may present a drowning hazard. Second, they can grow potentially pathogenic densities of bacteria and fungi, leading to health problems for the chameleon. I would probably remove it. Veiled are much more...

In their native range daytime ambient temps are typically in the neighborhood of 75-80 F with occasional excursions to 85 F during the warm season, whereas during the cool season daytime ambient temps are typically 65-75 F. Nighttime ambient temps during the warm season are typically in the 50's...

They are reasonably similar in their environmental needs and have similar requirements in many ways. Jackson's are much larger and more arboreal in habit, requiring a much larger cage as a result. Something like a planted Exo-terra vivarium would be ideal for both, but a Jackson's would require...

p.s. This may help to visualize relatedness: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cousin_tree.png

Generally speaking, by the time you get to second cousins (assuming other couplings are between unrelated individuals) or further you are getting pretty close to the level of genetic variation you might expect from the population at large, i.e., close to unrelated individuals. At the level of...

A cage of this size could conceivably work fine for this animal, given some caveats. Usually the biggest potential problem with a large cage for a small chameleon is feeding, namely that the animal often has a difficult time finding the food becasue it is so dispersed. Cup feeding, as you plan...

It sounds to me like moving his cage around has annoyed him, which may pass in a day or two. If not, we'll need to figure out what is in fact annoying him. Also, I would supply a basking site temperature of around 90-95 F, along with an ambient temp away from the basking light not higher than...

At 3.5 inches she seems a bit on the small size for a 4-5 month female veiled IME, but not terribly so. How much does she eat? Which supplements, if any, are you using? What sorts of temperatures does she have access to (basking and ambient)? Does she have a UV light, and what sort? cj

Typically about 8-10" total length at a year eventually reachying 12-13" at several years old (assuming good conditions, of course). cj

Either lengthening the light cycle or leaving it the same is fine IMHO. Day length is just under 13 hrs right now in their native Yemen anyway. A 12 hr day length isn't required by any means, it's just something we know should work well. At the latitudinal extremes of where some chameleons are...

When they are young and growing rapidly (say < 1 yr, < 6 months for sure) I would let them eat their fill. They have substantial energy and nutrient demands since they grow quickly. Once they are adults, it is often necessary to watch their weight and cut back their food intake if they are...

This is utter nonsense. 1) Baby cut carrots are not now derived from whittled down larger carrots, though that was attempted in the past. They are varieties bred for the purpose, or harvested when young (hence the name). 2) Even if the above point were true, it would be irrelevant? Ever...

This sort of learned behavior requires very little intelligence. Chameleons aren't particularly intelligent animals, but neither do they need to be. The vast, vast majority of successful species are far less intelligent than even chameleons. Intelligence isn't inherently beneficial by any...