A Howdy and a Question...

[nonnatus]

Hello all!

I have been lusting after a chameleon for months and am finally in the fortunate position of being able to afford the set up and wondered if you could just offer some advice please?

I have ordered a Repti-breeze terrarium 46x46x92cm. I have a large real Ficus and a fern, lots of artificial vines and climbing branches. I have a dripper and a high pressure misting gun for extras. We already keep bearded dragons so have a lovely supply of very spoilt / gut loaded crickets, locusts, roaches and worms. There is a drawer in my fridge marked "REPTILES ONLY" which contains more exotic fruits and veggies than my children eat!!

I have read lots of the posts but would like someone to make a decision for me really I suppose about the light and heat.

I'm drawn to the Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium Hood 45cm to sit on top of my cage which would contain:
Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 Compact 26W for UVB
and
Zoo Med Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb for heat.

I think it would LOOK neat and tidy but is it up to the job?

It's going to cost me £40 (UK) which I don't want to waste if I'm just going to have to replace it a month down the line.

All comments welcome!

(Absolutely LOVELY forum, by the way and I hope to be a regular contributer)

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. The compact light is not recommended for chameleons. Some of them have caused eye problems with chameleons. Most here use the tube style Reptisun 5.0 and a regular household bulb for basking. If you are planning to get a veiled or panther I have a blog attached below for new keepers that will tell you everything that you need and show you a picture of most items. Jann
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Welcome to the forums!
The reptisun compact bulbs have been associated with manufacturing problems that cause them to emit harmful levels of UVB which cause eye problems. Most people will advise you to get a linear bulb because they don't have that issue. However the reptiGLO compact bulbs do not have that history of causing eye problems so they are still safe to use imo. I have the hood you like on one of my cages and I really like it because it does have a nice streamlined look. My other cages have either linear bulbs or single hoods with reptiglo CFLs. It works well for me but just be on the lookout for squinting or keeping the eyes closed so you know if there's a potential problem.

You'll have to experiment with the wattage of the second bulb to get the temps right. A regular housebulb will do the same job as the reptile branded lights. I'd start off with a 60W and see how that does. This is where a digital thermometer comes into play so you can accurately monitor the temps.

What species are you looking at?