are coil uvb bulbs that bad ?

[topsaidim4kt]

so i broke my uvb bulb about a day ago, and i wont be able to replace it with a long uvb bulb until friday. can i just get a coil uvb for my veiled chameleon or should i wait till friday to get the long one ? are coil uvb bulbs really that bad ?

 

[ehdee6]

If you're using the coil as a temporary light for a few days until you get the liner, it's better than nothing. But if you're intending to use the coil instead of the liner, it won't do. The thing about the coil is it only really casts the right UVB ratio for about 2 or 3 inches into the cage, while the liner casts 8 or 10 inches and disburses into more area... So the liner will give your cham a better chance of basking within the right UVB levels to keep them healthy, where as with the coil they have to be exactly under the coil for it to be effective.

 

[DeremensisBlue]

Coil UVB bulbs (CFLs) are shunned because the most common ones are too weak to get the desired UVB levels far enough into the cage to be useful for an adult chameleon. Ironically, some of the more powerful CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) are actually not healthy because they are way too powerful! (This is why it is a good thing for the community to not make broad brush statements).

But, to answer your question, It would be better to just wait until you can get your linear bulb as the CFL (coil bulb) will either produce not enough or too much UVB. So it would either be useless or damaging. The best way to bridge a gap in UVB light is to use a supplement that includes dietary vitamin D3. Multivitamins like Repashy Calcium Plus (regular or LoD) and Reptivite with D3 are common powders. In fact, you may be using one already. Typical supplementation schedules have one of these multivitamins given every two weeks. If you are following this then just look on the ingredients list and see if it says Vitamin D3 in there. Just use this for one of the feedings during the week while waiting for the replacement linear bulb.

We shy away from using dietary D3 because the chameleon can overdose on D3 while, with UVB it self-regulates. But, in a case like this, where the UVB is down, we can take advantage of the fact that dietary D3 is very effective. And, one extra feeding with the power is not going to be an overdose risk.

 

[BleuSaphir]

Would coil make better use with hatchling?

 

[DeremensisBlue]

Would coil make better use with hatchling?

It is important that we identify which CFL you are talking about. Most of the time, in the chameleon community, when we say "coil" we are referring to the ZooMed 13W 5.0 that comes with the chameleon kit. We don't like this one because it is effective only a few inches in front of the bulb. We are lucky to get UVI 3.0 for about an inch. The reason why I include this disclaimer everytime I talk about CFLs is that if you use the ExoTerra 200 26W CFL you will get higher UVI readings than you would from our strongest linear bulb. In fact, when I was characterizing the UVB bulbs I was concerned about the safety of my hand holding the Solarmeter. At the cage top I was reading UVI 150+. So, it is dangerous for us to broad brush CFLs. (and if anyone is asking why a company would make a bulb that produces such high UVB, remember that these are designed to punch through space to get at a bearded dragon on the cage floor. They are not designed for chameleons that will belly right up to the bulb. It falls on us to recognize our unique husbandry challenges!)

But, to answer your question, the ZooMed 13W 5.0 CFL is actually a good bulb for hatchlings if it is used precisely. You need to have a basking branch at the exact right distance. We don't like it for juvenile and adult size chameleons because of the miniscule effective zone. But a baby chameleon actually fits nicely in that effective zone. That said, I would still use a T5 5.0 (6%) lifted above the cage top because it can be used at any lifestage, while the 13W 5.0 CFL will have an effective life of 3 months maximum with a baby panther and even less with a Veiled Chameleon. I did a complete build guide for using the Chameleon Kit with hatchlings and successfully raised both panther and veiled chameleons in it to show how understanding the technology's characteristics allows us to know in what niche cases the equipment can be used. So, yes, a CFL could be used with hatchlings if you do it right. Yes, I have a complete build guide on how to do it right. But, no, I do not believe it is the best approach. If you already have one then learn how to use it effectively (along with its limitations) and it will serve you well. If you don't already have one, then I recommend to start with something more versatile!