Basking Behavior

[sarahdjango]

Hi All,
I have had my new veiled for about 2 months, he is 5-6 months old (i think... LLLReptile could not provide me with an age when i asked, which was annoying but anyway..) He is in an 18" by 18" by 3ft screen cage, and i have a basking light for him in one corner, and a heat light that stays on at night in the other, with a uvb light in the middle. On his basking perch, he is at about 95 F, and there are several other perches that are lower down from the light.
He often sits under his light for maybe 10 minutes, then opens his mouth (i assume to cool off) and then moves away, rinse, repeat.
Should i move the highest perch down a bit even if he has other options? I'm afraid if he is not warm enough, he will not digest his food properly
ALSO. i bought my cham with a start up set, that came with a compact uvb (not the rod). i bought a reptisun anyway because i read it was better, and use the compact uvb as a the basking light. is this unhealthy??? i have read on the forum compact uvbs are bad. Why?
All help and general advice is appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

At one time there was a manufacturing problem with the ReptiSun CFL UVB bulbs so that they emitted unsafe levels of UVB and even UVC rays, which corresponded to health problems like eye problems and burns in reptiles. This manufacturing issue was identified and corrected by the manufacturer several years ago and thus we have not seen problems with it since then. The ReptiGlo CFL UVB bulbs were never associated with these harmful effects. The linear ReptiGlo or ReptiSun bulbs have never had any health problems associated with them either. Many successful enthusiasts have used CFL bulbs for years without any problems. I don't know how well it would work for the basking bulb though - generally they put off almost no heat.

 

[camimom]

Welcome!

SOme things,

First- if hes that old, he should be upgraded to his adult cage soon.
Second- that basking temp is too high! most dont need it above 88.
Third- NO LIGHTS AT NIGHT.
Fourth- Here is a care sheet for you, https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Fifth- Compact uvb bulbs give off almost no heat, so thats pointless.
Sixth- Compacts arent bad, they used to have an issue and caused eye problems years ago, not anymore. We use tubes simply because they provide more coverage in the cage.
Seventh- he gapes to cool down, instead of moving your basking branches (which will just make him climb the screen and roof anyway) raise your bulb up higher OR get a lower watt basking bulb.

 

[sarahdjango]

Welcome!

SOme things,

First- if hes that old, he should be upgraded to his adult cage soon.
Second- that basking temp is too high! most dont need it above 88.
Third- NO LIGHTS AT NIGHT.
Fourth- Here is a care sheet for you, https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Fifth- Compact uvb bulbs give off almost no heat, so thats pointless.
Sixth- Compacts arent bad, they used to have an issue and caused eye problems years ago, not anymore. We use tubes simply because they provide more coverage in the cage.
Seventh- he gapes to cool down, instead of moving your basking branches (which will just make him climb the screen and roof anyway) raise your bulb up higher OR get a lower watt basking bulb.

Thanks for your hep, let me clarify some things so i can have a bit better feed back.
3) The light i leave on at nights is heat only, bc his cage sometimes falls below 65 on his sleeping branch. The heat only light maintains that temp.
1) At what size exactly should he need a bigger cage? thank you for that tip, i was going to wait much longer, so now i know.
5) The compact i have is a combined compact uvb and heat source, so it does work as a basking light. still ok?

Thank you so much!

 

[camimom]

As long as he doesnt drop below 50 at night, hes fine.

Basically now is good.

All males need a 2x2x4 foot cage as adults, and hes getting up there towards adult hood. Its best to move him whenever you can, he'll be happier for it.

what is the brand of the compact you have?
do you have a pic o fhte box it came in?

 

[sarahdjango]

As long as he doesnt drop below 50 at night, hes fine.

Basically now is good.

All males need a 2x2x4 foot cage as adults, and hes getting up there towards adult hood. Its best to move him whenever you can, he'll be happier for it.

what is the brand of the compact you have?
do you have a pic o fhte box it came in?

its basically this
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752615&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

also, he is only about 4-5 inches right now, how big qualifies 'adult'? thanks!

 

[camimom]

You waste money on that bulb.

You can use a reptisun tube for uvb, and regular house bulb for basking.

there is no size requiremet to be an adult.

but at 6 months old, hes halfway there, so id move him soon.

 

[sarahdjango]

Yes i know it is expensive, but i did not buy it separately, it came in a package of supplies, so i use it until it needs to be replaced. thanks for all your help.