Colored lights

[DocZ]

I added to my previous post...and may add more to it to keep all the information together.

If you use a blue light for instance on a chameleon....wouldn't a blue light produce more blue wavelength light than a the blue light broken down from a white bulb would produce. (Not sure I'll be saying this in a clear enough way that it will be understood).
If so....if blue light caused problems for a chameleon wouldn't a blue light bulb cause more problems than the amount of blue light that's in a white light spectrum?

I’m trying to find what the units on the graph mean so I can have any intelligent thoughts on this, but it’s definitely relevant

 

[Kaizen]

Ha! I’ll get right on that
I’m planning an advanced degree in chameleon ophthalmology, so no big deal

Oh snap!!! Check out “color for philosophers” by Hardin.

 

[DocZ]

Oh snap!!! Check out “color for philosophers” by Hardin.

I will definitely check it out. I’ve always wondered if I can actually see the same “red” that any other person does. We both say “red” but maybe your red is my yellow. We’d both be right but we’d never see things the same way

 

[DocZ]

I’m trying to find what the units on the graph mean so I can have any intelligent thoughts on this, but it’s definitely relevant

“Absolute irradiance” with some ridiculously complicated units. Well beyond my understanding

 

[Kaizen]

I will definitely check it out. I’ve always wondered if I can actually see the same “red” that any other person does. We both say “red” but maybe your red is my yellow. We’d both be right but we’d never see things the same way

Big question: what is red? Is it a property of objects; a relational property that holds between objects and observers; light reflected at a particular wavelength/s? What about mantis shrimp, who have ten different types of photoreceptors; what entitles us to say X is red, given that we only have three types?

 

[DocZ]

Big question: what is red? Is it a property of objects; a relational property that holds between objects and observers; light reflected at a particular wavelength/s? What about mantis shrimp, who have ten different types of photoreceptors; what entitles us to say X is red, given that we only have three types?

Our Chams would likely have a similar opinion about our puny trichromatic eyes. And by the way, I love mantis shrimp. I had one for a while that came in a live rock shipment. Very fun to feed little crabs to

 

[Mendez]

What about mantis shrimp, who have ten different types of photoreceptors; what entitles us to say X is red, given that we only have three types?

Probably the fact that we have vocal cords while mantis shrimps can't say anything

 

[DocZ]

The chameleon eye...
https://radiocaminha.pt/chameleons-eye/

Blue light in humans...
https://www.allaboutvision.com/en-ca/digital-eye-strain/blue-light/

The shorter wavelength and higher energy of blue light is interesting. It penetrates deeply into water which quickly absorbs long wavelength red light. Although we do purposefully use even shorter wavelength, higher energy UVA and UVB that we are fairly certain is required for healthy Cham biology

 

[DocZ]

By the way, this is my favorite part about this site. I’m a very new Cham keeper, and all of you experienced keepers are willing to discuss these issues when I have questions or concerns. Thanks. I really enjoy it

 

[kinyonga]

Glad you like the conversations here!
I like it because people's questions make me learn more by making me think about things!

 

[CasqueAbove]

I believe it is the perineal eye. The third eye. They can not see with it, but it detects wavelengths.
It is said that that using Che or colored bulbs are detected and can disrupt sleep patterns thus creating stress.

 

[kinyonga]

You beat me to it @CasqueAbove ...I was just thinking about the parietal eye and light...link is not about chameleons but...
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2006/04_14_06.html

 

[DocZ]

I believe it is the perineal eye. The third eye. They can not see with it, but it detects wavelengths.
It is said that that using Che or colored bulbs are detected and can disrupt sleep patterns thus creating stress.

I don’t doubt it disrupts sleep, but the same advice is given even when the light is used only during the daytime

 

[CasqueAbove]

I don’t doubt it disrupts sleep, but the same advice is given even when the light is used only during the daytime

This only address night. I think day is different. I can’t imagine it hurting, assuming the standard day and night bulbs. Not black lights lol

 

[DocZ]

You beat me to it @CasqueAbove ...I was just thinking about the parietal eye and light...link is not about chameleons but...
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2006/04_14_06.html

This is more good info I this discussion. The on/off theory could affect how the animals ramp on and off their diurnal activity

 

[kinyonga]

Since blue is one of the colors of light "seen" by the parietal eye maybe the all blue lights over stimulate it and cause problems?

Red lights are often used on chameleons before people are told not to use them...I wonder if they really play some part in the chameleon's health?

 

[kinyonga]

Blue light suppresses melatonin in humans...but how long does the melatonin remain suppressed after the blue light is turned off?

 

[Pickle-cham]

Just an opinion not backed up by fact, but having a single colour lblue or red light source for 12 hours a day not just blind the chameleon in the other visible spectrum. Causing them to see pray less accurate, there are many reptiles that can detect non visible wavelengths this is true. But think chameleons strongly relying on the colour we see hence there visual chromatographic skin for communication with one another. I think it would seriously depress a chameleon having one coloured or even 2 source of light but yea its just an opinion here.
Maybe a half hour at end of basking light a simulation sunset thohmm

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

That’s just Kaizen philosophizing, and I might be full of s&it, so take it with a grain of salt.

Or are you full of salt, and should be taken with a grain of ?

Interesting analogy, but I have no idea if it applies or not.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I believe it is the perineal eye. The third eye. They can not see with it, but it detects wavelengths.
It is said that that using Che or colored bulbs are detected and can disrupt sleep patterns thus creating stress.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but AFAIK, all they would detect from a CHE is possibly infrared, which they would similarly detect from any kind of heat source, and I don't know that it would be enough to disturb sleep patterns. Would they be awakened in the rainforest by the heat from other native animals? IDK.

This is a... fascinating (if slightly strange) discussion (and now I have a book to find! ), but TBH, in all the decades that I've kept different reptiles, it has never once occurred to me to put Christmas lights in an enclosure—day or night.

We work all day and want to see our reptiles at night when we’re home so we use “night lights” that the reptiles can undoubtedly detect and I’m sure it disrupts their needed rest.

I think if I had a schedule such as that, I'd keep a reptile that was nocturnal, crepuscular, or even cathemeral (if there are any), or I'd keep the reptile in a light-proof room and set the light timers for "B-shift".

I actually mused this over when I was split between getting the beardie and different possible species of geckos (I kinda like Leachies ☺).