Custom Enclosure UVB question

[andymcballer]

Hey guys!

Had a quick question for all my educated chameleon lovers out there.

So I'm getting little Sokar (so-car) here in about a week. He'll was hatched 11/01/13, and I've built him a custom enclosure. The dimensions are 2Lx2Wx5H or (24"x24"x60") and my question is..

with an enclosure this tall, I was planning on using a 24" Reptisun 5.0 UVB T5 bulb. Now with as tall as this is, should i get 2 of these bulbs? and run them in a 2 bulb fluorescent fixture? I just don't want only like the top 2 feet of the enclosure to be illuminated by the uvb, and my cham not digest properly or get his d3.

any help would be appreciated. i want things to be perfect when my little Sokar from Brian over at Crazy Eyes Chameleons!! He's gonna be a stunner man!!

Much Thanks,

Andy M.

 

[NHenn]

I wouldn't worry about getting two UVB bulbs. He will spend most of his time at the top of the cage anyway so as long as you have an open basking spot within 6-8" from the top he will get plenty of UVB exposure.

I would however recommend looking into LightYourReptiles. I highly recommend T5 lamps over any T8. LYR offer an amazing dual fixture with an Arcadia 6% UVB bulb (similar to the Reptisun 5.0 but will last a year instead of 6 months) and a 6.5k daylight bulb. Once you see the difference in lighting between the dual T5 vs the single T8 you will never go back to a T8 fixture.