Good heating set up for a Panther Chameleon.

[ThrillCosby]

Hello, what heating equipment would you suggest for a chameleon that is safe and easy to use? I have seen that people use these mercury and solar lamps and they don't use a thermostat with them and just have them about 8 inches away from the top of their cage, please any suggestions?

 

[nightanole]

Gonna need a bit more info.

Lets assume the cage is a reptibreeze xl and 24x24x48 and room temp is something cool like 60f. In that cage you would just need to "flood" a 1 square foot area at mid to upper cage to get that area to the mid/upper 80's.

If we are talking about lower 50's at night, that is not a problem again, if the above is done. Panthers do not come from a very hot area, they just come from an area that that doesnt have frost advisories.

let look at the home land right now:

https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Antananarivo+Madagascar+MAXX0002:1:MA

Gee look it barely hits 80 during the day, and is well into the lower 60's at night.

If you still need more heating, i would wrap 3 sides with plastic, and invest in a 2ft piece of 21" of heat tape and a good dimmer. Even plugged directly into the wall it would only draw 60 watts, and all the heat would go straight up, vs bulbs etc that would heat via IR down.

 

[ThrillCosby]

The cage would be a reptibreeze mesh cage that is 48" high and 24"x24" so i could just go with a solar flood light and have it about 6 or 8 inches away from the cage?

 

[nightanole]

The cage would be a reptibreeze mesh cage that is 48" high and 24"x24" so i could just go with a solar flood light and have it about 6 or 8 inches away from the cage?

Again it depends on what the air temp is now. If the day temp is 60 or below, 1 wide flood wont be enough. Any single flood capable of heating a 1 foot area 25-30 degrees will be dangerous due to hot spots. Instead you should have multiple floods, say 2 65 watt wide floods at a 45 degree downward angle each aprox 6" away from the same corner so they light up a 1ft area from 2 angles, vs one huge 150 watt. And yes they can be 6-8" away from the cages sides so the light spreads out.

So rule of thumbs:
bulbs are outside of cage
bulbs have their own reflectors (i prefer halogen from the hardware store)
bulbs are at an angle to the cage sides, even if mounted from the top or the sides
If bulbs cant be angled, then basking sticks must be angled
Basking area is at least 1.5-2x cham body length
basking area needs to be 85-95f, with no hot spots.

If you get all that right, the cham can regulate itself, even with day air temps in the lower 50's. As a bonus if you have live plants, they will start to crowd out the basking spot.

 

[ThrillCosby]

Ok and would you suggest a thermostat?, bit of a silly question really i know.

 

[nightanole]

Ok and would you suggest a thermostat?, bit of a silly question really i know.

I dont use thermostats personally, i use lamp dimmers and just tune. If you want to get a thermostat, you will have to spend $$$ for proportional one, as the On/off ones will not work with lights.

 

[ThrillCosby]

And would a exoterra compact canopy that can hold 3 bulbs work for uvb for a panther chameleon?

 

[nightanole]

And would a exoterra compact canopy that can hold 3 bulbs work for uvb for a panther chameleon?

Nobody on the forums recomends cfl uv lights. You would be better off with a 24" T8 10.0/12%, or a 22" t5HO 5.0/6%.

 

[ThrillCosby]

Ok so would this be fine https://www.bluelizardreptiles.co.u...lNEI5-c292Hx8eJ-98eJ1US0GRBg1DDIaAiQSEALw_wcB

 

[nightanole]

Ok so would this be fine https://www.bluelizardreptiles.co.u...lNEI5-c292Hx8eJ-98eJ1US0GRBg1DDIaAiQSEALw_wcB

Hey you are in the UK, that means you can by arcadia bulbs at local stores vs us americanos who need to go through 3rd party imports.

http://arcadia-reptile.com/fluorescent-lamps/t5-d3-forest/

Your zoomed choice is also a good one. Both companies use 6 phosphor bulbs, both made in germany, and i assume both at the same factory, since there cant be too many 6 phosphor lines out there.

 

[TonyStark]

Ok and would you suggest a thermostat?, bit of a silly question really i know.

I use one that I bought on Amazon, the brand is Inkbird.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011...ds=inkbird&dpPl=1&dpID=417y0W4HFmL&ref=plSrch

 

[ThrillCosby]

I decided to go with the zoo med lighting but also for a draining system to stop leakage, could i just put a drip tray underneath the cage?

 

[ThrillCosby]

Or is there any easy cost effective way to make a draining system?

 

[CJ's Exotics]

I have not used it, but it seems like a good idea. I would wait for a second opinion, since I don't use this and can't give you a review.