Heating with UVB

[teoo OoT]

Just out of curiosity I have been using a red night light and a 150 watt UVB bulb, the red night light for basking. When I replaced the red night light with a blue day light the Chameleon noticeably did not like the change. I have a juvenile in a 12x12x18 exo terra, could I use the UVB for heating the entire enclosure seeing as its not that large? Temps without the red night light or blue day light have been hovering around 80 degrees.

-Teo

 

[aaron9069]

I use separate fixtures for uvb and basking. For basking a normal 40 or 60 watt house bulb will provide the same benefits as the more expensive reptile bulbs. As for uvb you might want to get a 5.0 tube bulb, as it fills the cage better with light. When you say night light, you arent using it at night are you? Because chams need complete darkness to sleep.

 

[teoo OoT]

Hey Aaron thanks for the reply. I havent been using the red night light at night I usually like you said keep the cage in complete darkness, in fact I just turned his light off. what I was interested in was just using the UVB for its ultraviolet rays and for heat. I feel as though if I add another light fixture it might bother him like earlier today when i put the blue day light on. The red light during the day never seemed to bother him, I just want to do whats best for him and keep him as healthy as possible.

-Teo

 

[aaron9069]

I know the make bulbs specifically for heat and uvb all in one. I'm not sure what they are called but the guy at the reptile shop where i got my veiled used them for the chams there. I like the idea of seperate bulbs but everyone has their preferences.

 

[teoo OoT]

ahhh that might be the alternative I was looking for. I'm just concerned because as soon as I put the stronger bulb in he had his mouth open, just as simple when i went back to the red bulb he was much calmer. Mind you this is with the UVB on as well. lol Ive been to the pet store so many times they may be getting sick of me haha

 

[ridgebax1]

Pet stores notoriously sell you stuff you don't need. Most use separate lights for basking and UVB and prefer a linear bulb for the UVB. The red bulb for heat is ok but I use a regular household incandescent bulb for heat. Maybe it was something about it being a blue bulb that bothered your cham. I used to use the red bulb but did not like the look of it and changing to the regular light makes the cage brighter. It is a full spectrum day light bulb and the change did not seem to bother my cham. You can also use halogen light bulbs for heat. These are much cheaper than the other bulbs.

 

[teoo OoT]

from what I have read these animals have completely different personalities like people. The blue day light just wasn't working for him, i keep the room temps reasonably warm about 60 degrees and here in NY we are just getting into winter so maybe I'll use the red bulb if I'm having trouble keeping the temps up. thanks for the info ::thumbs up::

-Teo

 

[ridgebax1]

I hope you find something that works, fortunately my guys don't seem to mind the regular lightbulbs but truly when it comes to lighting I find that I am in the dark!

 

[teoo OoT]

yeah I know what you mean, lighting and temp/humidity. all I know is I popped that higher wattage blue day light on and he hated it lol I actually think it was too bright for his eyes but i'm really not sure.

 

[Decadancin]

Being in NY your temperature throughout the year can vary quite a bit. This is the exact reason to use two separate bulbs for basking and UVB. You may need to change from lets say a 40 watt bulb in the summer for basking to a 60 watt in winter to get the desired temp. Or, you can simply change how far the bulb is from the basking site to get the desired temp. Some even use dimmers on the bulb to dial in the perfect temp. I prefer tube type UVB bulbs also so more of the enclosure is exposed to the rays. It allows your chameleon to choose a spot that works for him!

 

[Decadancin]

As for the light being too bright for a young chameleon, that is very likely. You need lots of foliage so there is plenty of shady areas available. I have a link to the fixture I use, but there are many options for UVB lighting. http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/trblhot524qu.html

For basking I use a regular 60 watt incandescent bulb. (Clear Glass) I used to use the blue bulb for a while, but since I have the plant lights and UVB I didn't like the blue color so went with the clear.

 

[teoo OoT]

hey dancin thanks for the reply, I think the dimmer is a great idea. The lower wattage bulb definetly remedied the problem with him having his mouth open gasping for air when the 60 watt blue light was over him. Hes just rockin back and forth doing his thing now lol from nose to vent his about 4 inches so when I upgrade to the bigger exoterra i'll pick up the long uvb bulbs. Currently I have the 12x12x18.

-Teo