How to?? Lighting in Colossal Corner Lizard Cage

idocdlw

New Member
So...I am getting this cage for my female veiled. How have those who have this cage set up their lighting?
 
I have already ordered. I am looking at replacing the metal top with an alternative to make mounting UVB/heat lamps outside. I know a lot of peeps have this cage...just looking for their experience in modifying to make it work well for a cham.
 
well it is nice and large. Your feeders may get out but that is not a big deal. I say if your already prepared to modify it then your good. Due to the height I would go with a quad fixture with a 12% arcadia bulb if it is a single reflector for the fixture. If your filling with plants you may want to add in additional lighting since it is so tall. If you send a picture to Todd at Lightyourreptiles.com and give him the link and the info on plants that you will include he could give you the lighting options with what he sells.
I will tag some others in as well to give you additional feedback.
Thoughts on lighting this cage.
@jamest0o0 @Brodybreaux25 @nightanole
 
Thank you very much for the references. I have kitties that will take care of any errant crickets. :) I currently have my girl in a 24x24x48 but want more options for foliage & a bigger nesting box.
 
Thank you very much for the references. I have kitties that will take care of any errant crickets. :) I currently have my girl in a 24x24x48 but want more options for foliage & a bigger nesting box.
Yeah no it is an awesome huge space for your girl. I tagged in some others as well. I don't myself use any of the spot light options for plants since I do not need anything more then a plant pro bulb in my quad for the pothos. But I know a lot of the keepers here use Jungle dawn lights. I just don't happen to know much about these.

Now with her UVB if you do a quad with a single reflector you will need a 10.0 or 12% bulbs and then you will want basking to be 7-8 inches below for the proper UVI level. If you do a single UVB T5HO fixture then you want the 5.0 or 6% with basking at 7-8 inches below. :)
 
Your best bet would probly be to drill though the top and mount the lights on brackets inside the cage, maybe try to drill a large enough hole to run the cables through as well. Id then consider placing metal cages over yours lights so your chameleon wont be climing directly on the lights. Thats a pretty sweet looking cage curious to see how it will look once completed.
 
Good suggestions! Still waiting to hear from cham parents who have the same cage.
Honestly I have been on the forum for 8 months and this is the first time I have seen this cage used. But we have a lot of members that are great with info and lighting etc. Between everyone you should get some great feedback.
 
I am new to this forum but have been lurking for a couple of months. Most of the threads that feature this cage date back to 2015. Not sure if that is because the cage is not a good option or because it is expensive.

At any rate, I do appreciate any and all advice/feedback as I want to give my girl the best home ever.
 
I am new to this forum but have been lurking for a couple of months. Most of the threads that feature this cage date back to 2015. Not sure if that is because the cage is not a good option or because it is expensive.

At any rate, I do appreciate any and all advice/feedback as I want to give my girl the best home ever.
Yeah I do not know. I have Dragon Strand clearside enclosures for mine.
 
I love the Dragon Strand products. I have one full screen and a couple of the breeder but have not tried the clearside.
 
I love the Dragon Strand products. I have one full screen and a couple of the breeder but have not tried the clearside.
Yeah I really love the clearside. My Veiled loved to screen climb and now thankfully he rarely does it lol. Well I look forward to seeing what you come up with for your finished set up :)
 
Yeah I like with the breeder that I dont have to worry about my walls. I'm sure the same could be said about the clearside but is there adequate ventilation?? I always worry about that.
 
Your best bet would probly be to drill though the top and mount the lights on brackets inside the cage, maybe try to drill a large enough hole to run the cables through as well. Id then consider placing metal cages over yours lights so your chameleon wont be climing directly on the lights. Thats a pretty sweet looking cage curious to see how it will look once completed.


By putting the hood in the cage, the cham may also end up using it as the worlds biggest heat rock, at least thats what all mine do. The hoods dont get very warm, maybe 95f.

Its an odd sized cage, since its about 50"" wide and some where around 36" deep.

So i would go with my new favorite hood:
https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Agrobrite-FLT24-Fluorescent-System/dp/B005H1C7NA

46.2 x 12.8 x 2.8 inches


Now here is where it gets tricky. Personally, since you are already giving your wallet a workout, i would by a UVI meter.

If you are buying a meter, i would then by 2 12%/10.0 bulbs, from either arcadia or reptisun. Place these on the 2 outside spots on the hood, and place 2 6500k grow lights on the 2 inside spots.

Then using a meter, "tune" the basking stick(s) so that is ends up being around UVI 3.0 at its highest, and then tapers away. You can then use the rest of the top of the cage (there is plenty of room) to install 2 halogen wide floods for more light and basking spots.


I say this as you MUST have a meter. Without a meter the above setup would result in UV levels 4x-6x higher than Beman at 7" away, and Beman is tuned to the proper UVI 3.0. WIth the individual reflectors of the hood, it will be putting out 2x the light of "quad" that just has 1 big reflector. And with 2 UVB bulbs, well you just doubled the output yet again.


Worst case the 12%/10.0 is waaaaay to high of UVB, and you have to wrap them in a layer or 2 of aluminum screen to drop them down to 6%/5.0 levels.
 
Yeah I like with the breeder that I dont have to worry about my walls. I'm sure the same could be said about the clearside but is there adequate ventilation?? I always worry about that.
I have no issue at all with ventilation. One side panel and the top is screen. So you still get the airflow. Just like how the breeder has the front and top.
At least with the big one your getting you should be able to wrap the back with a shower curtain to keep the mist in and off your walls.
 
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