Inactive chameleon??

[Tera_R]

I recently got a male veiled chameleon (about a week and half ago) from someone I know he wasn’t properly taking care of him at all so I did the best I could to set up something proper for him and he seemed to be doing better for a while but now he is back to sitting in the same spot with his eyes closed he ate a couple of days ago (horn worm) but I don’t know what’s wrong

 

[Beman]

Hi there... Little man does not have the correct UVB lighting. You need a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 bulb and then you want the distance from the bottom of the fixture to the branch below it to be 8-9 inches with the fixture sitting above the screen.

Without the correct UVB they essentially shut down. MBD starts to develop and they end up with many complications.

This is a good site to read about correct husbandry. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

If you would like to do a husbandry review just let us know.

 

[Tera_R]

This is what I currently have. is it not the same? if not then what is the difference?

 

[CalamityCrow]

This is what I currently have. is it not the same? if not then what is the difference?

Those lights don't put out enough UVB beyond a couple inches from its source for your cham to get what he needs. With that light, your cham would have to stand in a very specific spot very close to the bulb to get the proper UVB levels. He won't know to do that, and thus can't get the proper amount of UVB throughout the day.

The compact bulbs have been known to cause eye issues as well as potential burns and other problems too, because of how intense the light is due to them being compact.

The linear lights put UVB out in a wide range, across the cage, at the proper UVB volume for the cham to get what he needs... It very much mimics the sun, instead of a small spotlight. The ones suggested above are specifically recommended for chams for that reason. It's, unfortunately, a very common misconception about the UVB bulbs, especially since they come in "chameleon kits," which are generally woefully insufficient for housing a cham.

Hopefully that makes sense?

 

[kinyonga]

You might like to look at these...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/lightingsurveyintro.htm

 

[Tera_R]

So my cage is 16in by 30in Would this be good to get or should I look at a different one?

 

[Tera_R]

This is another one that I found

 

[Tera_R]

And here is the last one that I was looking at

 

[CalamityCrow]

For a permanent home for your guy, you'll want a 2'x2'x4' cage.. I'd suggest filling out a husbandry form so that folks can give you some solid husbandry advice overall. That being the case, you want the Arcadia T5 6% light. I think that's the second one you posted.

Minimum get the 24" light. I think some people go to the 36" one so they can set it diagonal across their cage top.

 

[CalamityCrow]

https://www.reptilebasics.com/t5-light-fixtures/arcadia-prot5-uvb-kit-36-with-bulb/

I got my lighting from Reptilebasics. I think it'll end up being cheaper than your amazon link for a longer light fixture.