Just purchased a thermometer, and discovered that it is to cold.

M

mattlopez328

New Member
Today i purchased a thermometer, and I figured out its only 76.9 degrees in her cage, I use a 26W reptiGlo 10.0 UVB and a Zoomed Basking spot lamp. I believe the lack of heat is what is causing her to close her eyes during the day. Any suggestions on how to heat up her cage. Thanks
 
Change the basking bulb to a 40 or 60, play around with the bulbs till you get the desired temp
 
mattlopez328 said:
Today i purchased a thermometer, and I figured out its only 76.9 degrees in her cage, I use a 26W reptiGlo 10.0 UVB and a Zoomed Basking spot lamp. I believe the lack of heat is what is causing her to close her eyes during the day. Any suggestions on how to heat up her cage. Thanks
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i wouldnt be using the spiral bulbs, they can cause blindness(they recalled thousands of them, supposedly they fixed the problem, i dont trust them) you should get also a lower rating on uvb..10.0 is for desert animals, chameleons only need 5.0! i would just get a tube style 5.0 uvb flourescent(the long straight bulbs) and a clamp lamp from home depot with a 60 watt soft white g&e bulb..
 
no higher watt..thats a compact flourescent..get a standard bulb for heat like a house bulb 60 watt..thats just for light and heat..then get a strip light with a 5.0 uvb tube style flourescent bulb, emits uvb and a lil bit of light..temps are fine at 75 ambient, as for the small heat spot for basking it should be about 85 (supposedly 88 degrees is perfection to them for basking)
 
sorry for asking again but before I leave, I can go purchase a 60w-70w household bulb and replace it with my basking light? Thats funny how these reptile people charge you 10$ for a bulb if it does the same as a normal bulb.
 
mattlopez328 said:
sorry for asking again but before I leave, I can go purchase a 60w-70w household bulb and replace it with my basking light? Thats funny how these reptile people charge you 10$ for a bulb if it does the same as a normal bulb.
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yes..i actually use the g&e 60 watt "reveal" bulbs, they are like a cheap "full spectrum" incandesant bulb..and yep, it screws right in..but you will also need the strip light "zoo-med 5.0 linear tube bulb" light and fixture.
 
mattlopez328 said:
can you explain the difference between my light and the strip light just ccurious and thank you.
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the light you are using is a compact flourescent (these are known not to be good for chams)

the light has a rating of 10.0 uvb, (thats specifically high for desert species of lizards like bearded dragons)

also the specific one you are using (in the past they had a "bad batch" of them that caused blindness in reptiles, and i have read the horror stories, they supposedly re-called all the bad ones, but i still wont trust them)

that light obvioulsy is hard to get a good ambient temp and an ideal basking zone.

having a separate uvb and basking light makes it easier for the user (you) to re-create a "perfect" living area for your cham (like for instance lift the light further off the cage to lower temps or make it closer to raise temps while at the same time the uvb is at its closest range)
 
yea i caught heron the top right next to the bulb (now i know because it was to cold) but i moved the light because i didnt want he to get thermal burns
 
mattlopez328 said:
yea i caught heron the top right next to the bulb (now i know because it was to cold) but i moved the light because i didnt want he to get thermal burns
Click to expand...

yes..and those lil things like that are what make those bulbs difficult to use...i am a free ranger and have not used the standard set ups for years now, but when i house hatchlings they are in set ups with the seperate lights to more easily control temps and lighting..

p.s. i also use the powersun bulbs, but i would only reccomend those for free range (large free ranges!) they are way too hard to keep heat down and uvb up ..
 
You will need a UVB light or you will need to take it out into the sunlight daily. The most often recommended UVB light is the long fluorescent tube Repti-Sun 5.0. Some of the compacts, spirals and even some of the other tube lights can cause health issues. The UVB light should not pass though glass or plastic.

If the temperature in the basking area is not in the mid 80'sF then you will need a regular incandescent household bulb in a hood to make a basking area. IMHO its best to place this bulb to one side over the lid of the cage to give a gradient in temps. in the cage but make sure it can't burn the chameleon. The wattage of the bulb you will need is whatever provides the right temperature range in the basking area. Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light as I said. So far there have been no bad reports against this light.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it. At that size you only need to feed it every two or three days. Feed it enough that it doesn't get fat (and, of course, doesn't get thin either).

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium). Not sure how to tell you to dust WC insects if that is what you will be doing.

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
after all of the changes you guys told me, day 1 that she hasnt sleept while the lights are on:D. (good saying ive had her for 5 days lol)
 
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