Lighting help

[katierongen]

This is not my first chameleon but recently I was told that I was killing my cham because I didn't have the rod UVB. I have the compact spiral in the double dome with my heat bulb. I just got the rod light today because it has been bothering me. I REALLY do not like the rod light. theres no room on the cage for everything to fit now, it isn't as bright in there, and the humidity has gone down now. She is 2 months old and the cage is 16x16x20. Any advice?

 

[JaxyGirl]

This is not my first chameleon but recently I was told that I was killing my cham because I didn't have the rod UVB. I have the compact spiral in the double dome with my heat bulb. I just got the rod light today because it has been bothering me. I REALLY do not like the rod light. theres no room on the cage for everything to fit now, it isn't as bright in there, and the humidity has gone down now. She is 2 months old and the cage is 16x16x20. Any advice?

I also use the double dome with a UVB compact and a 40 Watt bulb because it's hotter in the summer then I go to a 75 Watt in the winter. UVB compact bulbs have been improved and are now considered safe for chams. So thing like an Exoterra 100 UVB should be fine. (Don't use anything stronger) Make sure you position the bulb at least 6-10" away from your chams basking spot. Too close can irritate the eyes but too far away reduces effectiveness. this is what has worked for me. Because your cage is smaller I would go with th 13 Watt UVB 100 Exoterra. When you get your larger cage eventually you should change to a 26 Watt UVB 100.
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/8474-exo-terra-compact-fluorescent-13watt-uvb-100-bulb

 

[katierongen]

I also use the double dome with a UVB compact and a 40 Watt bulb because it's hotter in the summer then I go to a 75 Watt in the winter. UVB compact bulbs have been improved and are now considered safe for chams. So thing like an Exoterra 100 UVB should be fine. (Don't use anything stronger) Make sure you position the bulb at least 6-10" away from your chams basking spot. Too close can irritate the eyes but too far away reduces effectiveness. this is what has worked for me. Because your cage is smaller I would go with th 13 Watt UVB 100 Exoterra. When you get your larger cage eventually you should change to a 26 Watt UVB 100.
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/8474-exo-terra-compact-fluorescent-13watt-uvb-100-bulb

the problem they had with me using the compact was that it didn't reach the bottom of her cage

 

[MamatoElvis]

None of the UVB lights reach the bottom of the cage. Once they are 10 or 12 inches from the light it's pretty much nothing. I'm not quite sure about the Arcadia light they may penetrate a little deeper but no artificial light it still giving UVB several feet away.

 

[Venutus1]

the problem they had with me using the compact was that it didn't reach the bottom of her cage

Hi katierongen !

Ahhh...
the key is to have the correct UV levels at the animals primary basking area...

and then have sensible "back-ground" UV levels like the animals would experience naturally in the wild.

Chams spend most of the time in the top 1/3 of the cage-

so we must create a basking spot using a dome light w/ incandescent bulb AND linear UV flo. that is suitable.

(this is the usual arrangement)

Hope this helps.

Thank you!
Todd
www.lightyourreptiles.com

 

[Wowbango]

the problem they had with me using the compact was that it didn't reach the bottom of her cage

This is normal, it SHOULD NOT reach the bottom of the cage. Just like their temperature, they need levels of UVB exposure. Sometimes they want to get out of it and will go down in their cage in the shady area to relieve exposure. There's nothing wrong with using either type. In a cage of that size, a CFL bulb should be fine. Once you move into a larger cage, a linear light would be best.

 

[nick barta]

I also use the double dome with a UVB compact and a 40 Watt bulb because it's hotter in the summer then I go to a 75 Watt in the winter. UVB compact bulbs have been improved and are now considered safe for chams. So thing like an Exoterra 100 UVB should be fine. (Don't use anything stronger) Make sure you position the bulb at least 6-10" away from your chams basking spot. Too close can irritate the eyes but too far away reduces effectiveness. this is what has worked for me. Because your cage is smaller I would go with th 13 Watt UVB 100 Exoterra. When you get your larger cage eventually you should change to a 26 Watt UVB 100.
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/8474-exo-terra-compact-fluorescent-13watt-uvb-100-bulb

I would not advise that all compact bulbs are safe for chams…probably not true.

No offense intended JaxyGirl.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[Venutus1]

I would not advise that all compact bulbs are safe for chams…probably not true.

No offense intended JaxyGirl.

CHEERS!

Nick

There are some off brand CFL ones I have seen on e-bay recently that are finding their way into the US that I personally would not be sure about since I don't think they have been independently tested ....

so it would be fair to say-

Unless you are using a well known brand of CFL with a proven good track record for the past few years...

It would pay to be cautious.

There can also be mongrel brand knock off China *LINEAR* bulbs that also could fry eyeballs with non-terrestrial UVB and C rays lower than
395 nm wavelengths.

The problem that causes the whole eye thing can happen with ANY flo. bulb that was made on the cheap and not quality tested... NOT JUST CFL.

I think it is important to know / be aware of.


Hey... you gotta know...
UV incorrectly used & understood & applied can be DANGEROUS.

I know people do focus on the Chinese made CFLs because that is where the issue first presented itself 6 - 7 years ago.

It can be caused by:
1.
poor phosphor coating inside the glass.. that resulted in "thin" areas that allowed UVC rays to "leak" out unfiltered...

OR

2.
poor glass envelope composition that does not filter out the non terrestrial UVB and C rays.

OR
possible a combo of both.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't always necessarily want to be mr know it all ...
much...
LOL... ha ah

but because I CARE
I want to share as much info as I can so everybody can advance in knowledge together for the good of the whole cham reptile hobby.


it is lighting,
as we are finding out more and more,
makes a HUGE difference in the health of the animals and their naturalistic planted homes.

Thank you all ...
Todd