lighting? i know the basics, now i need details.

[amanda509]

im looking into getting a jackson's chameleon and id like to perfect the ligthing before i get the animal so it can thrive. i know they need a basking light, and a uvb light, and ive looked on all the sights and got a wide range of what im looking for. can an experienced owner please go to petco's site and send me the links for the proper uvb light they use, or something similar, and a basking light. and also, my cages are made of aluminum screen, can i sit the basking light right on that? im afraid my cham will climb to the top and burn itself..how do i avoid it?

 

[camimom]

im looking into getting a jackson's chameleon and id like to perfect the ligthing before i get the animal so it can thrive. i know they need a basking light, and a uvb light, and ive looked on all the sights and got a wide range of what im looking for. can an experienced owner please go to petco's site and send me the links for the proper uvb light they use, or something similar, and a basking light. and also, my cages are made of aluminum screen, can i sit the basking light right on that? im afraid my cham will climb to the top and burn itself..how do i avoid it?

reptioglo or reptisun 5.0 bulb.
a regular house bulb 50-60 watt for basking. (dont buy 'basking' bulb from petco, not worth it).

and set up lights about 6 inches min above the cage.

this is my set up for when my veield was little.
check out post 6. (my second batch of pictures, with the cage on a shelving rack)

https://www.chameleonforums.com/kinks-home-57236/

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Welcome to the forums! You don't need a fancy petco light for the basking bulb. You can use a regular incandescent housebulb you can get at the grocery store. Don't use the coiled energy saving bulbs because they don't generate as much heat (that's why they're energy savers). Depending on the temperature in your house and the type and age of the chameleon you may need diffent wattages to achieve optimal temps. I would start with a 40watt incanscent household bulb for basking for a jacksons. If that's not enough go up to a 60w.

For UVB you want a 5.0 bulb as it has the appropriate UVB concentration for tree dwelling basking reptiles like chams. It doesn't matter which one you get. The CFL (coil) reptisun bulbs used to have some manufacturing problems, but that issue has been fixed. To be safe, stick with either a linear reptisun or reptiglo 5.0 or a reptiglo 5.0 CFL. Regardless of which bulb you get it will need to be changed every 6 months because they slowly stop emitting UVB rays over time and usually lose it altogether by 6 months even though the bulb will still shine. You won't be able to tell the difference, but it makes a huge difference to your reptile's health.

Keep them a few inches off the screen to prevent burns. Put the thermometer at the level of the basking branch as close as possible to where your reptile would be sitting.

 

[amanda509]

is there a difference to the 5.0 and 10.0 uvb bulbs?

 

[camimom]

is there a difference to the 5.0 and 10.0?

the strength.
10.0 can hurt a baby chams eyes, like if we look into the sun.
if you van only find a 10.0 double the space betwen the highest basking branch and the bulb.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

The number correlates to the concentration of UVB. The 10.0 is for desert animals that would always be in high level sunlight. Chameleons live in dappled sunlight. If you want to use a 10.0 you will need to keep it around 8-10" above the cage to get the same effect as the 5.0.

 

[amanda509]

im pretty sure petco has both, i was a little confused with "full spectrum" thinking the 10.0 may have been better..but thanks i was also reading they like to be right up to the uvb light and it wont burn them...is there a space requirement for them? for the 5.0 which is what ill get...

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

My 5.0 rests just off the screen. They generate almost no heat so that won't be a burn risk.

 

[amanda509]

thanks! you guys are soo helpful ^.^ answered all my questions in 30 minutes while ive been looking for the answers online for 2 days haha.