lighting

NateD13

New Member
ok so I'm new to owning a Cham. here is what I need to know. I have a Zoo-med deep dome. in one side I have a 100w mercury vapor bulb and in the other I have a white ceramic heater. what I was told was this...
I use the vapor bulb during the day and it acts as the UV source and heating source. at night I run the ceramic heater. this will keep the temp regulated and allow the little guy the darkness he needs to sleep at night. thanks for the assist.
 
Hi there and welcome. This resource page will help you quite a bit. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/lighting/ I got my lighting set up from Todd at www.lightyourreptiles.com. He has excellent products and is really helpful. To my knowledge mercury bulbs should only be used in very large enclosures.
How cold does your house get and what type of Chameleon do you have? You may not need a heat source at night. Here is another good link just click on the one for your Cham https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/
 
Hey thanks. I have a Veiled that is under a year old. And my cage is the zoo-med screen cage that is 24x24x48. It gets down to about 68-70 in my house at night
 
@NateD13 ok so Veileds can handle a temp drop down to 50 degrees F. Is yours a male or a female? Because that will also shift care needs. So you could do away with the ceramic heat bulb. Get a regular basking bulb and do a T5 UVB fixture as they are better for disbursing UVB. I would get in touch with Todd he is really great and his products are amazing. I think it would help you to fill this out so everyone can get a better idea of your set up to help you.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
No need for night time heat with those temps. Can you post a pic of the cage itself? Your plant choices may affect lighting needs beyond getting the t5ho uvb.
 
I can post when I get home. I'm at work. So I shouldnt even use either of those bulbs? The vapor bulb I speak of is the Aiicioo UVA UVBA mercury vapor bulb 100w sun simulating bulb high intensity UVA UVB light heat bulb for reptile use.
 
I can post when I get home. I'm at work. So I shouldnt even use either of those bulbs? The vapor bulb I speak of is the Aiicioo UVA UVBA mercury vapor bulb 100w sun simulating bulb high intensity UVA UVB light heat bulb for reptile use.

Some do use mv bulbs but most of them are unreliable. T5ho gives more of a spread across the cage and depending on brand, reptisun / arcadia is typically reliable six to twelve months respectively. What plants do you have in the cage?
 
I also admit to MV being unreliable. I have fond memories of trying to shake my $150 self starting/ballast bulb back to life that was only 18 months old.
 
I also admit to MV being unreliable. I have fond memories of trying to shake my $150 self starting/ballast bulb back to life that was only 18 months old.

Haha I still kick myself for buying the powersuns years ago :(. Worst lighting purchase I've ever had.
 
Ok so here is my set up. I still have one more thick vine, another branch, a 4" magnetic plant stand and a magnetic ledge for basking going in. Also I included pictures of the light boxes.
 

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Idk. Maybe I'm over doing it? The rubber plant has to be repotted, to lose some weight. And the pothos I think needs to be "strung" up. Please any suggestions are very welcome. I want this to be a successful venture for this lo il guy
 
Hey dshuld did you see the pics I sent below?

Sorry, sometimes I don't get the notification email. You can never have to much foliage lol. You'll want to add horizontal pathways and foliage towards the top too. What I've found easiest for me when making new cages up is building a "stick tower". Something like the attached but not as many sticks lol.
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I do all of mine to 8 inches below the top of the cage on the larger cages and 2" in from the screen. So on this one I'd do 4 x 40" and then 12 x 20" long for three layers of side pieces. Top row of side pieces hot glued or ziptied at the very top. Then come down 10 to 12 inches for the next layer of sides and then down another 10 to 12 for the third. For the center area of the layers let your "creative juices" flow haha.

I cut my center area sticks/ rope and get the general layout I want but wait to secure those on. Once I'm happy with the pathway layout I pull each layer off and keep them seperated from the others and in order of how I took them off so I can follow the order putting them back in. Put the tower from into the cage, get the plants in how I want them, then weave the center pathways through the plants and secure them. Here is a pic of when I was doing Lola's pathways and once it was all in the cage for example.

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Ok so here is my set up. I still have one more thick vine, another branch, a 4" magnetic plant stand and a magnetic ledge for basking going in. Also I included pictures of the light boxes.

Be careful with the fake vine and the rubber plant with a veiled. They can be/ are plant nibblers. Check out the last post in this thread https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/rubber-plants-safe.40609/ . One easy plant that would get you foliage to top quick is a mass cane, usually ~$20 in my area with pothos area the base in the pot. Hibiscus seems to always be a favorite of veiled too. Each time a new bud opens Lola devours it lol. Hibiscus brings a lighting challenge but it can be over come in two ways.

Two plants rotated every week or two, one in the cage and one outside in direct sunlight or, what has become my favorite light source since finding them, led pool bulbs. With hibiscus you would need a 6500k and 3500k to get them to flower a lot but the 6500k will still produce some flowers at a slightly slower rate. The rubber plant if you decided to keep it does also need bright light too in which I would also say, try the pool bulb lol.
 
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