owowsedthecow
New Member
i was wondering if a screwi n uvb reptisun 5.0 will be enough for a chameleon
lighting
- Thread starter owowsedthecow
- Start date
owowsedthecow
New Member
yeah im getting my first chameleon soon and still learning. i already purchased the fixture and bulb and didnt think about it until now that i maybe should have got the tube light instead. im glad to hear that itll be enough though thanks i needed that reassurance!!
can you please give more info on the compact vs linear tube? I've heard that the compact is potentially bad for the cham. but if it's the "new" style, it's ok. what is this "new style"? mine looks like a spiral bulb like the new long lasting low energy bulbs, its kinda vented at top, and says fluker's 5.0 uvb 20 watt.
Cainschams
New Member
The animal will also need a basking bulb. Most of us use a regular house hold bulb at this. Play with the wattage and distance to get desired temp for specific species.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
There was a problem a ways back with some of the compact bulbs causing eye issues and even blindness for reptiles exposed to them. Supposedly the problem was rectified,as always the danger lurking of getting old stock and purchasing one of these bulbs. You should probably be fine with it. It is just none of us who use the reptisun tube have ever had any problems. There have been some members here and there who have had some eye issues with the compacts, now whether they were these certain bulbs mentioned before who knows. If you use the compact and your cham starts closing its eyes or you see some type of eye irritation then I would switch out the bulb to the tube.
djfishygillz
Avid Member
Those old spiral bulbs put an end to my beardies nearly. Each one of my dragons had their eyes closed all day and stopped eating. I heard it was equivalent to snow blindness. I hope that they are fixed. I use solar glow mercury vapor 125 watt bulb. Its a great all in one bulb and my cham is thriving great off it. And only 20 bucks on Amazon.com
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
so you are a testimonial to the compact bulb nightmare then. How long have you had your chameleon exposed to that vapor bulb you are talking about? I have heard very little about the bulb you have. Sometimes you have to be careful because what appears to be doing no harm can show up over a period of time.
djfishygillz
Avid Member
The non compact solar glow bulb works great for me. It is heat, uva and uvb, and the greatest part is the UVA and UVB PENETRATE FOR SIX FEET. Normal tube bulbs only go about one foot. This bulbs works fantastic as my chameleons free range and need their uva and uvb for distances much further than one foot.
The spiral/compact bulbs caused all three of my dragons to have closed eyes, and stopped them from eating. I do not mean to bad mouth whoever created these bulbs, this is just my experience from them. Like I said I hope the problem is/will be fixed.
Until then I swear by the solar glow. As long as you keep the distance far enough away from your chams to avoid any burns, these bulbs are great.
I hope I explained enough that I am comparing two different bulbs.
The spiral/compact bulbs caused all three of my dragons to have closed eyes, and stopped them from eating. I do not mean to bad mouth whoever created these bulbs, this is just my experience from them. Like I said I hope the problem is/will be fixed.
Until then I swear by the solar glow. As long as you keep the distance far enough away from your chams to avoid any burns, these bulbs are great.
I hope I explained enough that I am comparing two different bulbs.
Attachments
http://www.petguys.com/-097612340050.html?productid=-097612340050&channelid=FROOG
http://www.dnjreptilestore.com/230012.html
Ok, i'm understanding everything now. the first is the repti sun 5.0 compact bulb,
I actually made a mistake when i bought mine. I bought a flukers "repta sun" blub. I can't find the exact bulb and packaging online, but it mostly looks like this. it says 5.0 uvb and 20 watts. It's not very bright in that i can stare directly at it. i've had my cham in his current enclosure with it for over 6 weeks and he's always alert with his eyes open during the day, and he definatly sees me when i come around. and he eats and drinks like normal. Is it worth me changing bulbs right away? I'm going to an xl reptibreeze in a couple months, and was planning on getting him a tube style repti sun then.
http://www.dnjreptilestore.com/230012.html
Ok, i'm understanding everything now. the first is the repti sun 5.0 compact bulb,
I actually made a mistake when i bought mine. I bought a flukers "repta sun" blub. I can't find the exact bulb and packaging online, but it mostly looks like this. it says 5.0 uvb and 20 watts. It's not very bright in that i can stare directly at it. i've had my cham in his current enclosure with it for over 6 weeks and he's always alert with his eyes open during the day, and he definatly sees me when i come around. and he eats and drinks like normal. Is it worth me changing bulbs right away? I'm going to an xl reptibreeze in a couple months, and was planning on getting him a tube style repti sun then.
C
ChameleonsInMyHouse
Guest
carol has filled you in with everything, she has spoken the recent pros of development, and have mention the cons of issues in the past. IMHO they are fine to use in small enclosures. like carol said, many to all of us use and prefer the linear tubes, you certainly cannot use a CFL in 36-48'' tall cage.
also, even though many of the retinal issues have been fixed and redesigned, they are still much brighter than fluorescent lights, I would still suggest monitoring the vision and eyes of your Chameleon regularly, signs of squinting and closed eyes are signs you need to shut the light off and switch immediately!
our moms always used to say carrots were good for our eyes, perhaps good beta carotene in gut loading has good effects in reptile eyes too!
also, even though many of the retinal issues have been fixed and redesigned, they are still much brighter than fluorescent lights, I would still suggest monitoring the vision and eyes of your Chameleon regularly, signs of squinting and closed eyes are signs you need to shut the light off and switch immediately!
our moms always used to say carrots were good for our eyes, perhaps good beta carotene in gut loading has good effects in reptile eyes too!
djfishygillz
Avid Member
I am not one to tell anyone to go buy something. But if he is healthy, then I am sure its working fine. Does it provide uva rays also?
djfishygillz
Avid Member
I think about 6 months to a year. If you get them though, do not spray them, do not move them. They need to be in a stationary position at least a foot from the chameleons reach. You do not want a cham grabbing onto the outside of one of these bulbs, they get really hot. But yes, they are an all in one. IMHO I think they save on energy cost a bit, because instead of two bulbs or more, I have just one. Also it is less clutter, which makes my room look nicer I think. Also like I said earlier, movement is their worst friend. These bulbs are about 20-30 on amazon.com So if you are like me you don't want one popping from getting wet and possibly harming your cham or wallet. And they shouldn't be in a place where they will be moved, pretty much ever. These bulbs can be suspended from a ceiling hook where they will never move.
These bulbs work great. They just need careful planning and caution.
These bulbs work great. They just need careful planning and caution.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
how would your chameleon be able to grab the bulb? You don't have it on the inside of your cage do you? edit: ok it is on a free range, sorry.
djfishygillz
Avid Member
https://www.chameleonforums.com/working-52910/
It won't let me post the picture again. But yes my cage is free range so if you go to the bottom of the link I post above then you can take a peek at what it looks like and why I stated to have some space between the bulb and cham.
It won't let me post the picture again. But yes my cage is free range so if you go to the bottom of the link I post above then you can take a peek at what it looks like and why I stated to have some space between the bulb and cham.
