Mercury Xenon light??

karebear41486

Established Member
Hey everyone! Just a few quick questions. I work at a PetSmart and about a year and a half ago, we had a panther chameleon (wild caught male, full grown, lots of problems-go figure) that we adopted out to a family that came into the store a lot. He had a LOT of problems...mainly eye problems and also a problem with his jaw...possibly parasites too. Im sure the fact that he was a wild caught specimen was to blame for some of his issues, but the way PetSmart keeps their reptiles is NO DOUBT the source of the others. (But that's a completely different issue that I won't get into now...:)) Anyways, long story short, he passed away a week or so ago, and his owner came to me to see if i wanted to buy the cage he had built for him, since he knew that i recently got a panther chameleon myself. SO, i went to see it today, and it's REALLY nice! It's well over 5 feet tall, because it's taller than I am...its probably 18-24 inches deep and 4 feet long. He said he would sell it to me for 50 bucks, lights and all. It's really a good deal, but i was just wondering about the lighting that it comes with. He has a basking bulb, a fluorescent bulb and something called a Mercury Xenon bulb. I'm assuming that this is similar to one of those zoomed powersun bulbs that produce heat and UVB, but was just wondering if anyone is familiar with them? I'm really excited about getting this new cage....I was going to build one with my dad, but this cage is really really sweet...and I'm sure we couldn't build it for less than 50 bucks! I'll post pictures when I get it tomorrow...any comments or information on the mercury xenon light would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
 
From what I've read you are going to get a mixed reaction to the Mercury bulbs. Some people will say they have been using them for years, never had a problem and love them. Then others will say they don't like them because you already have a basking spot for the cham, the light is there for the UVB and UVA, why do you need a 2nd basking spot as well?

I have no personal experience with them one way or another. It may be ok for a cage that size to esentually have two basking spots, which is what you will have but I personally won't use them because I want to have a wider range of temperature throughout my cage (that is 4' tall, 2.5' wide and 2'deep).

How long has he had the bulb? I also understand that all bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months or so anyway because they loose their effectiveness. I personally don't mind spending the 20-25 on a new bulb twice a year to ensure my cham has everything he needs.
 
Not sure how long he's had the bulb...I might just keep it around incase. I'll have to see how the cage temps work out with the lights and stuff that I already have. Maybe I could use it as a second basking spot. Thanks for the reply!
 
Howdy,

I did a quick Google search for "Mercury Xenon" and Reptile and found very little linkage. That type of light is used in industrial processes. Mercury Vapor is the common mercury lamp whose merits are often discussed as they relate to reptiles.
 
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