Quick Questions For The Veterans

[LickMyShoe]

on this link below she says u need a Reptisun 5.0 UV tube light. then she says u need can use a household bulb and you'll have to keep testing the temps. (25 to 40 watt or so) do i need both of these lightss for my panther cham or is she saying use one of these? im new lolol trying to gather information to get ready

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[jannb]

If your cham is not a baby you need both. You need the reptisun 5.0 for UVB a chameleon must have the UVB light and you need a houshold bulb for warmth. A chameleon other than babies need to bask and warm up to be able to digest their food. Normally with babies the reptisun will put off enought heat for them unless you are in a very cold climate.

 

[LickMyShoe]

ok so ur saying use the UV bulb at firstt when hes just a baby and when he grows to about 4-5 months put in the 40-50w bulb correct?

 

[LickMyShoe]

and r u sure the uv bulb will give out enough heat when hes just a little baby

 

[kinyonga]

They always need the UVB light. The incandescent light is used to create a basking area or if need be raise the temperature of the cage to the proper temperature for the age of the chameleon. Most people only use one basking light, but depending on your cage shape and size you might need a second one. The idea is to use the wattage necessary to get the basking spot to the desired temperature.

For baby veileds I use a double fluorescent fixture with one Repti-Sun 5.0 in it and one regular white fluorescent tube which makes the temperature in my baby cages in the low 80's. Once my chameleons are a few months old, I add an incandescent household bulb to increase the temperature to the mid 80's for males.

 

[LickMyShoe]

ok so i should use both lights

 

[jannb]

It depends on the size, sex and age of the cham you buy and where you live. An adult or sub-adult male panther would need both.

 

[LickMyShoe]

ok thanks budd

 

[LickMyShoe]

sorry for all the questions lol im trying to learn so i have everything perfectly setup.

for the UVB were do i place it on top o the cage ? or do i have it hanging or it really dosent matter

 

[bigcappa]

Most just set it across the top of the enclosure, just make sure it goes all the way across.

 

[LickMyShoe]

thanks mannn

 

[LickMyShoe]

do u think i can use the uvb light only at first when hes a little baby then add the 50w bulb when he gets older?

 

[Ekaj13]

Reptiles digest their food through absorbing heat. If your baby doesn't have enough heat he won't be able to digest his food properly. Also if it is too hot, he will die. You want a basking area that is the correct temp but you also want a gradient so he can cool off. It's more difficult with younger chameleons because most of us use smaller cages for babies so they can hunt their food easier.

 

[DavidBuchan]

do u think i can use the uvb light only at first when hes a little baby then add the 50w bulb when he gets older?

If it was me I'd use a smaller bulb at first (I used 25w spot for my 3 month old until recently). She's a veiled and needs a bit more basking heat, but if you have a decent gradient then its always better to have a little bask spot. If your viv is big enough you could put the bulb further away and just point it towards one corner.

 

[LickMyShoe]

ok thanks mannnn

 

[EvilLost]

@LickMyShoes: as I said in my other post you need to realize chameleons are not ratsnakes, geckos, bearded dragons, etc....they are becoming more mainstream but they are still EXOTIC animals. You need to keep a tight watch on them....

you should never ask "are you sure such and such will be warm enough?" or anything like this. you need to buy a humidity guage and temperature guage and test it out. We can tell you what temperature you want, we can't guess what temperature your actual environment is in....and plz plz plz plz do **NOT** buy those analog/dial/stickon thermometers. they do NOT work.


also in regards to the UVB, those UVB bulbs output UVB effectively to 12". So as a general rule, you want your UVB bulb within 12" of where the chameleon can get to (generally at the top of the enclosure) and also as a general rule you want it in the same place as the basking spot (so he can bask to digest food and get UVB at the same time)


you are pretty active about asking questions thats really good....check out the "Health Clinic" forum there is a "how to ask for help" form (it has all the general info you need for your chameleon and its setup). You can try making a post with that information and maybe a picture of your setup and we can tell you if you are doing anything wrong much quicker

 

[LickMyShoe]

lolol ok thanks allot man appreciate the help

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO, for "newbies" its important not to keep the hatchlings too warm since that encourages faster growth and means that there is more likelyhood of creating bone issues if the "newbies" also don't get the supplementing, UVB lighting and gutloading/feeding the insects properly.

EvilLost is right...the temperatures, etc. should not be guessed at and that the UVB needs to be close enough that the chameleon benefits from it. Its not possible for us to tell you what wattage the incandescent needs to be since it needs to be a size that will deliver the temperature you need in the area you need it for the age and species of chameleon you are keeping.

BTW...there should be no plastic or glass between the UVB light and the chameleon...and the lights should be outside the cage and positioned so that the chameleon can't be burned.

 

[LickMyShoe]

also don't get the supplementing, UVB lighting and gutloading/feeding the insects properly.
what do u mean by that

 

[kinyonga]

You posted the above question after you posted on your other thread about calcium...so did you not understand what I posted or did you just not bother reading it?

Here's the same information I posted in your other thread...hope it explains it well enough....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.