What bulb do i use?

[pantherchamlove36]

What heat bulb do all of you use for a female panther chameleon

 

[NickTide]

I used mostly 75 watt incandescent if you can find them. 72 watt halogen (100 watt equivalent) work well too. I recently read that halogen bulbs have a benefit for reptiles over incandescent. I was able to get halogen at Target about a year ago. Incandescent are almost impossible to find other than at pet shops for $12 each instead of $.50 that they should cost. I stocked up at a yard sale.

I forget why but do not use red. Think it has to do with their eyes.

And 75 watt is just a jumping off point. You may need a different wattage. For babies I think the used 40 watts which in think you can still get at the dollar tree. They are the fancy, decorative kind but Chan's don't mind.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

In order of preference:

1. Household incandescent bulb (not LED)
2. Incandescent flood light (not LED and not spot light)
3. Halogen flood light (not spot light)

A clamp light fixture works well for basking lights.

Basking lamps are best installed/mounted at an angle to produce a temperature gradient rather than a hot-spot.

I recently read that halogen bulbs have a benefit for reptiles over incandescent.

I would be very interested in reading that. Missus & I have just delved into this and found a study supported by Dr. Baines that says incandescents & halogens are about the same.

 

[NickTide]

It may have been that spectrum was closer to the sun's. I was trying to find what I read and all I found was halogen has less yellow and more white and in a different read I saw that pet shop heat lamps are color corrected to remove the yellow for some reason. Either way, it incandescent is nearly impossible to find. Halogen will be next to disappear. Stock up.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

IDK if either will ever disappear completely, though I empathize with the difficulties & frustrations finding them. What I loathe are the incandescent spot lights sold by the big reptile supplies as "basking bulbs". Those suckers can generate hot spots that can burn, and are extremely difficult to aim to produce a gradient.

A possibility I've been thinking about, but haven't proven by experimentation, is to use a primary plant light to attract a reptile to basking under it, and using a CHE aimed on that spot to provide the heat.