Am I Harming My Chameleon? Please Help!

[IHaveAJackson]

I have a jackson chameleon and I have just a regular 5.0 uva/uvb coil bulb. I placed a thermometer under the bulb and it read 87 degrees so it is definatly enough heat but I wanted to know if it was healthy for the chameleon if I only use the uvb bulb and not a basking light???

 

[Courtney]

Fill out the How to Ask For help forum topic.....yes you are

 

[Lizardlover]

First off you cant use coil bulbs, they are known to cause blindness. SO what you need to do is buy a linear 5.0 uvb bulb and then a 25 watt housebulb to provide a weak basking point. 87 degrees is way too hot for a jacksonii.

 

[gngorman]

First off you cant use coil bulbs, they are known to cause blindness. SO what you need to do is buy a linear 5.0 uvb bulb and then a 25 watt housebulb to provide a weak basking point. 87 degrees is way too hot for a jacksonii.

Please the coil bulb is such a controversy. So many arguments. If you got the newer model reptisun 5.0 coil. It is harmless. But the linear model is recomended...jmo...coil bulbs give alot of UVB, so if you dont switch just raise the light from the cage more to lower the basking temp. I think the coil can double as a basking light again jmo...not starting any arguments i am tired of reading them all. lol.....

 

[Lizardlover]

Please the coil bulb is such a controversy. So many arguments. If you got the newer model reptisun 5.0 coil. It is harmless. But the linear model is recomended...jmo...coil bulbs give alot of UVB, so if you dont switch just raise the light from the cage more to lower the basking temp. I think the coil can double as a basking light again jmo...not starting any arguments i am tired of reading them all. lol.....

Yes, they are safe, and many people have had success using them, however, why risk your chameleons health? JMO He will need to change the light anyways because he stated it gives off uva/uvb, so it gives off heat and uvb. If it is truly 87 degrees that is way too hot for a Jacksonii so he will need to get a new lighting system anyways being that his uvb bulb gives off heat.

 

[gngorman]

Yes, they are safe, and many people have had success using them, however, why risk your chameleons health? JMO He will need to change the light anyways because he stated it gives off uva/uvb, so it gives off heat and uvb. If it is truly 87 degrees that is way too hot for a Jacksonii so he will need to get a new lighting system anyways being that his uvb bulb gives off heat.

I agree completley with you... Just putting in my 2 cents.lol

 

[mr and mrs]

i just got a 10 uvb coil from a friend and it blinded me lol i was wondering today at work if any one knows if there is a calculation for distance and uv rays ? im looking to build a 6ft (72") tall enclosure and was wondering will the cham still get the same effect of uv from being farther away from the lighting ? or doesn't it matter ?

 

[Lizardlover]

i just got a 10 uvb coil from a friend and it blinded me lol i was wondering today at work if any one knows if there is a calculation for distance and uv rays ? im looking to build a 6ft (72") tall enclosure and was wondering will the cham still get the same effect of uv from being farther away from the lighting ? or doesn't it matter ?

Well it all depends on the species, and depending on how far away the bulb is your cham may not be even getting any uvb from bulb. Your best bet is to just buy a linear.

 

[xanthoman]

reptisun 5.0 cfl

even if it is one of the newer ones, the newer reformulated reptisun 5.0 coils have not been out long enough for a definitive track history (jmo), the older reptisun cfls are proven unsafe all together, plus uvb should be replaced every 6 mths or so anyway. most keepers (including me) still recomend a linear for that reason. uvb is needed because it plays into the whole calcium /d3 thing, but reptisun uvb is not very bright or natural looking light, which is why uva is beneficial, it is thought to stimulate appetite, curb depression, and promote a feeling of general well being, all very important elments of cham husbandry. lose the cfl and you will lose that heat, then you can install a appropriate sized and located uva for a basking light and he can get his heat from there, (as it should be). this has been a long term proven effective setup for cham husbandry, and since you need to buy new uvb every 6 months anyway (for a mere cost of $20 assuming you already have the fixture), its beyond me why people resist this proven aspect of cham husbandry. there is already a long list of threads by knowledgeable people on the subject https://www.chameleonforums.com/repti-sun-5-0-a-38962/ https://www.chameleonforums.com/repti-sun-cfl-old-vs-new-31927/ https://www.chameleonforums.com/updated-info-cf-uvb-lamps-29318/ just for the record, the warmest accessible temp in my cages is 84*/edit/it is not just a question of distance=strength, i believe it is also a question of spectral output. jmo

 

[IHaveAJackson]

Ok but is too much uvb rays bad for a chameleon?

 

[vinny knight cham]

i just got a 10 uvb coil from a friend and it blinded me lol i was wondering today at work if any one knows if there is a calculation for distance and uv rays ? im looking to build a 6ft (72") tall enclosure and was wondering will the cham still get the same effect of uv from being farther away from the lighting ? or doesn't it matter ?

on the box it should say how far it goes i can quite remember what it said on mine but i know it suites my viv so hope my advice helps

 

[ALX]

I was wondering the same question. I dont have a Jacksonii yeth, but i'm looking for one. My cage is going to be 4ft tall, is two reptisun 10.0 at the top with a basking light, is it to much? It was writen that the uvb ray travel trough 20". Should i put one at the top and one at half heigh in the back? And should i go to a lower uvb like reptisun 5.0 as cham live in mountain with less light?

 

[kinyonga]

If the chameleon can move away from or out of the UVB its thought that they regulate their own exposure. If its "trapped" and can't move away or out of it then it might build up to much D3 and that would cause problems....that's all I can tell you.

Another consideration...if the basking light is near the UVB, the chameleon will have no choice but to be exposed to the UVB in order to bask. I'm not saying that anyone should move their basking light...just to take it into consideration.

 

[IHaveAJackson]

ok so i should not use a uvb light as a basking light even if it does give out enough heat?

 

[dodolah]

i just got a 10 uvb coil from a friend and it blinded me lol i was wondering today at work if any one knows if there is a calculation for distance and uv rays ? im looking to build a 6ft (72") tall enclosure and was wondering will the cham still get the same effect of uv from being farther away from the lighting ? or doesn't it matter ?

you are going to need uvb solarmeter 6.2 to determine the proper distance.
If you want to be safe, you can just get reptisun 5.0 Linear tube.. it's quite foolproof. This is assuming that your chameleon is the common one (veiled, panther, jackson, etc).

 

[dodolah]

Ok but is too much uvb rays bad for a chameleon?

absolutely.. too much is just as bad as too little.

 

[dodolah]

ok so i should not use a uvb light as a basking light even if it does give out enough heat?

If it gives enough heat (without it being over or under the temp requirement for jackson), I could see no reason why you can't..
It all depends on how cold or hot the environment you are living in.
adjust according to your situation.

Here is the link to help you understand a bit more about lights and reptiles:
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2009/10/dr.html


The term can get confusing real fast.. but, be patient and keep reading, in the end, I think you will understand a lot more about lighting (remember there are 4 parts to the article).

 

[mr and mrs]

looks like im going to get a 5.0 linear to be safe , i guess with to much uv they can get deformities as with the lack of uv.

Thank you all for your imput in the matter

 

[dodolah]

looks like im going to get a 5.0 linear to be safe , i guess with to much uv they can get deformities as with the lack of uv.

Thank you all for your imput in the matter

At one time in the future, if you decided to venture even more on chameleon hobby, I would recommend getting the solarmeter 6.2.

Here is one possible case on what can happen if a chameleon is overexposed to UVB. Scroll down pass the thermal burn sub chapter and read the UVB burn case.
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/health-chapter-f-burn.html

 

[mr and mrs]

wow the poor thing it looks like some one put it in a microwave RIP lil chamy

im sure in the future we will have more chamies we have had snakes lizards in the past and moved around to much to keep them a little gecko is comming next week for my daughter as she is in love with reptiles too we have a exo terra tank 2ft be 2ft be 2ft ish which will be housing a baby cham whilst we build a bigger enclosure once that is done im sure we will be getting another i can see chams like a addiction my wife has a similar addiction with pugs (dogs) hehe ..