Future first time owner requesting help.

extrajordinary

extrajordinary

Established Member
Hi everyone! I will be adopting a veiled chameleon very soon, but I want to be sure I'm prepared to take care of such a remarkable animal. I've been doing a lot of research and I think I know what I need to buy for my new pet...but I'm confused by all of the lights (*enter Kanye West*). From what I've gathered, veiled chameleons need a UVB light source and a heat source. I was planning on purchasing a Zoo Med Repti Sun Terrarium Hood 24 inch and a Zoo Med 24" Repti Sun 5.0 UVB bulb for a UVB light source. For a heat source I was planning on purchasing a Zoo Med regular black ceramic clip lamp and a Zoo Med 100 watt basking bulb. Would these four things fulfill all of my veiled chameleons light needs? If not, could someone please give me suggestions based on what they use for their veiled chameleon(s)? Thanks so much!
 
That will work.

That Zoomed basking light is overpriced, a regaulr household light bulb will do fine. 100ws is also quite a bit, I wouldn't jump that high at first, start with say 50w and work your way up till temps are right.

Also love that marketing lol. "Also includes UVA which has been shown to increase reptile behaviors". What they are not telling you is all Incans put out UVA......

Just get a regaulr house bulb from Wally world, you will be fine. Not LED, just a normal bulb.
 
cyberlocc said:
That will work.

That Zoomed basking light is overpriced, a regaulr household light bulb will do fine. 100ws is also quite a bit, I wouldn't jump that high at first, start with say 50w and work your way up till temps are right.
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Thank you! I had selected the 100 watt because I live in Chicago and it will be getting very cold soon. So a regular 50 watt light bulb will be fine?
 
extrajordinary said:
Thank you! I had selected the 100 watt because I live in Chicago and it will be getting very cold soon. So a regular 50 watt light bulb will be fine?
Click to expand...

It may, it all depends on the temps at the basking site. I like to keep a few different wattage bulbs around so I can swap them out when the house temps change.
 
extrajordinary said:
Thank you! I had selected the 100 watt because I live in Chicago and it will be getting very cold soon. So a regular 50 watt light bulb will be fine?
Click to expand...

Yes, I would start with a 50w, see what the temps are like and raise it as needed.

You can also keep a few different wattages around for colder days. You may need a 100w, but I wouldn't jump right too it and overheat the animal.
 
cyberlocc said:
Yes
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Awesome, glad I asked! As a follow up question, do those lights need to be left on at night? I've been seeing "day lights" and "night lights" for sale so that has confused me a bit. I read that actual light can disrupt their sleep cycle, but won't they need heat at night?
 
extrajordinary said:
Good idea! So no matter what the wattage, a regular light bulb will do the trick?
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Yes, regular incandescent bulbs. Unfortunately they are getting harder to find (inner anti-regulation rant being suppressed so I don't have a complete meltdown... OK, I'm better now...) but they work just fine. Some use halogens, and there are other options, but I like the regular household bulbs.
 
extrajordinary said:
Awesome, glad I asked! As a follow up question, do those lights need to be left on at night? I've been seeing "day lights" and "night lights" for sale so that has confused me a bit. I read that actual light can disrupt their sleep cycle, but won't they need heat at night?
Click to expand...

No lights at all at night. Those are actually detrimental to the overall health of chameleons. The drop in temps is a good thing. Many can have temps into the 40's and be fine.
 
I'd like to elaborate a little on the incandescent bulbs. You have a few options standard bulb, flood and spot. The flood and the spot lights are going to focus the light and heat more on your basking spot. Really no difference between the frosted and clear. Frosted is just going to diffuse the light a little more I doubt it will impact the lumens or heat much if at all. You can get all these options at a homedepot or lowes. The hoods as well. They arent as pretty but they're much cheaper. Make sure you get one rated for the appropriate wattage. Ceramic sockets are the way to go.

While you're at it do yourself a favor and get a timer to turn your lights on and off. Been a while since I bought one but they had digital and analog. Just get the analog. Digital is overly complicated but well worth it for a misting system. You can set different times and duration for different days of the week.

Oh last thing I think, since you're saving so much by avoiding the pet store mark ups grab yourself a temp gun. The thermometers they sell at pet stores are inaccurate garbage. You can spot check temps with the gun they shouldn't be that expensive I got one a decade ago for like $35 you can prolly get one for $25. Especially if your concerned with seasonal temperature variation.
 
Thank you! I just bought standard incandescent bulbs from Target and a hood from LLL Reptile. My plan is to set everything up and monitor the temperature for a few days before having my veiled chameleon shipped. I did get a timer! One less thing I'll have to remember to do! I bought an analog thermometer and hygrometer. I'm going to see how that goes but I will most likely be buying a temp gun just for the piece of mind. :)
 
I use a humidifier in my cage, and my Cham LOVES it! Make sure your Cham has water, and it’s best to clean out the cage every week.
Use lots of branches and vines too.
 
Great job doing your research first!

I tried a lot of different bulbs and found the bulb everyone here is reccomending you is the best to achieve the temp. House hold type bulb is great.

I noticed you said the reptisun for uvb which is great but just so you know it already comes with a 5% bulb ao you don't have to buy another one unless you want to keep a spare like I do. They need to be replaced every 6 months.

Welcome to the forums and cannot wait to see picture of your Cham once you get it .
 
With all the mist running through my chameleon enclosure, I use an incandescent Exo Terra Swamp Basking Spot, which is splash proof. It seems to provide a nice concentrated basking area for my female panther chameleon, making it easier to create a gradient of temperature and humidity in the cage. For UVB I use an Arcadia 6% high output T5 (as well as a HO T5 "daylight" bulb). I got the fluorescents and the fixture from www.lightyourreptiles.com
 
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