Heating bulb?

[Jslawinowski]

Hello friends, I am building my chameleon a new cage. It’s 6ft tall by 4ft by 2 1/2ft. I have bought a 4ft long uvb lighting fixture that has a 10.0 T5HO bulb. For the heating bulbs I wasn’t sure what kind to use since it’s a bigger cage. I’ve been using a daylight blue bulb 100w. Should I use the same thing just add more fixtures till it’s hot enough for him or suggest something else?

 

[Wildwilson]

Dont use any of the color bulbs like red or blue. A regular white household bulb will work fine for heating. I personally use a 60 watt house bulb and it works perfect. Other people use a 75 watt bulb. I personally wouldnt use a 100 watt.

 

[Jslawinowski]

So would I still use a regular dome lamp? Also since it’s a way bigger cage then what he’s in should I test the bulbs to how hot it is in the cage to make sure I’m using the right wattage so his basking temps are hot enough?

 

[Wildwilson]

Yes you can keep it in a dome. What i did was used a 60 watt bulb and put it in the dome, and used dowels to prop the light about 4 inches from the top of the cage and from his basking spot its about 7 inches. I originally tried a 75 watt bulb and it was making his basking spot like 110 degrees F. So a 60 works good for me. Just try the lights until it works for you. But definitely use a hosue bulb. They are way cheaper and work well

 

[carol5208]

What works in your house many not work in mine as far as bulb wattages go. It is a trial and error thing really. Ambient house temps are different and it also depends on if you lay the dome that houses the bulb directly on the screen or raise it up. Also, how far away your basking branch is can change the temperature drastically. If you have a temp gun, (they are cheap) you can light up some different bulbs and aim the laser on the branch where your chameleon will be basking. For me, a 60 watt house bulb works about 8 inches down to keep my temp around 90 degrees for my Panthers. For that size cage, I would also suggest multiple basking sites in different corners of the cages. Even if you don't use each light for basking, you might just want to have multiple ones to light up the cage so it's not too dark. I have even used 2 basking sites in the 24 X 24 X48. I just put a 25 watt in one of the domes so it doesn't give off too much heat.

 

[Jslawinowski]

Awesome this all helps so so much! Thank you!

 

[carol5208]

Awesome this all helps so so much! Thank you!

You're quite welcome!

 

[Fiona's Mom]

So would I still use a regular dome lamp? Also since it’s a way bigger cage then what he’s in should I test the bulbs to how hot it is in the cage to make sure I’m using the right wattage so his basking temps are hot enough?

You can always raise the light or lower the branch to adjust how much heat is on you cham when basking.