Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here’s some pics of the plantings. The last one is an adult cage.
Helmeted Chameleon surprise
- Thread starter Ben82
- Start date
Ben82
Member
That’s interesting you are using a 12% I think I have a 12% Arcadia spare. I think I’ll start with the 10.0 and see how things go.
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
10.0 or 12% doesn’t make a huge difference; I get similar readings from each. Forgive me if you already told me, but do you have a solar meter?
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
Further, I think hearing from @bobcochran on his uvi numbers would be helpful.
Ben82
Member
I do not have one, it’s on the list though. Do you have some links you could share on uvb, your knowledge is much higher than mine and I’d like to up my uvb understanding. I’ve only been keeping reptiles for 2 years and most of my research has been on medical issues and treatments, bio active and nutrition.
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
So, a great site for uvb information for equatorial species is https://www.madcham.de/en/.
The site is dedicated to Malagasy species, but there’s some pretty good uvb data there. Because light decreases with the square of the distance, higher altitudes will always see higher uvb levels. There are several European keepers, eg Mario Jungmann, who use higher uvb levels for their montane species. Check out the chameleon breeder podcast episode 127.
I haven’t done the kind of uvb research that I dedicated to my blogs about vitamin A and gutloading—mostly because much of the info is accessible, and better understood.
All that being said, I think some critical reflection can yield dividends here: chams move throughout their biotopes; the wind moves foliage on a random basis, and prey items appear in such a way as to necessitate sun exposure/shade. All this happens while the noon equatorial sun is putting out uvi’s of 12-13. This suggests that as a shading leaf moves in the wind, and as chameleons move throughout their environments in search of prey, they get struck with full sun to full shade. Anyone who goes for a walk in the park can attest to the fact that every movement they make exposes or shades them from the sun. Given this, I find it highly intuitive to provide dappled partial shade with high uvb levels in my enclosures.
I should add, though, that I don’t use any d3 in my supplement regime.
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hit up @kinyonga for the open access version, as I know she’s a whiz at finding free access to academic articles, but this one’s great. It suggests that some chameleons actually regulate their uvb exposure based on their need for d3:
Karsten, K., Ferguson, G., Chen, T., & Holick, M. (2009). Panther Chameleons, Furcifer pardalis, Behaviorally Regulate Optimal Exposure to UV Depending on Dietary Vitamin D3 Status. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ZOOLOGY: ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONAL APPROACHES, 82(3), 218-225.
Karsten, K., Ferguson, G., Chen, T., & Holick, M. (2009). Panther Chameleons, Furcifer pardalis, Behaviorally Regulate Optimal Exposure to UV Depending on Dietary Vitamin D3 Status. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ZOOLOGY: ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONAL APPROACHES, 82(3), 218-225.
DocZ
Chameleon Enthusiast
@Ben82 good luck with the babies. I’m following closely as well. I picked up a trio of T hoehnelii last week. They are amazing little Chams
I’ve heard @bobcochran call them “heavy baskers”. I think I understand now
same girl
I’ve heard @bobcochran call them “heavy baskers”. I think I understand now
same girl
Ben82
Member
That was a fantastic analogy that has given me much food for thought. This will give my vet and I something to debate when I see her Tue. I’m taking my adult veiled in for an x-ray to test for bone density, as a control subject against some other x-rays that have been done over the last few months with 2 dragons and 2 other chams. We both agreed we want to make sure my husbandry is up to par. I am familiar with madcham.de although I really only scratched the surface, I just named my female Panther Tanala as a homage to Madagascar, of which I got that name from that website.
Ben82
Member
Mine was like that today. Would you care to share your lighting set up, so we create a good resource for future T. Hoehnelii keepers?
@Kaizen ...is the the one you're looking for?https://www.researchgate.net/public...to_UV_Depending_on_Dietary_Vitamin_D-3_Status
Ben82
Member
Wow that was so fast, thank you so much!
Ben82
Member
I LOVE this community ?Yup..my tablet froze...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
Don’t worry, there’s bad times too ?
DocZ
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’m still playing with the UVB
Right now I have a 6% Arcadia in the fixture. I’m getting UVI from about 8 at the screen. I have a 12% bulb that I think I’ll try out and see how well I can dial that one in maybe going up to a UVI of 10 (?)
I have some small incandescent bulbs regulated by a herpstat for them as well. I set their basking temp to 75 and I have 69-70 ambient day time temps. I might lower that temp a little. This time of year I’m having no trouble dropping into the 50’s at night
i am trying out the Arcadia jungle dawn led strips for the plants. They’re pretty bright. The T hoe’s reacted immediately to putting those on by basking below them as well
Right now I have a 6% Arcadia in the fixture. I’m getting UVI from about 8 at the screen. I have a 12% bulb that I think I’ll try out and see how well I can dial that one in maybe going up to a UVI of 10 (?)
I have some small incandescent bulbs regulated by a herpstat for them as well. I set their basking temp to 75 and I have 69-70 ambient day time temps. I might lower that temp a little. This time of year I’m having no trouble dropping into the 50’s at night
i am trying out the Arcadia jungle dawn led strips for the plants. They’re pretty bright. The T hoe’s reacted immediately to putting those on by basking below them as well
