firecat998
New Member
What wattage light bulb is every one using?
Light Bulbs
- Thread starter firecat998
- Start date
Will Hayward
New Member
It varies entirely on your ambient room temperature. And the seasonal changes.
Just experiment with some to figure out your own level.
Just experiment with some to figure out your own level.
firecat998
New Member
well she is a veiled shes only young (pic of her in my gallery) not sure on her age she is kept in a wooden vivaruim because we live in the uk its far to cold to kept her in a mesh or screen vivaruim her temprature is 29 degrees celsius
roo_71
New Member
Well 29C is 84F … and I personally would try and lower that to around 22C … that’s if you are talking about the ambient/general temp of the enclosure and not the basking site temp. Having a broad heat gradient gives the chameleon choices – and choices are good when it comes to chams. If the basking temp is say 32C (which is a good starting point for your chameleon) and the farthest spot from the basking areas is 29C then you really aren’t giving the cham a very good heat gradient (choice) – and a good temp for it too cool down if it wants.
For my adult veiled, his basking spot is roughly 43C and the coolest area of the cage is 22C – and there are numerous areas in the cage that fall in-between those temps – so he has many choices.
So to answer your wattage question for a basking site, maybe a 65W spot bulb or a bit higher … I honestly can’t give you a definitive answer. Your BEST tool to determine this is a digital temperature gauge with a probe on a wire that or a “laser pointer” temp gauge which I use also and find accurate. DON’T use one those cheap plastic “pet store” gauges – they won’t give you an accurate reading.
Lastly 29C for a basking spot is a good start but you need to pay attention to your cham to see how long or how little it basks. If it basks for only a few minutes at a time then the basking spot is too warm – if it’s basking all the time then the basking spot is too cold. Get the idea?
The best advice that I can give any cham keeper is to know thy critter.
-roo
For my adult veiled, his basking spot is roughly 43C and the coolest area of the cage is 22C – and there are numerous areas in the cage that fall in-between those temps – so he has many choices.
So to answer your wattage question for a basking site, maybe a 65W spot bulb or a bit higher … I honestly can’t give you a definitive answer. Your BEST tool to determine this is a digital temperature gauge with a probe on a wire that or a “laser pointer” temp gauge which I use also and find accurate. DON’T use one those cheap plastic “pet store” gauges – they won’t give you an accurate reading.
Lastly 29C for a basking spot is a good start but you need to pay attention to your cham to see how long or how little it basks. If it basks for only a few minutes at a time then the basking spot is too warm – if it’s basking all the time then the basking spot is too cold. Get the idea?
The best advice that I can give any cham keeper is to know thy critter.
-roo
firecat998
New Member
we dont use a light bulb for the basking spot as its so cold here in the uk we use infra red heating system the light bulb is purely for the cham to know when its daytime and night time i was just wondering if the bulb might be a little bright for her eyes so i was asking what watt bulb everyone else uses.thanks for all the infomation i really apreciate it.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
It must be AMAZINGLY cold in the UK.
Are you all living and keeping your chams outside???
I'm sorry I just don't get the "it's so cold here...we have to keep our cham in an aquarium or use a night time heat lamp or need a ceramic heater or must use a heating pad....."
I'm in Colorado (is 0 degrees cold??) We have many nights that dip below 0 in the winter. Somehow my veiled manages to survive in his all screen enclosure with a proper basking lamp and no additional heating at night.
-Brad
Are you all living and keeping your chams outside???
I'm sorry I just don't get the "it's so cold here...we have to keep our cham in an aquarium or use a night time heat lamp or need a ceramic heater or must use a heating pad....."
I'm in Colorado (is 0 degrees cold??) We have many nights that dip below 0 in the winter. Somehow my veiled manages to survive in his all screen enclosure with a proper basking lamp and no additional heating at night.
-Brad
roo_71
New Member
I don’t recommend those red lights – they are not natural. I can’t think of really the specifics on why you shouldn’t use them – maybe someone will chime in.
I live in upstate NY, USA and at this time it’s an ice encrusted hellscape - and I’m sure its worse for the hozers … errr … I mean Canadians up north. We can get it done with regular heat bulbs so you should be able to as well.
-roo
I live in upstate NY, USA and at this time it’s an ice encrusted hellscape - and I’m sure its worse for the hozers … errr … I mean Canadians up north. We can get it done with regular heat bulbs so you should be able to as well.
-roo
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Kazza
New Member
I was only doing what the guy in the pet store told me to do, i guess he was just trying to get me to buy more stuff than i needed lol.
I didn't realise they could cope with such extreme temp changes, i think i'll completely re-design my set-up. I only have a UV lamp, should i ditch the heat mat and buy a heat lamp?
Thanx Brad.
I didn't realise they could cope with such extreme temp changes, i think i'll completely re-design my set-up. I only have a UV lamp, should i ditch the heat mat and buy a heat lamp?
Thanx Brad.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Yes.
Just use a regular light bulb in a hood or bell fixture.
A clamp helps to secure it and create some distance between the light and the enclosure.
You'll need to experiment with wattages and a thermometer to get the basking spot temp right. it should be 80 to 90 degrees in the hottest spot. (that's farenheit) Don't put the basking branch to close to the light, thermal burns have occurred when the animal can get to close.
The rest of the enclosure should have temps from bottom to top that range from 65-70 degrees all the way to the basking temp.
Night time temp should be 62-68 degrees.
-Brad
Just use a regular light bulb in a hood or bell fixture.
A clamp helps to secure it and create some distance between the light and the enclosure.
You'll need to experiment with wattages and a thermometer to get the basking spot temp right. it should be 80 to 90 degrees in the hottest spot. (that's farenheit) Don't put the basking branch to close to the light, thermal burns have occurred when the animal can get to close.
The rest of the enclosure should have temps from bottom to top that range from 65-70 degrees all the way to the basking temp.
Night time temp should be 62-68 degrees.
-Brad
Julirs
New Member
I have had to do alot of experimenting to get the basking lights and temps correct. Buying a good thermometer (with a probe) is the best thing that you can do. Putting the clamp lamps directly on top of the cage made it too hot and when he was new my little one wanted to hang on the wire under the lamp even though there were plenty of plants. I now have one clamp lamp with a 60 watt bulb on one side of the cage that keeps an area about 92 degrees and another one clamped onto a dining room chair with a 40 watt bulb that keeps another are about 90-95 degrees. They are regular household lightbulbs. I even had to prop the UVB light up off the top of the cage in a creative manner. Do not guess temperatures-it is way too hard and the temps can suprise you. Someone needs to start designing cages with places to clamp the lamps to, as my dining room is starting to look real interesting!
Kazza
New Member
Lol - i know what you mean! I found some lamp stands in a local pet store and they were ridiculously expensive.
Mine is sat on top of the mesh at the mo but she can't quite reach.
I am going to do a complete re-design though - heat pad has gone already and i'm going to buy another lamp today. I have one thermometer in there already and it's 25 degrees celcius in there during the day, i will buy a probe thermometer too though.
I'm using plastic/ fabric plants at the moment because i'm not too sure what real plants are safe for her ( I didn't trust the pet-store guy's opinion on this one ). Anyone got any suggestions please?
Thanx
Mine is sat on top of the mesh at the mo but she can't quite reach.
I am going to do a complete re-design though - heat pad has gone already and i'm going to buy another lamp today. I have one thermometer in there already and it's 25 degrees celcius in there during the day, i will buy a probe thermometer too though.
I'm using plastic/ fabric plants at the moment because i'm not too sure what real plants are safe for her ( I didn't trust the pet-store guy's opinion on this one ). Anyone got any suggestions please?
Thanx
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Kazza,
Check out the safe plant list on this forum.
-Brad
Check out the safe plant list on this forum.
-Brad
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