Lighting

[RandellTheCham]

hi guys ive recently got a girl chameleon and got her a mini dome zoo med. i had uvb in one and uva in another only issue i have its far too hot! Hitting 130-100 basking spot. Do both lights need be on at all times!??

 

[Crashbandit05]

Replace the basking bulb with something at a lower wattage. That's way too hot.

 

[broderp]

You have a few options.

• As Cashbandit05 stated, get a lower rated bulb.
• Raise the dome higher above the cage. Zoomed or some other known brand sells stands that either have a base or attach to the cage that will raise the dome off the top of your enclosure.
• Use a lamp dimmer to reduce the output of the bulb you have. (this will also reduce the light output as well though)

For the record, standard run of the mill incandescent lamps (AKA house light bulbs) work just fine in place of a brand named "basking Lamp". I have a small stock pile of 60, 80 and even 100W bulbs (hard to find these days) as back ups. The most expensive cost me only a few dollars.

I used a heat emitter for heat along with LED lighting. The emitter is plugged into a dimmer to control the temp and then the whole thing is controlled a digital temp monitor. It's a bid redundant, but I'd rather be safe.

You need to make the heat issue a top priority. These little guys will not realize it's too hot and they can burn themselves!!

 

[Virgil1972]

If you raise the dome then your cham will be getting less uvb as well. I recommend getting a separate florescent fixture(like a 24 inch one). It will put out way more uvb through out the whole cage. This will also give you more options on what to do with your heat lamp.

 

[broderp]

If you raise the dome then your cham will be getting less uvb as well. I recommend getting a separate florescent fixture(like a 24 inch one). It will put out way more uvb through out the whole cage. This will also give you more options on what to do with your heat lamp.

True, I forgot about that. In theory, one could then use a higher rated UVB bulb to compensate. It's all a bit tricky as most people don't have a way to measure UVB as easily as temp. Finding what combination is a bit of trial and error as not one solution will work for all situations. This unfortunately means spending $$ to get it right.