pygmy chameleon lighting

[TheBetterCheddar]

Now, I know that pygmys should have either a 2.0 UVB bulb or an old 5.0 bulb. A petsmart is going out of business in my hometown and the reptile section is relatively untouched even now. I am going there looking for bargins. They have this ESU slimline light fixture that comes with a super uv bulb in it.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441780323&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030051&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023694&bmUID=1186116871950&itemNo=8&In=Reptile&N=2030051&Ne=2#detail

Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it garbage or is it good for pygmys. Also can the fixture be used with repti sun bulbs or something similar when the original one dies?

 

[Julirs]

I own 2 of these. I replaced the bulb with Reptisun 10.0's (18") and they work fine. I like the fact they are low profile, look nice, and fit perfectly on a 38 gallon Reptarium. I bet the bulbs they come with would work great with pygmies, but I don't know their exact UVB output. You will need to remove the plastic lens that is over the bulb.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I use several of these units as FIXTURES only and immediately replaced the tubes with Reptisun 5.0 tubes. If you can get them for under $20 then you aren't doing too badly. There really isn't much difference between it and a typical 18" household fixture except that they have a full 180 degree reflector bouncing more of the UVB downward than the Home Depot 18" fixture that has a 270 degree open area and no real reflective surface. DANGER!!: ALWAYS REMOVE THE PLASTIC WINDOW COVERING THE TUBE! Those ESU units come with a clear plastic cover over the tube. It filters out nearly 100% of the useable UVB. Go figure . It is my understanding that ESU no longer markets this fixture.

 

[TheBetterCheddar]

On the box I believe the bulb is stated as 2 UVB and 7 UVA. Don't know how accurate that is, I will probably pick the fixture up today either way.