Questions About Lighting

[kris150]

I have recently purchased a veiled chameleon who is not a full adult yet and I am concerned if his lighting is good enough for him.
The cage is a Reptibreeze 24" x 24" x 48" and I have the light set on top of the cage. His light is a light & heat combo fixture with a blue 50 watt halogen bulb and a Zilla Tropical 25 UVB Fluorescent 13 Watt Coil Bulb.
Is this sufficient lighting for him since his cage is so long? He usually will climb up and bask right underneath the bulb.
p.s. the room I keep his cage in is typically 75 degrees.

 

[Big Gulp]

That light isn't sufficient enough.

You want two fixtures. One for the basking light (can be a regular house light) and you want a linear tube UVB bulb. This is a great setup. Also has a 6.5k bulb in case you wanna add live plant.

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/24hot5dobufi.html

Also, your cage needs a lot more foliage and climbing areas (branches going vertically and horizontally). Lots of empty room in that cage.

Good luck.

 

[carol5208]

Ditto what Big Gulp says. Make sure he has a horizontal branch that is sturdy and place that about 8 inches under his basking light. He should not have to crawl under the light to get warm and that is what he is doing right now with the way you have things set up. His basking area should be around85-88 or so and you want to try different wattage bulbs(ordinary white house bulb works fine) for the basking light to achieve this temp.. Measure the temp where you chameleon will sit on the branch and receive the heat. How are you providing water? Not from the waterfall I hope.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

The quick answer is no, the light is not sufficient.

Now for the long answer. The light is insufficient the way the enclosure is currently setup. It looks like the closest he can get to the light is about 18". That is not going to cut it. There is a LOT that needs to be changed in the enclosure.

The cage itself is a great choice! The 24x24x48 screen cage is perfect for a veiled, however you need to add A LOT more foliage, walk ways especially horizontal walkways, and add some reptile vines.

Most importantly, remove the waterfall!! It will just breed bacteria and can make your guy sick. Also remove the other rock decor and GET RID OF THE CARPET. It will also just breed bacteria. It does not look like you have a dripper or a misting system. Do you hand mist and how often?

Here is an example of what your grace might look like when it is setup better.



Keep reading on here and look in the galleries at other peoples enclosures and you will have a great home for your guy. Good luck and ask as many questions as you need to. We are all here to help.

 

[kris150]

That light isn't sufficient enough.

You want two fixtures. One for the basking light (can be a regular house light) and you want a linear tube UVB bulb. This is a great setup. Also has a 6.5k bulb in case you wanna add live plant.

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/24hot5dobufi.html

Also, your cage needs a lot more foliage and climbing areas (branches going vertically and horizontally). Lots of empty room in that cage.

Good luck.

So does he not need the blue halogen bulb at all? and what type of UVB linear light would you suggest? Not too familiar with all of the different watts and what not
Thanks!

 

[kris150]

The quick answer is no, the light is not sufficient.

Now for the long answer. The light is insufficient the way the enclosure is currently setup. It looks like the closest he can get to the light is about 18". That is not going to cut it. There is a LOT that needs to be changed in the enclosure.

The cage itself is a great choice! The 24x24x48 screen cage is perfect for a veiled, however you need to add A LOT more foliage, walk ways especially horizontal walkways, and add some reptile vines.

Most importantly, remove the waterfall!! It will just breed bacteria and can make your guy sick. Also remove the other rock decor and GET RID OF THE CARPET. It will also just breed bacteria. It does not look like you have a dripper or a misting system. Do you hand mist and how often?

Here is an example of what your grace might look like when it is setup better.


Keep reading on here and look in the galleries at other peoples enclosures and you will have a great home for your guy. Good luck and ask as many questions as you need to. We are all here to help.

The guy at the pet store which is specialized in reptiles insisted that I buy the waterfall for him to drink from since they don't drink still water but i had a feeding dish of water in there before i got the waterfall and he would drink from it and i would clean it everyday but i thought i wasn't supposed to have a bowl of water for him so i removed it and stuck to the waterfall. I do hand mist his enclosure with a spray bottle twice a day and i do have a drippage system but it doesn't drip through the wiring on the top. Would he get the best nourishing from a misting system or what would you suggest?

 

[Big Gulp]

So does he not need the blue halogen bulb at all? and what type of UVB linear light would you suggest? Not too familiar with all of the different watts and what not
Thanks!

Nope. No blue bulb. And there should be no light on at all when he's asleep.

As far as UVB, this is the best "cheap" option you can go for. Can find at most Petcos.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-Terrarium-Hood/dp/B00AQU8F2O

But I, as well as everyone most here, would highly recommend Acadia bulbs. They're more expensive. but totally worth it. Gives off more UV...has a 6.5k bulb in it as well which help for plants (which I strongly recommend)...and it lights your enclosure up so much more. Oh, and the bulbs last a year, whereas the Reptisuns should be replaced every 6 months.

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/24hot5dobufi.html

Remember, lights should be on for 12 hours, then off for 12 hours.

 

[kris150]

Nope. No blue bulb. And there should be no light on at all when he's asleep.

As far as UVB, this is the best "cheap" option you can go for. Can find at most Petcos.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-Terrarium-Hood/dp/B00AQU8F2O

But I, as well as everyone most here, would highly recommend Acadia bulbs. They're more expensive. but totally worth it. Gives off more UV...has a 6.5k bulb in it as well which help for plants (which I strongly recommend)...and it lights your enclosure up so much more. Oh, and the bulbs last a year, whereas the Reptisuns should be replaced every 6 months.

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/24hot5dobufi.html

Remember, lights should be on for 12 hours, then off for 12 hours.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Big Gulp]

The guy at the pet store which is specialized in reptiles insisted that I buy the waterfall for him to drink from since they don't drink still water but i had a feeding dish of water in there before i got the waterfall and he would drink from it and i would clean it everyday but i thought i wasn't supposed to have a bowl of water for him so i removed it and stuck to the waterfall. I do hand mist his enclosure with a spray bottle twice a day and i do have a drippage system but it doesn't drip through the wiring on the top. Would he get the best nourishing from a misting system or what would you suggest?

Definitely do away with the waterfall. They'll drink droplets of water off of leaves when you mist. Also, when running the dripper, make sure it's dripping onto a leaf.

Like I said, a live plant is ideal. Looks nice. The leaves hold water droplets better than fake leaves. And the live plants will help maintain humidity.

I have a huge Aboricola Schefflera plant in my enclosure. Looks like this but bigger (about 45" tall) and fuller.