Reptisun....5.0 or 10.0???

[kookychameleons]

OK>>>so i have a 6 foot (Tall) x 4 foot (width) x 3 foot (depth)...right now i have my basking spot set up approx. 11. inches away from my heat lamp and reptisun 5.0....is this good?

 

[carol5208]

depends on what your basking temp is. The 5.0 is good. Is it a tube?

 

[kookychameleons]

yes it is a tube 18''

 

[kookychameleons]

oh! and also is 11 inches too close??? will he get burnt??? and also are chameleons able to find their basking spot on their own???????

 

[missmelissann21]

oh! I asked my vet this question recently!

He said that there's no evidence to suggest that the 10.0 works any better than the 5.0. So go with the 5.0, it's cheaper! Just change it every 6 months.

 

[kookychameleons]

Sweet!!! thank for the infoo

 

[Maurer3D]

10.0 bulbs are designed for dessert dwelling animals. As long as the chameleon can get to within about 10 inches of the UVB bulb your good (this should be away from the hot spot or span between it).

 

[kookychameleons]

so the basking spot and uvb should be seperate?

 

[Ekaj13]

I would use a 10.0 on a cage that large.

 

[carol5208]

oh! I asked my vet this question recently!

He said that there's no evidence to suggest that the 10.0 works any better than the 5.0. So go with the 5.0, it's cheaper! Just change it every 6 months.

the difference is 10% uvb versus 5%

 

[carol5208]

so the basking spot and uvb should be seperate?

if you put your bulb across the top and your basking bulb near by the uvb, then you can ensure yourself that your chameleon is getting uvb and uva at the same time. There are some lights that are combo uva/uvb. 11 inches is far enough away that your chameleon will not rub on the screen and get burned where the basking light is. I was just asking having it 11 inches away what your basking temp was? Sometimes if you have it too far away it is not warm enough, but that would depend on the wattage of your bulb also. that is why you need to measure your temps and see what they are.

 

[kookychameleons]

Ahhhh im getting mixed answers!

 

[kookychameleons]

Woopss.....i meant im just setting up the cage and i havent got my temp gun yet...so im not sure about the temps? And 5.0 is good?

 

[VeiledChams]

Get a few bulbs of different wattage, test each of them out until you get the appropriate basking temps for your cham. and use from then on that bulb

5.0 is the one most use, so yeah, 5.0 is good.