UVB bulbs for T8

[Nursemaia]

My cat is an ass and he likes to pee in the dog's food bowl when he gets mad at him.

My chams are in a room about the same size as yours,15x15, and I only run t5 HO bulbs. I have 1 48 in quad fixture, 2 36 in double fixtures, and 1 24 in double fixture, plus 2 jungle dawn LED bulbs. I don't use any basking bulbs because with all of that it does get pretty warm in there. I have 1 vent on the floor and central AC. If I close the vent and have everything on, it will be about 88 degrees in there. With opening and closing of the vent and turning a fan, I can create various temperature gradients within the room. I can keep my melleri around 75 degrees and I have my veiled up high, almost to the ceiling, and they're in the low 80's, my panther lives in an old parrot cage I re-purposed and depending on how high or low he goes, his temps vary from about 78-82 degrees. It can be a pain, but I prefer the T5, so it's worth it. I do need to add another circuit just for this room because the breaker will trip if I plug the vacuum into the hallway outlet next to the room.

 

[jamest0o0]

Lol you gotta love cats though Does your cat get free roam of the house or do you block him off from the cham room?

and damn, your cham room is pretty much the same exact situation as mine. The vacuum always trips the breaker as well. My temps are similar too. I have an air purifier in there that I'll run sometimes, but it doesn't work with a timer. I have a thermostat controlled fan, but it tends to stop and start constantly and becomes an annoyance. I use basking lights, but have them on dimmers. Considering ditching them for the summer, but idk. My panthers seem fine with mid to high 80s basking. Worried about the parsonii though.

 

[Nursemaia]

My cat free roams everywhere but the cham room, don't let me leave the door open either, not even for a second or he will sneak in there and get on top of the chams. Not to bother them, just to be up high and somewhere he isn't supposed to be. I used to have guinea pigs and they were in a large open top enclosure and he would hop in with them and take a nap so I don't think he wants to get to them to hurt them. He's 15 years old and still getting into everything. He's a manx, not even a nub of a tail, all black, and manx are supposed to have XL personalities.

I understand your concern with the room temps and the parsonii, all I can say is it's manageable, and my melleri does just fine in there. I put him by the vent and the fan so he stays cooler.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah my cats do the same, they don't bother with the cham cages. Whenever they're in the room with they seem to care less, but you can never guess what cats will do when you're not around.

Curious, do you have experience with parsonii? Hard to find much solid care info on them other than the basics.

Thank you!

 

[jamest0o0]

@nightanole I've been wondering about what to look for on the solarometer. So at about .5 change it out? My uvb basking zone is usually in the 3-4 range, while the other parts of the cage around around .5-1. Wasn't sure when to change the lights out or what would be considered too high.

 

[nightanole]

@nightanole I've been wondering about what to look for on the solarometer. So at about .5 change it out? My uvb basking zone is usually in the 3-4 range, while the other parts of the cage around around .5-1. Wasn't sure when to change the lights out or what would be considered too high.

The uv index is µW/cm² divided by 40. The recommended min for a panther chameleon is 20 µW/cm². The max basking UVI for a panther is 3.0, and the ideal "majority of cage" is 1.0.

Most recommend replacing bulbs when they reach half capacity, so i replace mine once i cant get a .5 "on his primary 4ft perching branch" were he spends most of his time.

 

[jamest0o0]

Oh god I thought i was done using mu or however it's spelt.

 

[Graves923]

Not to hijack the thread but I am looking for advice on a T8 UVB bulb for my chams adult cage which I am hoping to have ready this weekend.

The cage is a screen 48 inch tall by 24 inch wide and deep. Its going to be heavily filled with plants and foliage. I am looking at reptisun bulbs, is it best to stick with the 5.0 or could I go with a 10.0 for more UVB penetration?

 

[jamest0o0]

10.0 is good if you have dense plant coverage

 

[nightanole]

10.0 is fine. 10.0 will give you about 24-28" of penetration, and you will loose some from going through the screen top (odds are knocking it down to 18-20"). If you go for a 5.0, you will cut those distances in half, so if the cham isnt hanging out 12-14" from the top, its not going to get the recommended uvb. On the other hand if the cage is 2ft tall, 10.0 is over kill.

 

[Graves923]

Cool deal. Thats what I was figuring but wanted the confirmation from you experienced guys. I appreciate the help!