Veiled lighting

[eddiboi]

So I just got some info on the types of lights I should be using and I just wanted to get some feedback on the lighting I’m going to purchase to replace the stuff I have now.
So right now I’m using the double light fixture from zoomed (the one that comes in the Cham kits) and the lights are a zoomed daylight blue bulb and a zoomed 5.0 uvb bulb
I’m upgrading these lighting fixtures and just want to know if these will be a good combo for my baby. She’s a veiled chameleon, around 6 months (according to some people from this site)
For the Philips Agro lite I could only find the 65 watt at the store. But that’s the only thing I have wanted to purchase before making sure I have the right stuff for her

 

[nightanole]

the 12% is only for very tall(6ft+) or very well planted(looks like a pet tree), else stick with the 6%, which will make good UVB levels for 2-2.5ft from the bulb. You want the bulb to go across the top of the entire cage, so a 22" is great for a repibreeze xl that is 2ft by 2ft. If going zoo med, you want the repisun 5.0 T5HO, which is the same as the arcadia 6%.

Your basking like is pretty fancy, but if you like it go for it. Till she is an adult you want to use the standard house bulb looking ones, to make a 80-85F "area". Once she is an adult you can switch to a wide flood type that will boost the area to 90f ish, and she can start basking for real.

 

[eddiboi]

the 12% is only for very tall(6ft+) or very well planted(looks like a pet tree), else stick with the 6%, which will make good UVB levels for 2-2.5ft from the bulb. You want the bulb to go across the top of the entire cage, so a 22" is great for a repibreeze xl that is 2ft by 2ft. If going zoo med, you want the repisun 5.0 T5HO, which is the same as the arcadia 6%.

Your basking like is pretty fancy, but if you like it go for it. Till she is an adult you want to use the standard house bulb looking ones, to make a 80-85F "area". Once she is an adult you can switch to a wide flood type that will boost the area to 90f ish, and she can start basking for real.

I’m about to upgrade her cage soon too but I’m not sure which one I want to get yet
What do you mean by standard house bulb ? The round ones?

 

[nightanole]

I’m about to upgrade her cage soon too but I’m not sure which one I want to get yet
What do you mean by standard house bulb ? The round ones?

yes the round non flood ones, they just "warm" the area.

 

[Graves923]

incandescent light bulb. Start with a 60w or 75w and adjust the basking branch from there to get the desired basking temp.

FYI, read the light bulb box and make sure it says incandescent. Alot of stores are now carrying LED and the box with say something to the effect of "60w equivalent" or "replaces 60w incandescent".

This confused my fiancee when I sent her to get replacement bulbs and she grabbed the first box that said 75w bulb. Ended up being a 75w equivalent LED bulb...

 

[Syreptyon]

the 12% is only for very tall(6ft+) or very well planted(looks like a pet tree), else stick with the 6%, which will make good UVB levels for 2-2.5ft from the bulb. You want the bulb to go across the top of the entire cage, so a 22" is great for a repibreeze xl that is 2ft by 2ft. If going zoo med, you want the repisun 5.0 T5HO, which is the same as the arcadia 6%.

Your basking like is pretty fancy, but if you like it go for it. Till she is an adult you want to use the standard house bulb looking ones, to make a 80-85F "area". Once she is an adult you can switch to a wide flood type that will boost the area to 90f ish, and she can start basking for real.

Actually, 12% (or reptisun 10.0) is the preferred bulb for veiled chameleons. Their native environment has harsh sunlight and this is reflected in proper husbandry

 

[Thehippie]

Actually, 12% (or reptisun 10.0) is the preferred bulb for veiled chameleons. Their native environment has harsh sunlight and this is reflected in proper husbandry

very true, but i'd use a 6% until they become 9+months (adult size) then switch to a 12%

 

[Graves923]

I agree. I use an Arcadia 12% with no issues.

 

[Syreptyon]

very true, but i'd use a 6% until they become 9+months (adult size) then switch to a 12%

That's silly, honestly.

Baby veileds don't get a "training wheels" version of the SUN in the wild lol. They experience the same solar intensity their whole lives and thrive in it

 

[Thehippie]

That's silly, honestly.

Baby veileds don't get a "training wheels" version of the SUN in the wild lol. They experience the same solar intensity their whole lives and thrive in it

I always thought it would be better to introduce the lighting like you introduce the heat, after all babies don't get training wheels from the heat either but they can very easily over heat. since they were born in captivity and not wild caught I always thought it best to introduce things slowly to 1 not stress them and 2 not overwhelm their senses

 

[Syreptyon]

I always thought it would be better to introduce the lighting like you introduce the heat, after all babies don't get training wheels from the heat either but they can very easily over heat. since they were born in captivity and not wild caught I always thought it best to introduce things slowly to 1 not stress them and 2 not overwhelm their senses

Access to heat and access to UVB is very different. Chameleons don't sense heat the way we do, so they will burn themselves happily without noticing. That's why we ramp up the heat bulbs later in their lives. But in the wild, the sun doesn't sit 8" or so away from them, so there is no risk of a thermal burn. But in captivity, the heat source is way closer and typically from a single spot which they sit under and will cook if it's too hot.

UVB does not carry that same risk

 

[Thehippie]

Access to heat and access to UVB is very different. Chameleons don't sense heat the way we do, so they will burn themselves happily without noticing. That's why we ramp up the heat bulbs later in their lives. But in the wild, the sun doesn't sit 8" or so away from them, so there is no risk of a thermal burn. But in captivity, the heat source is way closer and typically from a single spot which they sit under and will cook if it's too hot.

UVB does not carry that same risk

good to know for future reference, thank you!!

 

[Syreptyon]

good to know for future reference, thank you!!

No problem. It's not necessarily intuitive! Chameleon eyes are also sensitive to UV radiation and they will change their whereabouts with respect to UVB if they are getting too much or too little. Basking spots are just tough cuz they love to plop themselves down and bake as close as they can get

 

[eddiboi]

Getting a little confused XD
So should I get the 12% or the 6% ? I’d be happy to upgrade when she needs the 12% I just don’t want to burn her or something from it being too strong.
And also can someone send a picture of the household bulb kind I should use so I don’t get the wrong one this time.
Also is the flucker dome a good one to use or should I go for one of the “deep domes”

 

[eddiboi]

Access to heat and access to UVB is very different. Chameleons don't sense heat the way we do, so they will burn themselves happily without noticing. That's why we ramp up the heat bulbs later in their lives. But in the wild, the sun doesn't sit 8" or so away from them, so there is no risk of a thermal burn. But in captivity, the heat source is way closer and typically from a single spot which they sit under and will cook if it's too hot.

UVB does not carry that same risk

So she won’t be a risk if I use the 12%??

 

[nightanole]

I may stop posting on these forums...

12% for a sub adult, beginner keeper...


I can remember in 2012 i was fighting people who only wanted to use a 5.0 T8, now we are suggesting 12% T5HO is required, which is 100x the output...

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

I may stop posting on these forums...

12% for a sub adult, beginner keeper...


I can remember in 2012 i was fighting people who only wanted to use a 5.0 T8, now we are suggesting 12% T5HO is required, which is 100x the output...

Please do not do this. We respect everyone's output. I myself actually lean on the side of you and @Thehippie. It's also not a one hood, one bulb end all answer. Depends on foliage in the enclosure, how much D3 is being given in supplements, how much outdoor uvb exposure is given and what that UVI indes is as well. I know here in Colorado a mile high even on a cloudy day the UVI is in the 8s or 9s. What's safe and for how long? We don't know for sure tbh. All we know is what's been proven tried and true. I myself started my Veiled on a 5.0 than moved to a 10.0 as he got older. But I also added more foliage as well.

Also take into consideration what happens in the wild. Yemen babies hatch in the wet season generally speaking. Less UV with more rain. Then as it gets hotter and dryer most chameleons in Yemen are not even found basking during the day. They are hiding. Minus the exceptional few "alpha" or "dominant" males. Babies and females are taking cover.

 

[nightanole]

Please do not do this. We respect everyone's output. I myself actually lean on the side of you and @Thehippie. It's also not a one hood, one bulb end all answer. Depends on foliage in the enclosure, how much D3 is being given in supplements, how much outdoor uvb exposure is given and what that UVI indes is as well. I know here in Colorado a mile high even on a cloudy day the UVI is in the 8s or 9s. What's safe and for how long? We don't know for sure tbh. All we know is what's been proven tried and true. I myself started my Veiled on a 5.0 than moved to a 10.0 as he got older. But I also added more foliage as well.

Also take into consideration what happens in the wild. Yemen babies hatch in the wet season generally speaking. Less UV with more rain. Then as it gets hotter and dryer most chameleons in Yemen are not even found basking during the day. They are hiding. Minus the exceptional few "alpha" or "dominant" males. Babies and females are taking cover.

We know what is safe, we have for decades.

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/An-In-Depth-Look-At-UV-Light-And-Its-Proper-Use-With-Reptiles/

We know that 99% of chameleons are ferguson 3 or lower. We know even humans are ferguson 3 or lower without sun screen. We know for 100% certainty that permanent damage happens above 6 uvi. Ferguson 3 is a 1.0 UVI. I can measure 3.5 uvi on my 12% at 18". And i know my meter is in the ballpark because full on summer 500-1000ft above sea level in a temperate climate i measure 5.5-6, which is what the meteorologists are measuring.


This power creep is 100% marketing driven. Soon we will want people to be running 6% T5HO's on leopard geckos at this rate.


Yes lets tell them that yemen 6.5 UVI and has scorching deserts during the dry season with odds are a 90% cham die off (its why the eggs take 2-3-4x longer to hatch vs beardies, so they survive till the end of the dry season). Yemen has frost warnings nightly half the year, lets tell keepers to mimic that and drop the cage temps to 32 at night, with a "warm spot" at the bottom of the cage. After all in yemen the smart ones learn real quick to get to the low laying areas that dont frost over at night.



OK end rant.