Your
Chameleon will do best if he is allowed to bask outside in natural
sunlight. He will need a good basking area AND a way to get out of the sun
when he's had enough.
Sadly, this isn't always possible. Saskatchewan, where I live, often goes to -40 and it's just impossible to get outside. Light that comes through a glass window may be warm enough for basking but the glass filters out most of the UVB radiation. Without UVB, your Chameleon won't be able to properly metabolize calcium. He may end up with metabolic bone disease, fractures and even die.
When keeping a Chameleon indoors we need to provide a basking spot, such as a convenient vine, and a normal light bulb. Usually 60w - 100w is fine but you should measure the temperature directly under the bulb. The temperature shouldn't exceed the recommended temperature for the species you are keeping. Usually 95 degrees F. is about the maximum at the top of the cage. You should also check the temperature at the bottom of the cage. It should be around 70 degrees F. Your Chameleon can move from his basking spot to the cooler areas of the cage. This is called a temperature gradient and it is important for a healthy animal.
Not only do you need a vertical temperature gradient but you should have a horizontal temperature gradient as well. This allows your Chameleon to move away from the heat into a cooler area but still stay high up in the cage.
Finally you need a good quality UVB source. If possible, use a two bulb fixture with a good quality full spectrum bulb. Your bulb will usually only radiate UVB for about 6 months and must be replaced even though they are still working. There are a number of excellent bulbs such as the ZooMed Iguana Light 5.0 and the Reptisun 5.0 (same bulb just different names) but a number of the big name brand lights which advertise as being suitable for reptiles, such as many by Hagen, are expensive and do not provide enough UVB for a Chameleon.
This chart is getting a bit dated but may still be useful. You will see that Natural Sunlight is rated at 51 microwatts / cm2 while the best fluorescent tubes at any distance from the cage put out considerably less light. When you move into a Metal Halide bulb your UVB goes up but the heat generated by these bulbs can be quite considerable.
A 400W Halide bulb produces even more UV than natural sunlight but it might be so hot it could cook your Chameleon.
Almost none of the normal bulbs produce any noticable UVB at 3' from the bulb. Make sure your Chameleon can get close enough to the bulb to get some benefit from it without being overheated.
Once again, exposure to natural unfiltered sunlight is critical to the health of your animals.
|
|
Light
Source |
Surface |
1 foot |
3 feet |
earth |
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Verilux 40w |
10 |
1.6 |
0 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Verilux 40w |
23 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Verilux 30w (4 months old) |
14.2 |
1.7 |
|
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Verilux 30w (4 months old) |
43 |
7 |
|
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
New Industrial True Lite |
7 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
New Industrial True Lite |
12 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Metal Halide 400 w (~ 2yrs. old) |
360 |
35 |
18 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Metal Halide 400 w (~ 2 yrs. old) |
1800+ |
230 |
113 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sunlight 9/27/00 3 PM |
|
|
|
51 |
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sunlight 9/27/00 3 PM |
|
|
|
132 |
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sylvania BL 350 30w |
222 |
11 |
2 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sylvania BL 350 30w |
594 |
25 |
5 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sylvania BL 350 20w |
48 |
|
|
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sylvania BL 350 20w |
122 |
|
|
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sylvania BL 350 40w (4 months old) |
1212 |
123 |
|
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Sylvania BL 350 40w (4 months old) |
1800+ |
298 |
|
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Zoo Med Iguana Light 5.0 40w |
84 |
6 |
1 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Zoo Med Iguana Light 5.0 40w |
65 |
5 |
1 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Zoo Med Reptisun Desert 40w |
22 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Zoo Med Reptisun Desert 40w |
70 |
4 |
1 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
GE infrared spot 250w |
11 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
GE infrared spot 250w |
120 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Phillips spot 150 w |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Phillips spot 150 w |
6 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
ESU Super UV Daylight 3% UVA/7% UVB |
12 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
ESU Super UV Daylight 3% UVA/7% UVB |
8 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 160w spot |
|
|
269 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 160w spot |
|
|
1988 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 160w spot (1.5 yrs old) |
|
57 |
|
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 160w spot (1.5 yrs old) |
|
370 |
|
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 160w flood |
|
|
61 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 150w flood |
|
|
89 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 300w flood |
205 |
39 |
15 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Westron 300w flood |
1800+ |
600 |
180 |
|
|
UVB
(microwatts/cm2) |
Lumichrome F40WIxx 6500 K |
50 |
3.3 |
0.4 |
|
|
UVA
(microwatts/cm2) |
Lumichrome F40WIxx 6500 K |
143 |
15 |
14 |
|