UV Bulbs for Veiled Chameleons

A Family article with View Comments posted 2 January 2006.
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We thought we’d be clever and save a little money in the process. We bought a full-spectrum UVA/UVB plant bulb to give Zeke his daily dose of UV-goodness. It was a cheap-ish light, about $6 from Walmart.

Unfortunately, the stupid things burn out. Like every three weeks or so. At $6/each, this is expensive.

They are also not as good as real reptile bulbs. We had no idea. Our vet even said that he was “the best looking chameleon [she had] ever seen.” He had always been a bit quirky – uncoordinated, a bad shedder (lots of problems there), and occasionally lethargic. We switched to a real reptile bulb (50W ZooMed basking spot-lamp) and the difference was amazing. Within a few days, he started shedding in large healthy pieces, he seems a bit more coordinated, and he’s much more active. He even seems friendlier – well, at least to me [Ted], he still freaks out when he sees Jennifer.

Don’t buy cheap bulbs.

It’s just not worth it. Don’t jeopardize the health of your Veiled Chameleon to save a few bucks. You won’t really save anything – the real bulbs are better quality and will survive the heat of a parabolic reflector much longer. Of course, people don’t own Veileds because they are cheap pets. More importantly, cheap bulbs will hurt your chameleon.

Edit: I’ve written a new article about Veiled Chameleons and UV bulbs in response to your comment. Thanks!

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  • jenni
    please go out and buy a proper UVB light! it must be a florescent tube for the best results. a reptisun 5.o has proven the best quality and proven ability to produce uv light effectively up to 12" away. those so called basking bulbs do not even produce a measurable amount of uv light and will cause severe MBD. your chameleon should NEVER be lethargic! poor humidity will account for bad shedding and improper husbandry in general will cause a sick and uncoordinated chameleon.

    go to http://www.martinsreptiles.co.uk/ukchams/intro_... for research about the lights.
    go here http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com for a complete care guide.

    i am sorry to say this but if you do not change your habits and get a proper light your chameleon will suffer and ultimately die.
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