Don't apologize for asking the right types of questions! You are doing just what we wish everyone did before buying a cham. I can hopefully answer your questions.



I don't know that much about the UVB Heat versus the mercury vapor lights...they may act much the same but I just haven't used them. I have kept mostly "montane" species like fischeri, jacksons, deremensis, cristatus, and melleri. I have also kept veileds and verrucosus, and have always used the house spotlights for basking and a ReptiSun 5.0 for UV exposure for all of them. The UVHeat and MV lights produce a lot of heat as well as UV, so the main concerns have more to do with overheating a cage if there isn't a humid shaded spot for the cham to retreat to. They are probably too intense for many of the montane species. Chams do burn themselves while basking as they don't have many temp sensors in their skin. They will burn some live plants if the leaves get too close. You have to be careful not to get water droplets on the bulbs or they can explode, and chams need a lot of daily misting. There isn't a set "wattage" recommendation for any size cage as there are too many other variable to consider. The temp of the room, the air flow, etc. The best way to judge the lamp is to set it up over the cage top and measure the temp of the basking perch with a temp gun, rather than the air temp like a bulb thermometer would. If it is too hot for the particular species, move the light away from the cage. Adjust the temp by moving the lamp.



That cage size will limit which species you keep...it is very minimal for a large veiled or panther. Larger cages are easier to get sturdy plants for and provide more microclimates...making it easier to offer the cham the range of temps and humidity it will prefer.



The whole beginner cham idea is more for the less informed impulse buyer. Because more veileds, panthers, and jackson's have been kept and bred over the years, we know a bit more about their preferences than we do the other species you listed. The chams themselves being cbb are also used to the limited foods we offer them and the presence of humans. Veileds and panthers are a bit more tolerant of keeping mistakes, usually overheating and keeping too dry. Providing the frequent misting and higher spectrum of humidity and cool temps at night make keeping jackson's and other montane species more involved. If your house won't cool off at night these species will suffer without AC or some type of cooler, but a veiled or panther may be OK. There needs to be at least a 10F drop in temp at night. This and the relative humidity of your house and your location may limit what you can keep without a lot of expense. It doesn't mean you can't choose them, just be prepared to spend a lot more on the setup. Also, check with your local vets to see if any have actually treated chams. There are a lot fewer vets for chams than most other herps.



As for conflicting information online, the sites I usually recommend (the information is tried and true) are:



http://www.adcham.com

http://www.chameleonnews.com

plus the sites that sponsor this forum. They are good sources of information from experienced folks.

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