Is anyone able to give me some advice re husbandry & product comparisons?

INFO: 2 year old Veiled Chameleon (Superman Sanchez)

We've been letting him out at least every-other -sunny- day to climb in our young dogwood and get natural sunlight (30-60 min).

LLL Reptiles suggested a 18x18x36 or 24x24x48 Reptarium

I think the next larger Fresh Air Habitat 30x18x30 would be nice, but it’s not much larger than what I have: is it worth it?

Are there any known pros/cons to either brand of enclosure?

Also, does anyone have experience with the Mercury Vapor (MV) UV Bulbs?

If I get a larger cage, I might want to switch my Spot Lamp and Fluorescent Bulb for a 100v Mercury Vapor Flood (probably Zoo Med Powersun UV $37.95 or T-Rex Active UV Heat Flood $48.36)

I've read quite a bit about these MV bulbs and I'm not sure that they are safe for use around people, but I like the idea of Superman having the option of getting all that UVA/UVB exposure in a larger cage where he could also choose to hide.

I currently use:
*Fresh Air Habitat (26 x 24 x 12)

*(Day/Night) 50w or 75w Incandescent Red Basking Heat Lamp – ESU Reptile

*(Day) 50w Repti Basking Spot Lamp – Zoo Med (claims it “provides beneficial UVA Rays”)

*(Day) Zoo Med 18" Repti Sun 10.0 UVB Fluorescent Bulb

Even if you only have time to address one of my questions, I will be much obliged.

SUMMARY
- HOUSING: Reptarium VS Fresh Air Habitat AND What Size You Prefer!!!
- LIGHTING: MV UV Flood VS Fluorescent, Wattage for Cage Size and Brand
- ANYTHING ELSE!

I've learned a lot from this forum (and others) but this is my first post, thanks for any knowledge you are willing to share!

[ Hide Replies ]

• Enclosure & Lighting Compare/Suggest - chachachimera, Mon Jun 11 18:20:06 2007
• RE: Enclosure & Lighting Compare/Suggest - sandrachameleon, Fri Jun 22 00:48:18 2007
• RE: Enclosure & Lighting Compare/Suggest - Chachachimera, Mon Jul 9 16:04:37 2007
• RE: Enclosure & Lighting Compare/Suggest - sandrachameleon, Fri Jul 20 01:34:11 2007