Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone!

Quick question for you all. I am using a Zoo Med 40w incandescent red nightime bulb in my panther chameleons enclosure, and am leaving the bulb on all the time. Average temp in the cage with all my lighting on during the day is 78-85 degrees fahrenheit, with a hot spot hittinh close to 90.

Would i be better off using a ceramic heat emitter rather than the red heat bulb? I always thought that reptiles could not see the red spectrum of light, and therefore i left the red bulb on all the time, but have read some articles stating that some herps might in fact be able to see the red spectrum, and using a nighttime red bulb in this manner could stress them out.

What are you experiences? What would you reccommend? The baby panther is in a 5.5gal aquarium that i will swap out in size as he grows. I am using the 40w red Zoo Med bulb on 24/7 and an ESU Reptile Mini Aqualight that has 2 9w UVB producing Compact Flourescent bulbs, with the acrylic cover removed and which is on from 8-10 hours a day!

Thanks for your time!
cheers~!
jon

How cold does the room get at night? Unless it is dropping into the 50s you don't need to heat the cage. Chams can see the red spectrum night heat spots and they will not sleep well. Chams also need at least a 10-15 degree drop in temp at night. Don't use it unless you have some really low room temps (and then it might not be the best place for your cham anyway).

its getting pretty cold here, if i didnt have the light on it would definately drop more than 10 degrees. I will go grab a ceramic heat emitter instead so that there is no light, and keep it on at all times! Thanks for your quick reply!
cheers~!
jon

Hey there, on a side note...

I know you were talking about using the red bulb at night, but since you're switching to the ceramic heat emitter, I just want to add a point to consider... ive heard of some jacksons getting too close to a heat bulb as far as whatever kind of basking they do, and getting burned as a result. sooo on that note, the heat emitter is a great idea for 24 hour use- they won't be tempted to bask in the light coupled with dangerous heat, as the two will be separate entities. That's how i kept both my Jackson's- heat emitter and a full spectrum bulb. Worked well! Good luck!
~Tiff
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"Were the diver to think upon the jaws of the shark, he would never lay hands on the precious pearl."

Measure the night cage temp without any night heat first. If it stays above 55 you are OK as long as the cham has a chance to bask well every day. Remember, this is seasonal and won't be cold year round. Also, don't feed the cham late in the day. It's better than they don't have a full stomach all night when they are too cool to digest.