Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i have my cham (veiled) cage outdoors. Its in a place thats pretty shaded, cuz it gets in the triple digits sometimes here (northern cali). So the ambient temp stays around 80, and the cage is 30X18X18. So how should i light it without overheating? I was thinking of a mercury vapor 100 watt (some people say thats the best) but wouldnt 100 watts make it too hot since its already 80 . Also some people say that veileds need low humidity and some say they need high, whos right? The humidity right now in the cage is anywhere from 50-75%.

Thanks for any advice.

That humidity sounds OK. When people say "veileds need low humidity" they either don't know much about chams or are just repeating very outdated info. Veileds don't come from low humidity areas, rather from coastal river wadis that are much higher in relative humidity than the deserts around them. 50% humidity is relatively low compared to the 80% some species prefer. The only UV light that doesn't produce much heat is the ReptiSun 5.0. If you can put your cage so it gets sun in the morning but is shaded during the middle part of the day that would work. Or, if you are expecting those triple digit days you could always bring him indoors temporarily.