Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A couple of years ago I failed with a veiled chameleon and wonder if there is more information now about the efficacy of UVB incandescent bulbs (such as "UV heat" or "Powersun". I got a veiled as a 6 month old and he did well in a 30 x 18 x 30 terrarium with glass sides and screen top. I used 100 Watt Flood UVB incandescent bulb ("UV Heat" along with two incandescent basking lights. Large ficus and plenty of vines in cage. Temperature gradient was 70 - 100 F, humidity 20 - 50. Alternated Miner-al with Rep-Cal twice weekly, mist twice daily, drip H2O daily. Diet: crickets, waxworms, superworms, silkworms. He was healthy, active, and grew well.
I live in Midwest, so when he was 1 year old I put him in a screen enclosure outdoors for summer. After a few months in the outdoors, his one eye became smaller (turret and aperture) and he became anorexic. I brought him back indoors and tried MANY changes in habitat (using Zoo Med Reptisun bulbs, ultrasonic mist humidifiers, exchanged one glass side of cage with screen, etc) and trips to Vet specialist at the university (who did an opthalmalogic exam on the one bad eye, presecribed ointments, etc). Nothing worked. I kept him alive by force feeding for one year (he never ate on his own anymore), then euthanized him as I believe his quality of life wasn't worth the stress he underwent with being force fed all the time.
He spent a lot of time as a juvenile basking beneath the UVB incandescent, and would often tilt and "fan" his body to absorb more light/heat. He was about 5 inches beneath the bulb. I have always wondered if this caused some kind of eye/retinal damage that showed up later.
I love chameleons, they are my favorite reptile, and I would like to get another someday. Is anyone out there raising healthy chameleons using just the UVB incandescent bulbs? It seems so simple, to have the heat source and UVB requirements in one bulb. Is there any information about harmful effects of these bulbs? I would appreciate some feedback on this issue. In regard to the screen enclosure vs. glass habitat issue, I am aware of many breeders in northern climates/Europe who don't use screen sides so that they can keep a better humidity indoors, and they do well with chameleon husbandry.
thanks in advance,
John

Years ago I had a Veiled that developed an eye problem and later died of kidney failure. The vet I had at the time told me that often times the first sign of a serious internal illness will show up as an eye problem. In one eye at first then sometimes moving to the other eye also. He told me he thought it was something he was born with that was destined to show up a little later in life. I think your Veiled might have been the same. Since that Veiled I have raised several hundred chameleons, I usually have two to three clutches of Panthers hatching every year and about 4 clutches of Veileds. There are plenty of people on this forum that use the "Powersun" bulbs and others like them. I feel the technology for the self ballisted bulbs is still probably ten years away from being dependable. These bulbs often quit long before they are suppose to. For that reason, I use the Reptisun 5.0 and 10.0 UVB bulbs and have had great sucess with them. A couple of years back one of my friends tested all his lights with a UVB meter. He had a three year old 5.0 bulb that he had placed on top of his Tokay Geckos cage to just provide some light, never thinking that it might still be putting out UVB but it did still have UVB in a viable range after three years. If you kept your Veiled alive for one year with forced feedings I'm sure you have what it takes to raise another hopefully healthy one this time. I would definitely try again using the 5.0 or 10.0 bulbs with calcium dust twice a week and a vitamin powder once a week. IF you can get your Chameleon outside from time to time that will increase the duration of the reptisun bulbs. Usually I would replace these bulbs every six to eight months but if your Chameleon gets outside a lot you could go for one year on the same bulb. Good luck and do try again.

I appreciate your experience.

I agree. Sometimes bad things just happen to chams. They can get diseases or suffer from genetic defects just like any other creature. Unless there was a really extensive necropsy done on him you won't know just what the problem was. I guess the fact that he didn't improve despite living outdoors (so close to a "natural" light level) would have told me there was something else going on. The eye "shrinking" is unusual. I can't think it was lighting. If it had been just the light he should have responded to change you offered. When you think about it, not all animals born are destined to reproduce themselves for various reasons. Especially captive animals who are not lost to predation or competition. Take some comfort in the fact that you did not cause this problem through ignorance or neglect. It sounds as if you really cared a lot about him and that's just what chams demand!