Basking Light for My Veiled

Should it be on 24 hours? or 12 on 12 off? Every book or magazine or internet article I read states something different! It's getting quite confusing

The question is more how are you providing Heat and Light. If you have a spot that produces white light it should only be on 12-14 hours during the day and you would need a separate heat source. If you have a UV light as a light source a red light bulb could be left on 24 hours a day for heating. It really matters on how you chose to heat and light the cage. I have Mixed UV bulbs in my Veiled's cage and since he's kept in my heated reptile room there's no internal heat source for when the light is out.

24 hour light cycles are stressful, from my experience, to all chameleons. There are theories that chameleons can see the red bulbs, which I feel is true. So I use a low wattage ceramic heat emitter at night. Use a 12/12 hour cycle. UVB flourescent light, and a basking bulb during the day, then just a low wattage ceramic heat emitter at night. It depends on how cold the room they are gets, chameleons need it under 75 to fall asleep.

I have a UV flours. light on during the day as well as a 75 watt ceramic socket bulb on now nearly 24 hrs a day. What should I keep on and when? And do I need to add something else for night-time?

UVB bulb is perfect during the day. Turn that off at night. There should be a significant drop at night time. From a 82 gradient to about a 70 gradient. The 75 watt Ceramic heat emitter is good for the day, but at night I'd recommend a lower wattage unless your house gradient drops considerably at night. If you want to get another ceramic heat emitter of a lower wattage, and use the timer to switch it for on at nighttime. That would work better. Check the temperatures of all the spots in the cage at night and let us know what they are. Then check all spots during the day and let us know.

Can the lower ceramic be the same color or should it be a different color blub?

Ceramic Heat Emitter's do not give off light, just heat. Hence the name.

Incandescent bulbs, give off color, whether it's a regular light bulb, red/infrared bulb, blue or purple bulb. They can be used during the day. IN MY OPINION... Chameleons can see any color light from an incandescent bulb, so ceramic heat emitters are the only heat source to use at night.
If your gradient(air) temperatures, are like mine, which are about 75 during the day, 68 at night. These are the bulbs you should use.

(Nighttime)
Exo Terra 40 Watt Ceramic Bulb

(Daytime ONLY)
Zoo Med 100 watt basking bulb

Zoo Med 18" Repti Sun 5.0 UVB bulb


Hope this helps. and would you happen to have some pictures of the enclosure. If not, tell us what type of cage, temps, diet, humidity, substrate(hopefully none ) and such.

Originally Posted by CJjersey

I have a UV flours. light on during the day as well as a 75 watt ceramic socket blub on now nearly 24 hrs a day. What should I keep on and when? And do I need to add something else for night-time?

Now very important question. Is this a UVB bulb? S lot of pet stores will sell you full spectrum or "uv" bulbs that don't produce UVB.

Zoo Med 18" Repti Sun 7.0 UVB bulb Is what I have now, It says it's a "desert" bulb is that too much? I'll post pictures about the rest when I get home from work. Thanks for all the help guys.