Heating
Veiled chameleons like hot basking spots to sit and soak up the heat. It is not uncommon to see veileds basking even when ambient temperatures are 80-90 degrees. Since veileds love to bask, providing a heating lamp to create a basking spot of 90-105 degrees at one end of the enclosure is important. The ambient temperature should be around 75 during the night, and should rise to around 80-85 over the course of the day. Veiled chameleons who are not provided with a basking spot will develop respiratory and digestion problems over time. The best way to provide the appropriate heating is to use a clamp/shop light and a heat bulb. You do not need to purchase the expensive heat bulbs from pet shops, you can just use a floodlight style bulb, and just test different wattages to find the appropriate basking temperature. Standard household bulbs can also be used, but often do not provide enough heat.

Do not guess on temperatures inside the enclosure, as they are very important to the chameleons health. Purchase thermometers from a pet store and place them in various locations across the cage to measure the basking and ambient temperatures. You should also purchase humidity guages to measure the humidity inside the enclosure. Veiled prefer dryer enclosures, but do need to be misted multiple times throughout the day, but this will be covered in more detail in the "Feeding & Watering" section of this website.

Reptiles, being ectothermic, do not manufacture their own body heat, so in order to raise or lower their body temperature, reptiles will move to a colder or warmer area, such as a shaded branch. You need to provide the chameleon with a range of temperatures so that the chameleon can thermoredulate as they would in the wild.

Placing the basking spot at one end of the enclosure allows the chameleon to thermoregulate, you will see him move throughout the day. Always place the basking light at the highest point in the cage to mimic what occurs in nature. Once the heating requirements are met, it's time to provide the lighting requirements.

Lighting
There is some controversy regarding correct lighting for chameleons. Chameleons need full-spectrum lighting that emits energy in the UVB wavelengths. When chameleons are exposed to UVB, they create vitamin D3 under their skin, which is important for proper digestion and calcium absorption, and without appropriate amounts of D3, the chameleon will suffer from a calcium deficiency, and can cause many health related issue. They will suffer from metabolic bone disease within a month if the proper lighting is not provided.

The best way to provide full-spectrum lighting with UVB in a captive situation is to have a fluorescent light fixture running the length of the enclosure. Most chameleon owners highly recommend the Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 bulb, and compared to lights sold at pet stores this light is often found much cheaper on the internet. Many mail-order and online stores will sell these lights for a fraction of the cost you would find in a pet store. Make sure to place the lights outside the enclosure on the top, this ensures the safety of the chameleon.

Run the lights for 10-12 hours a day, this can easily be done by using a common household timer. At night, do not use any heating or lighting, and if you have the chameleon in a high-traffic area, try to place a sheet or curtain up in front of the enclosure.