Posted by:
laurarfl
at Wed Aug 6 07:16:59 2008 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by laurarfl ]
I'm not sure that you have a UV light, or if you do, you have a coil/compact. UV lights are not clear, they are white because they are coated. I'll post some links to show what I am talking about so we are on the same wavelength. HA! No pun intended! 
UV coil/compact (not very good) I'm not a brand/business basher, but the fact remains that it has been documented that some of these bulbs use a coating that produces UVC. UVC is harmful and causes photokeratosis. One company even had a compact strip that was recalled a couple of years ago because of the incidence of photokeratosis and death in beardies and chameleons. Photokeratosis is like snow blindness in people. A friend used a bad light on two baby beardies a couple years back and they had severe photokeratosis. I thought the one would die, it looked horrible, but they both made it. http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/1422/product.web
UV fluorescent (a better choice) http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/13010/product.web
Mercury Vapor Bulb (another option) This one combines heat and Uv output. It is high output, so has special precautions. This is just one brand, just as an example. http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/16259/product.web
If you aren't getting the temps the ig needs with the heat, you need a higher wattage bulb for daytime heat, or you need to move the heat source closer to the ig, or move the basking spot closer to the heat source (be careful of burns). I don't recommend using a heating pad, but that's just my opinion. Since lizards are designed to receive heat from above for the most part, they do not have strong thermo receptors on their undersides and can burn easily.
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