Reptile & Amphibian Forums

FR,
You mentioned that you had experimented with different wattages as well as used certain monitors as "testers" for bulbs. My question is, what's the cut off point on bulbs to cause burns? At what point(or wattage) does the bulb burn the monitor's skin upon contact? My next question is about a burn. Does it disappear with consecutive sheds or are they permanent? Thanks for the advice..

Matt

The thing about bulbs and wattage is, you use what achieves the desired results in your situation. There is no set wattage or type.

Of course there are guidelines, Small cage, low wattage, large cage, either higher wattage or multiple bulbs of lower wattage.

I don't remember what we talked about, but halogen bulbs have to be used carefully as the newer ones burn monitors very quickly. Incandesents rarely ever burn. Again, merely guidelines.

The goal is to achieve a range of temps and lite intensity. Cheers

Frank, Im not sure you answered the question. He was asking what wattage of bulb would cause a burn? Would it be anything above a 60 watt incandescent or anything about a 45 watt halogen? Common sense should lead us to the fact that you would need to use more bulbs if they were lower wattages to reach the desired temp. Have you figured out a ceiling for wattage you should stay away from in order to prevent burns upon contact?
If I'm not mistaken, he also asked if burns would eventually shed away or if they would leave scars. As far as I know, they leave scars, but shed's may help it to be a little less obvious. Any ideas?

The reason is, there is no answer. Its all about how a lite is applied.

Its like Holly said, your trying to achieve a goal(heat range) you have to use what allows you to do that. If your in alaska, its going to be different then here. Heck, most places are different then here.

The point is, more problems occur with high wattage. Less problems occur with lower wattage. When in doubt, low wattage out. Its far better to use several low wattage bulbs then one high wattage bulb. Cheers

Frank he asked upon contact. do you know which wattage bulb burns monitors on contact? i dont think where you are in the world would effect the temperature of a wattage of bulb. i 60 watt incandescant bulb in alaska is gonna be the same temperature as a 60 watt incandescant bulb in arizona on contact.
-----
-Marshall
1.1.0 ball pythons
0.0.1 red ackie

Try testing it. That may help you understand. A simple test really, a 60watt bulb in a 20 gallon tank. Then change the air temps by 10 degrees. You know, first at 60F ambient temp and check the temp of the bulb. Then at 70F (AT)and check the temp again, and keep going it at ten degree intervals.

After that, you may want to add some variables like raising the humidity and test again. Using the same approach. Raise it in 10 percent intervals. You can then vary the ventilation and test again. Then you will see a 60watt bulb can have a huge range of temps.

Then you may want to entertain what a lite bulb does. Cheers

How do I change the air temp inside the tank to test the heat of the bulb? That completely through me off.

Btw, thanks all for clarifying my questions.

My big concern is "Are my monitors warm enough". I almost wish there was some chart laying out the proper wattage of one bulb or group of bulbs for enclosure size. I've heard it said more than once that using multiple lower wattage bulbs will achieve better(?) results that one high wattage bulb. If this makes it easier, I'm not using halogens...just regular incandecents.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that I don't want my montors to dehydrate or develop gout. I understand how to retain humidity...that's easy. Use less ventilation to retain moisture.

I don't use any other alternative methods of heat in my enclosures besides heat bulbs. I have read that a monitor needs a basking spot that reaches 130 Degrees F. Thinking logically, the same wattage bulb will produce the same amount of heat regardless of the size of the enclosure within its immediate area.

What I wanna know is what does everyone else do? Does anyone have any pictures of their standard set ups? I may just be anal, but I want my monitors to thrive and be healthy as possible, and that includes providing a humid enough and warm enough environment.

you don't need to know what the wattage is. Just test it. Put a bulb in a cage and read the temps. All your after is the temps.

You can use higher wattage to increase the temps, or lower wattage to lower the temps. The wattage itself is meaningless. The temps the bulbs produce is meaningful.

You could also use a reostat and adjust the wattage to dial in temps.

You can move the bulbs closer or farther to adjust the basking temp.

You can use moisture to control the basking temps. Dry cages will get hotter with the same wattage used in a moist cage. Evaporation causes cooling. In reality, in one set up, the temps will change with humidity and ventilation.

Angle of the bulbs will also effect the basking temps, round bulbs throw heat in 350 degrees, Flood lamps throw lite/heat in a 45 degree spread. And spotlites in an 18 degree spread. Therefore its easy to understand that the basking temps of a spot is much hotter then a flood, which is much hotter then a round bulb. Of course a round bulb with a metal reflector is between a flood and a round bulb.

So its easy to understand, with all this available you have lots of choices on how you can set up a basking spot and the ambient temps.

You see, the above is why you cannot tell someone what wattage to use. I can use a 65 watt flood incandesent to create a 150F basking spot. And another person can use a 250 watt bulb to create a 100F basking area in the same cage. Its how you use the lites and wattage thats important.

In coastal calif, room temperature is something 68 to 72 F, here at my house and in the desert, room temps is around 80F. My monitor rooms temp can be close to 90F in the summer. So its easy to understand, that will all other conditions being alike, The basking temp with be hotter in 80F room temps, then it would be in 72F room temp.

There is far more that effects this. Like mass temps. In calif, the base floor temps is in the 60's, here it skyrockets and our mass temps are outa hand. If you have a cage up against a wall, it could cook the inmates, without a lite.

All said and done, its not about wattage, its about a basking temp, period. Your really interested in the temps, not the wattage. That is whats important to understand.

Not to change the subject but in the early days on our forum. We often discussed incubating eggs. You see, we all had tons of eggs, but some had no or little experience hatching them. So the questions were about water and ratios and humidities, etc. There was plenty of egg killing going on. Until we finally figured a way to explain what I do. I said, I do not measure humidity or think of water when incubating monitor eggs. I simply check the eggs, If they need water I add it, if not I don't. I incubate eggs not water. All you have to do is gently touch the eggs to find out. After all, I am not incubating water, I am incubating eggs. Cheers