Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone used halogen spot lights for basking light/heat. I am looking for spacesaving alternatives for pet store project.
Thanks, Carey

Sure ..monitor keepers like my self use them to heat the enclosiers and for a hot spot!..45watt..up to 100watt depending how large your enclosier and also very important the time of the year determines the heat needed.

The low-voltage halogen lights work well for heat, but they do give off alot of light in the process, making for a very well-lit cage.

I like the idea of 12V lights because of the safety factor. Just get the transformer and the rest is easy. They sell some really nice ceiling receptacles for the commonly-used halogen bulbs and wattages.

For the 120VAC halogen lamps, the same is true: they heat very well but give off alot of light. For snake keepers, it may be too much light depending on the application and species and cage setup. For diurnal lizards it is probably fine.

thanks for the info. These would only be for those animals requiring basking lights. The new enclosures I built for the pet store leave very little room for regular heat lamps. I also think they are way too big and bulky.

If you are speaking of the round "Hockey puck lights " They work well i have been doing them in cages for many years, in a 12" tall cage a basking spot of 100+ can be met easily , You will need a dimmer or pulse proportional stat to put them on. ( to adjust the light for temps in lower cages below 18" They throw about a 16-20" circle in a 12 inch cage and will more then provide heat esp basking for dessert animals. UV may still be needed in them of course but to acheive heating / lighting they work well

heres a few examples in cages

First is a multi unit in white has the 20 watts in them setup for arboreal use on chondros in a store ( and other various snakes depending on whats in them)

this next one is a hot cage for the museum of Natural history here in NC they use it for display cage on reptile day. the light in the top are the halogen lights and has a lamp dimmer to control them .

the one thing you will have to keep in mind and so will the employees is they have to use a napkin / paper towel etc or the halogen bulbs will go fast with hand oils etc on them. They also dont like being banged and tossed around or going ON/Of when there hot all the time thats why I recoomend the lamp dimmers with the halogens or pulse proportional stats and use them as lighting and heating source all in one.

I reall like and use them myself in cages there great also for colder winter temps where you need to rasie temps up in a cage or something. I use the 120 volt for easy of use in cages the ends are cut wire and you snap a plug onto it and thats it
means a small hole needs drilling about 5/16" the lights work well

this last Image is a larger cage with two in the top of it for a large jungle carpet to go in. ( lower cage also has them)

-----
___

signature file edited, contact an admin 6/12/06