Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an Exo Terra medium sized cermamic/metal lamp. Are these known to be safe from fire hazards?

I ask because the ceramic top gets hot, I use a 60 or 40 watt regular bulb in there, so it is well below the max, but the cord touches the ceramic so it concerns me.

Thanks.

Although it seems like there would be trouble, your socket and wires are OK with those wattages, especially if the ceramic socket is UL and/or CSA rated (which I believe they are.)

What you think is hot isn't hot enough to damage the wire insulation.

Thanks, makes me feel a bit better.

Along the same lines, I have 2 fake plants in there, with paper towel substrate. I imagine it would have to get well over 100 degrees in there before a fire could start?

Yeah, well over 100 deg. The ignition temperature for most dry paper is much much higher than what that bulb could do.

Much more of a concern is allowing the animal to overheat. Make sure there is always a cooler area available for the captive, and use a thermostat for best protection against overheating. With ceramic elements, proportional controllers are fantastic. If you don't want to spend money on a thermostat, an inexpensive lamp dimmer is a good solution. ZooMed makes one for about $22 that you don't have to wire yourself.

Dont let the wire touch the dome at all . Just duct tape the cord on side of cage cover so it doesnt touch the dome .

Stand the cord "up" a bit and tape it that way . I have used mine this way for few yrs and no problem I wouldnt risk the cord touching that dome .