Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this has been talked about before but it has been a while since I have been here. What do you use to get your heat up? Do you use Repile bulbs or regular flood lamps?

Spot lamps are preferred over flood lamps. They don't have to have a "reptile" brand name. The idea is to have the spot lamp provide an adequate basking temp at the same time warming the ambient "warm" side of the enclosure to around 90-100. Flood lamps spread the heat to the point that a good temp gradient in anything but a really long cage is near impossible.

>>Spot lamps are preferred over flood lamps.

Unless you're using halogens over a short cage. I have custom lids for many of my cages, so have a short distance between the bulb and cage floor. Spot halogens create a vicious hot spot. Flood style create a really nice, wider warm area for me. That said, I do also use reptile style basking lamps, too.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

If I used a spot lamp in my cage, the basking spot would be too hot or I'd have to use a wattage so small that it wouldn't warm the ambient very much. I use a 75 watt flood and it makes a perfect 130-135 degree basking spot. I still have to use other light bulbs to raise to ambient to 95-100. All that and my cool side never goes above 83 and normally hovers around 80-81.

I think the trick is to use an IR thermometer and two regular thermometers to measure all your temperatures. There's no magic bulb combination. You just have to see what works with your cage. Without the appropriate thermometeres, this is impossible.

The "trick" is in using a dimmer switch, I say again.

Just make sure you're not dimming a mercury lamp. That's the one problem with them. You have to work around THEIR output.

Agreed. I'm referring to regular spot lights. We gave up up on mercury lights for their being so temperamental.