Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a new screen top for my cage and a new nightime (to be used 24hrs) 100w basking bulb and a new cerramic hood. when i turn it on and rest it on the screen, there is a wierd smell. I cannot place a finger on it, and it is bothering me. I just ended up leaving the light off (dont have dragons yet) any ideas?

u really dont need a night time bulb. their temps can go into the low 70s with no problems at night. ur basically just wasting ur money.

You said it is sitting directly on the screen, that could be what you smell. Try and turn it on someplace else so it is not on the screen. Does it still smell? If not, then it is something on the screen. I would say wash it and clean it very good and place it back on the screen to see if that help...

Good luck...

Yeah, there is still a smell there even when it is off the screen top. I think the smell is just the ceramic heating up.. it doesnt smell bad, I just want to know if it is dangerous. Does ceramic give off toxins when heated?

As long as the ceramic part is rated above the wattage of the element that you are using, you should be ok. You can turn it on and leave it outside to see if the smell will go away after a while. If it is new, I am sure that there would be some kind of new/burnt smell to it when first turned on.

Good luck...

I use ceramic heaters and I've never smelled anything. Try hanging the ceramic heater somewhere out of the room and see if you smell it. If you cant, try washing the screen very well and try it again..
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~Julie~