Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For YEARS, I used those expensive special basking bulbs in all my reptile cages. They don't last very long and I finally began using regular, garden-variety, 100-watt incandescent bulbs as the bright heat source in each cage. Each enclosure also has a ceramic heat emitter and a reptile UVB bulb. My lizards have continued to do well and have even reproduced (hatchlings and live-born). This would tend to support the notion that there's no need at all to spend $6 for a special reptile basking bulb as opposed to a standard 50-cent 100-watt bulb.

I keep hearing that some states and Ontario are fixing to outlaw incandescent bulbs in the future due to energy conservation reasons. This is partly FINE; the human race HAS to figure out how to lessen the amount of energy we collectively use. Though fluorescent lighting is horrid, I guess we'll all have to get used to it for HUMAN purposes.

However, I feel that my herps NEED incandescent lighting! Is anyone concerned about this besides me? I GUESS captive reptiles could technically do without a bright heat source as long as they still had UVB exposure and a lightless ceramic heat source, but I would think not having that fake-sun heat would detract from their general contentment level. My impression is that they simply ENJOY basking under a warm incandescent light.

Any comments? Are any herp lobbyists/representatives in Washington DC working on exceptions to the coming laws regarding the abolishment of incandescent light bulbs?

I used regular incandescent lightbulbs for many years then decided to switch for some reason. After spending hundreds of dollars on basking heatlamps and finding that they just don't last very long I decided to switch to outdoor flood lamps.

The problems that I was having was related to high levels of humidity in some of my cages. I no longer have these problems and the bulbs last for years.

The down side to that type of light is that they are very bright, and like the sun could probably cause damage to the eyes. I found that placing a layer of metal window screen around the light helps a bit.

As for the UV lights, reptiles can see a fuller spectrum than humans can see. Without both UVA & UVB they are not getting the whole picture. I would recommend a UVA 5.0 and a UVB 10.0. Many people will add tons of UV lamps on the top of their cages. This can actually cause damage to a reptile... Even those like Chuckwallas, and Desert Iguanas. Studies show that high levels of UVB also synthesize UVC lightwaves, (Invisable to humans), these lightwaves are very harmful. The more UVB lamps the more UVC rays are emitted.

For heating you could always look at water heating solutions. It would be fairly simple to make a mold of your herps favorite rock, run a pipe through it and heat it with water. Gas is cheaper than electricity. You could then use LED lights. I'm actually looking for an alternative way to heat a tortoise that I recently received as a gift. This guy hates the light! Yet needs 85-90 degree sticky humid conditions, and filtered UV lighting.

-Kory