Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had to divide this into 2 posts because it is too long

I heat my main enclosure, 48 x 24 x 24, from the bottom using thermostatically controlled flex watt heat tape. It is about the size and thickness of a sheet of paper. I have it directly on the floor with a piece of PlexiGlas on top of it, then sand and rocks. I also use a heated cave that also provides a warm place to hang out on it's top; it does not get as warm as heat rocks do. There is also a heat rock that does get pretty warm and they all seem to like spending time there. I have a female who has been producing clutches one after another this season, and she has been parked on that heat rock a lot, long after the others go to bed for the day. I know heat rocks have a bad reputation, but mine has worked flawlessly. I also believe that when you use them with healthy lizards, if the heat rock does malfunction, a healthy lizard's incredible thermoregulation abilities will have it up on it's toes and/or gaping, then moving to a cooler spot. We have probably all seen this under basking lights. My veterinarian tells me the burns from heat rocks he has seen have usually occurred with an animal that is already sick and not thermoregulating well. And he is not seeing burns like he did in the past, and from that I assume that heat rocks are manufactured with more safety in mind now. My hatchlings are also heated from the bottom with a heating pad and have 10.0 fluorescent lights for rays and basking light.
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Valerie Rae

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

vrk.photosite.com

I use Zoo-Med's 10.0 Repti-Sun fluorescent bulbs for UVA and UVB and (just for overkill I guess!) I have been using UVA bulbs for basking. The basking shelves seem to absorb most of the heat from the basking lights and I don't believe they are contributing much to the overall heating of the enclosure. I am planning to switch over to ceramic or household bulbs when these are gone. So I will be doing pretty much the same thing as you, just trying to find bulbs to reproduce the temperatures that I know have been working well for me. I have found my best purchase has been a temp gun, and for some reason, it took me forever to just buy one! Temperatures were not what I thought they were when I had been spot checking with a thermometer. The floor of my outdoor screen cage was in the 140's this July and I would have never guessed that. A gun makes it so easy to check out what is going on and changes can be made and evaluated quickly. Mine was $25 shipped and worth much more, to me. Just yesterday I set up a new hatchling tank, and the temp gun alerted me that the new heating pad I had placed under it was too warm.

Exo-Terra/Hagen has just come out with 10.0 Repti-Glo fluorescent bulbs to compete with Zoo-Med's Repti-Sun 10.0 bulbs. Exo-Terra claims their product produces 33% UVA and 10% UVB while Zoo-Med says theirs produces 30% and 10%. While I have been satisfied with the Repti-Sun product, I will be curious to see what experiences others may have with Repti-Glo fluorescents. I'm also curious what experiences other have had using the compact 10.0 bulbs these two companies make - the ones that fit in regular incandescent light fixtures. I'm always interested to hear of other's experiences with any products they use for their collareds. I think product discussions would be very helpful to both old and new keepers.
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Valerie Rae

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

vrk.photosite.com

Great Information about lighting and heating!
Extremely important when it comes to keeping Collared Lizards heathy.
Thanks for the post, and here is a healthy male who enjoys proper lighting and heating.

oldcrota

what a handsome boy
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Valerie Rae

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

vrk.photosite.com

Seems as though it's playtime, lol I think Hobo KNOWS whats going on, hahahhahahaa !
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PHEve / Eve