Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just moved my baby nile into it's new 4x2 enclosure and i decided to go with a cypress/pine mulch blend due to how cheap it is but something i've noticed that i don't like is once my heat emitter heats up that mulch it puts off a strong scent. does anybody think this could cause harm to my nile who having to live with this smell directly in his enclosure? and another thing, i just ordered 2 zilla heat lamps off ebay and i was told they were 250 watts so i ordered 2 250 watt heat emitters, well i got the lamps today and they're 150 watts but they do have porcelain/ceremic sockets, is anybody against using the 250 watt emitters in them?

the smell may be a problem. is pine part of the mix, or did you mix it? if you are going to use cypress, use straight cypress.

as for the wattage, good grief, are you trying to illuminate an entire coastline?

just because it SAYS it handles 250 watts doesn't mean you USE 250 watts.

with the proper info and strategy, you should be able to make a proper setup using nothing more than 50 and 85 watt bulbs.

learn more about it at this FAQ. it is all about proper placement, proper setup, and measuring temperatures correctly.
Pro Exotics Bulb Wattage FAQ

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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

it's a cypress/pine mulch blend from home depot. my goal was to go with straight cypress but after going to walmart and lowes and seeing they left their cypress outside it was all wet and frozen, so last i went to home depot and they only had a cypress/pine blend but it was wet too so i just went ahead and bought 2 bags from them, came home and baked it at 200 degrees to remove moisture. as for the watts, i don't use both lamps, just one, i bought 2 of each though as a backup incase one ever went out. i'm currently using one of those lamps and emitters and it seems to be working very well always keeping one side between 90-100 and the other side 70-80 depending on what temp i have my room. the smell seems to have gone away for the most part. i got my nile last monday, he/her seems really shy spending most of his time in the paper towel rolls i've put in there for him or under his log. when he does come out as soon as i walk in he immediately runs into hiding. he eats very well on mice, fish, and crickets. i did noticed a few days after i got him home towards the end of his tail on the top a small chunk(chunk sounds too big, i'll say piece) is missing. i don't know where exactly the bone is located at in the tail but whatever happened it's healed and doesn't seem to bother him.

there are LOTS of ways to keep monitors alive for a week, a few months, or even a year.

i would STRONGLY SUGGEST you get hip to current husbandry and provide a proper setup for your monitor.

you don't sound like you are maliciously making a poor setup, but based on your details, it is a poor setup indeed.

there is info on our site, in the caresheets and FAQ, that would bring your husbandry up to date.

ignore it at your ANIMAL'S peril : )

best of luck.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles