Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was contimplating a 100 watt bulb, but after reading "a good day with a sad ending" im thinking that that might be too hot..

just raise the bulb up from the top of the cage....chances are, if you sit it directly on top, the basking site will be too hot, unless his basking perch is about 12-16 inches from the top of the cage, in which case you are wasting valuable climbing/perching space. I have a 100 watt MV bulb sittin on top of a milkcrate on top of my cage. From that distance, his basking perch is between 95 and 100 degrees and only about 6 inches from the top of the cage. There are many ways to achieve the distance; play with it and see what works for you.
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Matt

would like to comment, the error was mine in that story.. still trying to figure how but somehow i left a way for her to get up close enough to the screen to get on it, and altho the basking spot was within a good 10 inches from the lamp, and at a temp of 93 degrees, directly under the light was much much more, which is where she had to have gone to fall where she did... the only way i can think she got up there is via her dripper, she must have reached up and grabbed on the dripper nozzle, then got up on top of that, and grabbed onto the lid somehow and worked her way up on top of that which was within easy reach of the top screen. then she obviously walked from there upside down over to the heat lamp, and being how young she was, overheated and died probably relatively quick i'd assume...

so just evaluate your setup to prepare for even the slightest possibility of something like that...

they can also just climb right up the side of their screen cage and go onto the top, where they usually sit under the bulb..........
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