Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Are florescent lights at Home Depot just as good as florescent lights specifically made for reptiles?

If their primary purpose is to provide light and heat...then yes, they are just as effective. The ones at pet stores may provide a bit extra heat....but in my experience, they just cost more than what can be found in the hardware store, or anywhere else that sells lights for one's home.

Even if the brands sold in pet stores last longer as one I buy at Canadian Tire, the cost difference still makes a huge difference. (I recently bought 2 120 watt flood lights at CT for about $8. One equal watt at the pet store would be $17, so twice the price. Though I often buy bulbs on sale, so the pack I bought was less than $8 as it was on sale, I just can't remember the sale price.) I replace these bulbs about once every two years (when they burn out).

Note that my cage design isn't the best for keeping heat in...a far better constructed cage with less ventilation (I have screen doors) less heat would be needed in say small vents on the sides, and glass doors, so a 75 watt bulb may be sufficient. I can get these at $1 for 2, of regular bulbs, or for a bit more for flood style bulbs. These are all Canadian prices, the US probably has much better prices, especially if bought in bulk. (ie 4 bulbs or more)

One thing I Have noticed with bulbs up here, they are being designed more efficient...which tends to make them more bright but don't seem to produce as much heat. I tend to buy cheap bulbs, as they still produce a good amount of heat, but they tend to burn out faster than bulbs that are a bit more expensive and thus, better quality.
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PHLdyPayne

My apologies for not being clearer. I meant as far as UVB lighting goes.

Oh,no,you definitely need the pet store uvb flourescent bulbs. If you live in an area that gets good sun for part of the year you can put your dragon out for half hour or more daily and not need the uvb bulb at all. You must monitor the temps. though...just like indoor they will need a cool side,and that is not easy to regulate but it can be done.

Ah, sorry, not sure why I thought you meant general heating/light type bulbs and not UVB bulbs.

You definitely have to buy bulbs specifically designed to emmit UVB rays and the bulbs at Home Depot and similar stores don't sell any which produce UVB. Some may have trace amounts of UVB but most just produce UVA light which isn't enough for reptiles.

Pet stores and online reptile supply stores are the only source for UVB producing bulbs. Keep in mind most of the florescent tube types and do need to be fairly close to the dragon's basking area to be the most beneficial. Its best to get one that runs the length of your cage.

For babies and juveniles up to about 14" I have used 18" to 24" UVB tubes, then move the dragons to their adult cages (mine are 5'x2'x2" in size) and I have 4' long florescent fixtures with exa-terre 8.0 bulbs. I also use double light fixtures so I can help increase the general lighting of the cage, by putting in a full spectrum tube beside the UVB tube (the full spectrum are the same as the ones you can buy at Home Depot for a few bucks.) This ensures my cage is well lite from one end to the other.

As the other poster mentioned, if you live in an area where it is warm enough during most of the year to take your dragon outside for half an hour of natural sunlight, dragons certainly benefit from this alot. I can only do this for the summer months and even then, not every day.
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PHLdyPayne

They must be UVB and have the percentage of UVB that the bulb emits (5% , 8%, or 10%). The higher the bulb is kept away from your animal makes a difference too. Example: if you have a higher tank , you need a 10.0% UVB bulb because the UVB Rays dissolve after 15'' or so. If you have a 10 gallon or a 20 gallon LONG then a 5% or 10% will be efficient.
www.AtlantaBeardedDragons.com

I think LdyPayne missed the word fluorescent. She seems to be discussing regular incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs do not emit a significant amount of heat so that would never be their purpose. A standard fluorescent bulb emits no significant UVB. Zoo Med claims that their 10% bulb has UVB penetration to 20" so that would be my recommendation. You can get way better pricing by buying online rather than in a pet store. I'd recommend petmountain.com they have the best price on UVB bulbs.

Thanks everyone for the helpful facts.