Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is the federal ban on incandescent bulbs in the US going to apply to the bulbs we use to heat our basking spots? I have found verbage saying that they are specifically NOT exempted from the ban. If this is true, what are we going to do to heat our animals? Any thoughts? Should be buy dozens of heat bulbs before the beginning of 2012? lol

I use those chick brooding lights hooked up to dimmers...they give off infared ray and last for 2 years. There are halogen ones, too, and it comes in different wattage, but last thousands of hours...much longer than incandescent bulb and reptile lights, and a lot cheaper. I have never got one go out on me...except due to extreme old age, and another one I broke when I drop the heat lamp. You can buy these at Walmart or at the hardware store. They are a lot cheaper than reptile bulbs and last for 1 or 2 years.

Wow - I hadn't heard of that until now. I suppose this would depend on the temp needs of the reptile & the size of the enclosure, but what about ceramic heat emitters? I've never tried them before, but I think they come mostly in rather high wattages. I would think they'd work fine for most monitors, not so much for most smaller reptiles.

Putting reptiles in small enclosure is a bad idea because they don't get enough temperature gradients. the smallest I go is 20 gallon long...if I can help it. For small babies I do keep them in 10 gallon tanks until they outgrow them. These bulbs that I mentioned they come in different wattage. If memory serves me right, the lowest I've seen are the 45 watts... But that's not a problems I can hook them up in to a dimmer and adjust it for smaller cages that babies are kept. But I don't think you can hook the ceramic heating element to a dimmer if I remember correctly. One thing good about the ceramic heating element is: they don't dry out the cage like light bulbs do, so if the wattage is a little high, I would imagine that wouldn't be much of a problem if you have a big enough enclosure providing them with different temperature gradient. Even for snake, I like going larger than a lot of the breeders. I think providing them a lot of options is important. I've seen ball pythons kept in teeny cages by some breeders.

I couldn't speak as to whether the ceramics can be put on a dimmer either. I like the dimmer idea overall - seems like that would be much easier than adjusting the height of the basking spot(s).
As far as the halogen wattages, I've have some small, screw in 35 watt GE Reveal floods (halogens). Currently I'm using 35 watt GU10 size halogen floods on gooseneck track lighting fixtures for easy temp adjustments.
I'd have to agree w/ you about the small cages. I just meant cages that were suitable for whatever size reptile. While it wouldn't be a bad thing to have an 8'x4'x4' for a bearded dragon, it wouldn't be necessary.

making a blanket statement about ceramic heaters without context is dangerous.i see a beginner putting a 150w heat emitter in a 20g aquarium with a screen top-it will dry out the cage.any heat applied could effect humidity depending on your application.

The light really speed up the evaporation process and exciting the water molecules in the air. The ceramic heating element doesn't dry out the cage as much because it gives off no light, but it still does because it gives off infared rays which heats up everything.

So hypothetically speaking, if somewhere down the road all incandescents, halogens, mercury vapor, & any other type of high heat producing light bulbs were banned - would it be healthy (for the lizard) to heat an enclosure w/ nothing but ceramic heat emitters (day & night) & use LED/CFL/fluorescent tubes for visible light?

Rookie question, I know, but I've always used halogens.
Infrared heat was mentioned a post or two ago, which made me recall that there's several different types of light/heat given off from light bulbs - infrared, radiant, & I think maybe one other type. Not quite sure what ceramic heat emitters give off.

If you light to heat your enclosure, you get a localized dry spot, the cage. The effect is evident in tortoises because a lot of become dehydrated and in combination of both lack of calcium and growing to fast develop shell deformity. i know some animals that died while sleeping under a light.

Now the ceramic heating elements gives off infared ray. Anything that is heated gives off infared and the infared also heats up the object.

Yes, it's probably much better to use ceramic heating elements for heating and florescent for lighting. But it's still have a drying effects because of all the infared ray, but not as much as light bulbs.

I am sorry but why do you think you know anything? You give such odd advice. And use such weird examples.

You commonly say things like a tort died under the basking lite, so this and that and the other.

Dude, torts have died under the lite, over in the corner, in the water bowl. Sitting on someones lap. Etc. etc etc.

Your lack of experience is misleading. In the vast majority of cases, your examples are individuals dying from poor husbandry, which surpresses their immune system and they actually die from any one of a whole bunch of causes.

Its like an offramp on the freeway, any one of many GETS YOU OFF the freeway.

yet you turn such shallow observations into all manner of meaning. Sir, what makes you think so much of yourself.

In the past you made all manner of statements about monitors, yet you stated, you once saved a Sav. Whatever the heck that means. THat was your only experience, Yet you give advice like your some manner of expert.

Dude, get some actual experience before you give advice. As in, quantify, back your conclusions with numbers, lots of numbers, then you may actually be of value.

As it is, your harming other keepers animals.

You know that list on the bottom of these replys, it should be mandatory that people that give advice should have a long list.

What I meant about the tort is that the light have a drying affects on the shell, your anus. When tort grows too fast a lot of the get MBD, and then the shell which are made from carotene (the same stuff as your finger nails) harden and get heavier, it pushes on the soft bones and over time the shell is distorted into weird shapes like what you see. It's kindda like bow leg you see on humans who don't get enough calcium. The weight of the body put a lot of strain on the leg bones.

And I've seens lizards dying under the lights not tortoises. BAsically, it was an open screen top and when you put the lights on it, it's kindda like beef jerky machine. I forgot to mention that. If memory serves me right, Just like you said over and over and over again...you don't like screen top.

A lot of herpers keep a lot of animals too and yet you act like you the only one who knows everything and they are completely wrong. Even a lot of geniuses (and I'm not kidding) admit, they, too, do not know everything. You act like you are geniuses, which I seriously doubt by the manner you speak to people.

No offense, but your entire reply is made up poop.

Not based on any fact, but instead grapped from here and there and then rationalized about one thing.

Which is a huge problem.

In order for you to apply your thoughts, you really must KNOW why that tort or lizard died, You know, determined by someone trained in that area, a good reptile vet perhaps. Not some other animal, but the exact animal in question.

In order to make an assumption, some parts of your base information must be based or derived from fact. You, somehow avoid that.

You have no base of fact to work from, everything in your post is taken from unrelated and unassoiated events.

Which makes what you say, hmmmmmm to be nice, very very questionable. You somehow think that if you pull that stuff together in your brain, it must be so. Sorry, its not so.

Of course your defense is, to attack others like me, First off, a genius, not so much, know everything, really no so much.

Yet, I do know some things and know them very well. With fifty plus years of captive breeding all manner of reptiles, and in number. You do pick up a thing or two.

During that fifty plus years, folks like you come and go, mostly go. hahahahahahahaha. You read something and your an expert. You read three things and sit on a egg and your really a expert.

If you apply some math to that, my millions of events and years of experiencing them and all the reading I have done, compared to your what, two lizards and a golfball. Hmmmm that would make you about 70564.5928 times smarter then me. Hmmmmmm you may be smarter, but not that much smarter.

Where your totally lacking is, YOU FRIGGIN NEED EXPERIENCE if you want to actually learn something. If you cannot figure that out, then you are not smarter or even smart in the least.

And I do not care what your genetic background is. As all human races include, not so smart, people.

So those that you all genius and experts in the field, You say, do not know everything. no we don't but we do know this, you are not qualified to give advice.

on a base level, you are required to show what makes you think your so smart. What have you done? not read, we all can read, here its the application of whats read that is meaningful.

For instance this whole dumb thread about lite bulbs and heat emitters. Just to get you thinking, why do lizards have a pineal eye and how do they use it?

Well, I believe your brain is made of poop. I think I'd rather listen to other people! Hahahaha! No, offense! I don't think you're a genius, that's true, in fact far from it... So why should I believe you?

This is not about me, its about you.

You really should consider gathering facts, and actually gaining experience before you preach you junk, at least then you would be able to show some results.

And that has nothing to do with me.

I have done this for a very long time and I know, your full of beans. What worries me is, those inexperienced folks that are going to lose their animals because of YOU. and that will not be me.

whats good about this type of forum is, its about actually doing it. Can you show anything? if not, don't risk other peoples animals because of your ego.

And OTHER people, do not listen to someone who cannot show, they are doing or have done what your interested in or are asking about. Thanks all

" your brains are made of poop"???? Are you like 12 or something? Frank may not be the most tactful person out there (not that it bothers me.) but his is advice is solid. Everything he does may not work for everyone but it gives you a good starting point to go by and you can build from there.
I don't recall him ever referring to himself as a genius. He simply tells you what works for him and tells you in no uncertain terms why he thinks other methods of husbandry are wrong and most importantly he provides proof to back up his claims.
I have read your posts and rather than providing any proof to back up what you say or clearly stating why you think the way you do you resort to name calling. Perhaps Frank isn't a genius, (your words not mine) but based on your responses to him, I can tell you that he is much higher on the bell curve than you are.

Ouch! For a moment...that almost hurt!

The outer layer of a tortoise shell may be made of keratin, however the actual shell is made up of bone. A turtle shell is basically a modified rib cage and sternum and is made up of calcium just like any other bone.