Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been doing some further research on mercury vapor bulbs, and I've found that, just as I suspected, the internal ballast bulbs (which is most of them) are vibration sensitive. That's the primary reason why my bulbs just don't last--wood floors, 2 young boys, and a vibration sensitive bulb just don't mix. If I could put them in a ceiling fixture, they'd last forever, but I can't get the tortoise enclosure that close to the ceiling, lol! Apparently the external ballast bulbs don't have this problem, but I think they only come in 60w and they don't give off as much heat, so supplementary heat would probably be necessary.

Anyway, I'll be ordering an external ballast bulb soon, so I'll keep everyone posted on whether it lasts more than 2 months, which would be a record for me.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

Would you mind sharing your source (and price, if possible) for these external ballast bulbs?
Thanks, Gaby

Gaby, I ordered mine from the Bean Farm, but uvheat.com and westronlighting.com also has them. I just used the Bean Farm because I often order supplies from them and they've always gotten my orders out promptly. Bean Farm sells the ballast and bulb for $60 (ballast supposedly lasts for 2 or more years).
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko