Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what kind of bulbs do u use for basking. like the zoo med or exoterra. the day glo, day blue, night red or infared, and what watt. i need it for my vield cham that is almost a year old now.

i have tired some bulbs and am getting tired of buyijng bulbs that burn out every week or not hot enough and such.

thanks for any info.
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1.0. Vield Chameleon(Jessy James)
1.1.3 Sugar gliders(Bonnie & Clyde)
2.0 Ferrets(Butch & Sundance)
1.1.3 Parakeets(Prettyboy,Sassy)
1.0 Doberman (Aries)
1.1 Cats(Riley, Zoe)

If you have a reflector lamp, then just use a 60-75 watt normal house bulb. They are dirt cheap and burn out just as much if not less than the mroe expensive pet store bulbs. They don't provide full-spectrum light, so the animal's colours won't be as nice looking, but they work just as well. You can use a spot light ( /- $2.00) or a normal house bulb, which i have seen 3 to a pack for 99 cents here (Canada).

If you do want the full-spectrum, there are incandescant plant grow lights that are just a little bit less expensive than pet bulbs, but provide much better viewing quality for the chameleon.

You can get incandescent or halogen, i think halogen lasts a bit longer. they cost quite a bit less than at pet stores. for the ambient temp I use a 100W infared heat lamp that gives off white light. its awesome. for that you need a ciramic (I cant spell i'm tired lol) fixture, but they are a lot less at hadware stores also.

the heat lamp is about 1.5-2' away from the cage. I use it for the ambient temp bc it is winter here and my room gets cool. Orion seems to like it alot warmer (over 80) for most of her cage. During the summer I would just use a floodlight from the hardware store, and a spotlight for basking

get a 5" metal light dome (home depot, etc.) and buy a 6-pack of 60 watt regular household bulbs (depending on cage size you may want a 40w - mine is 4x2x2). These give off heat and light for basking. Don't waste your money on the "basking bulbs" and I am sure you know that a UVB light is necessary, regardless.

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

i have two domes right now, one that is 8"-10", not sure, with a ceramic base. the other is a real small 5" i believe. and the cages are 24"x30"x 48". i have a 2.0 and a 5.0 fluorescent bulbs for the uva/uvb, so thats covered.so what ur saying is that a a regular 40-60 watt bulb will give enough heat for a basking spot of 80-90?
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1.0. Vield Chameleon(Jessy James)
1.1.3 Sugar gliders(Bonnie & Clyde)
2.0 Ferrets(Butch & Sundance)
1.1.3 Parakeets(Prettyboy,Sassy)
1.0 Doberman (Aries)
1.1 Cats(Riley, Zoe)

Yes, all you need is a regular incandescent bulb. If you want a little hotter, go for a 60 or 75 watt halogen. But whatever you use, you need to accurately measure tyhe temps. The only thing that will do that is an electronic thermometer from Radio Shack, Home Depot, etc.
And remember that "full spectrum" bulbs do NOT provide adequate UVB. You still need your 5.0.
Lastly: There is NEVER a reason to use a real heat lamp for a cham. Thise things are too hot and too dangerous. And never, ever, use night lights or heat rocks, etc.
Ed

i started out using a "reptile basking bulb" but after it only giving me service for a few months at best i switched to clear 60 or 75 watt bulbs. the temps are still warm enough for them, i can get a alot more for the money, and they last alot longer.

dennis

I don't know what kind of commercial bulbs you've all been using, but after also having been a firm believer that "reptile bulbs" were a waste of money, I ended up trying a Zoo Med basking bulb and must say that I'm really sold on them. This is especially true with my iguanas and my Veiled chameleon because they need such high basking temps (95-100).

Regular incandescents barely raise the temp by 5 degrees, the small cheap reflector bulbs weren't much better, and the larger reflector bulbs (which cost 6-7$ each) only managed to raise the temps high enough if I used a 150W or more. A 100W Zoo Med basking bulb managed to raise my Veiled's basking temp by 30F while consuming less electricity than everything else I've tried. I also switched the bulbs in my igs' terrariums so that I can get away with only using a 50 Watt Zoo Med bulb as opposed to a 75-100 Watt reflector. I've also found the Zoo Meds to be very resiliant; I've accidentally splashed cold water directly on them and they didn't break. I'm impressed.

Just my two cents.

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Julie Williams
www.baskingwonders.com

I have used those before also. I got mine feb of last year, and gave it to a friend of mine who has a gecko, and it is still working.

The only thing I odnt like about those is that they can easily be too close or two far. The pefect temp is hard to get. Spotlights work well (from the hardware store) bc the light is in one spot, so you can have it far enough away and there is a bigger "zone" for the right temperature.
I have to use those for orion b/c if it isnt warm enough she hangs off the roof then is too close and burns herself lol.