Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i would like to know how many hours do uv bulbs still give off enough uv light...thanks....billy

Hi, Billy! I've been told by my contact at Big Apple Herp, where I buy my UV bulbs (Repti-Sun 5.0's), that they can be good for up to a year but it is better to replace them every six months. I'd have to break out the calculator to figure out the hours, but Green Guy's bulbs are on for about ten hours a day, at least. I know that mercury vapor bulbs are excellent, but I do not use them - yet. I may in the future.

Remember that the first few inches at each end of the bulb does not emit very good UV (so it is recommended that you buy longer bulbs than you think you need), and the bulbs should ideally be eight to ten inches above where the ig usually basks most of the day. You can encourage this by placing your heating element (a heat bulb or CHE) next to the UV bulbs, so the iguana will tend to bask there. And if you can give your ig natural sunlight safely, that is even better.

Hugs,
Amy and Green Guy