Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it really necessary to buy a special 100W bulb for heat? I spent $6.99 on an Exo Terra Day Glo heat lamp bulb about 3 months ago, and it burned out. Before I replace it with the same, I just want to make sure I can't use just a regular household bulb and why not?

Thanks!
Karen

well do you want my answer or an answer exo terra would give you?

One similar to that you would most likely get from an Exo-Terra rep:

Our light bulbs are specially designed to emit a full spectrum of lighting, yet not ranging into the potentially dangerous high uv spectrum and offering more of the low power infrared spectrum for heat.

my answer:

go to walmart get yourself a 4 pack of bulbs for 88 cents. work just as well and the dangers that they mention are so extremly minute it's absurd they even mention it. Also, walmart sells thousands of bulbs a day, where exo terra may only sell 50/day (on a good day). So production cost is a lot cheaper for the walmart bulb.

The only reason it says that they are good for reptiles is because they just went out and lobbied various corporations (probably something like the UL, FDA, or maybe even the HSUS as cruel as they are...) to get a stamp of approval. thereofre you are paying plenty for just a bunch of bull[bleep] written on the package.

But do what you want.
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
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Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

The best way to go woul d be an element that emits no light.. Heat emitter, projector or a panel....
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www.mgreptiles.com
CBB Herps and Heating Supplies

Hi, Chris!

>>well do you want my answer or an answer exo terra would give you?
>>One similar to that you would most likely get from an Exo-Terra rep:
>>Our light bulbs are specially designed to emit a full spectrum of lighting, yet not ranging into the potentially dangerous high uv spectrum and offering more of the low power infrared spectrum for heat.
>>my answer:
>>go to walmart get yourself a 4 pack of bulbs for 88 cents. work just as well and the dangers that they mention are so extremly minute it's absurd they even mention it. Also, walmart sells thousands of bulbs a day, where exo terra may only sell 50/day (on a good day). So production cost is a lot cheaper for the walmart bulb.

Will the regular WalMart type incandescent screw-in bulbs provide any UV light? I understand that Herps see a whole lot differently than we do and utilize more of the full colour spectrum of light including UV (UVA and UVB) as well as infrared.
I would think that by not providing them proper lighting might be like if someone were to put a pair of wildly crazy coloured glasses on us where it completely changed the way we saw things (assuming we could see anything after they did that to us all all). I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just trying to unravel this nasty ball of wax concerning the type of lighting that a Herp in captivity should get to maintain its well-being and health as close to what it would be in the wild. Peace.

E-mail: LizardKing@TechWarrior.Net

"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

- Desiderata Max Ehrmann 1927
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Shark~King