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

Yes you need one. A regular bulb doesn't give off what your turtles need to harden thier shells.

woahhhh... wait a minute here! i have been told that I could use a regular light bulb for heat and then use a tube uvb/uva light for the 'shell hardening'.

I use a regular bulb above the basking platform for heat and then use a long tube for the uva/uvb!

i dont believe you actually need a 'heat bulb' with uva/uvb considerion you should already have it in the tube lighting fixture!

just what i've been told!
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~ Evie

Pets:
RIP 0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger & Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.2 Snail {Gary & Larry}

As long as you have a source of light that provides UVA/UVB you really don't need a special basking light. I use a regular 100 watt bulb in a few of my setups. It works well for me.

UVA/UVB bulb that was $18.99. I was a bit leary paying $6.99 for the 100W bulb for heat/basking. But I went with it for the first one, and unless I hear otherwise, I'm sticking with the .99 100W household bulb.
Thanks for the feedback!

As long as you have the uva/uvb flourescent then you are okay. The regular bulb furnishes the heat and the flourescent covers the animals needs.

Steve

yeah the flourescent is your uvb and because that doesnt really give off too much heat the you have to use something else for a basking.

there are some basking/uvb bulbs in one.. but the only ones ive seen have been close to $75 in the pet stores.

all that really matters is the temperature at the basking area. so if a household bulb does the job.. then use it.. if you cant get it close enough to make any difference in the air temperature.. then you may need to use a real 'heat bulb' from the pet store.

i used to clamp a regular 60 watt bulb onto the tank and it worked just fine, but recently ive had to move the bulb a pretty good distance away from where it was, and i had to switch to a 'basking spot' bulb which works really well, and it has some uva in it too.
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rosy boa - ms piggy
cornsnakes - koopa & bowser
slider - leonardo
african cichlids
gobies & blennies
caique
husky

Actually that light is not the best thing anyway. Good that you did not replace it with another one. It only provides a source of UVA lighting not UVA/UVB.

Mercury vapor bulbs (that's what I use) provide UVA and UVB lighting plus heat. Costs range about $40 average for 100 watt bulb but it covers all the bases. Also it loses it's effectiveness in time.

Turtles need UVB to convert vitamin D so they can absorb calcium. They also need a heat gradient, so that they can warm up to digest food, then move to a cooler location to cool down when they become too warm.

So long as you have that combination (UVB and a temperature gradient), it doesn't matter much what you use. If you have a good quality source for UVB that doesn not produce heat, then you can use a regular house hold light bulb for heat.

Katrina