Reptile & Amphibian Forums

yesterday I saw a mercury vapor buld in the lighting section of home depot. Now I have read that mercury vapor bulds produce heat, UVA, & UVB for the turtles. Is that true only of the expensive reptile kind or does the $14 100W bulb I find fit the bill?
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]

That's a good question. Tell you what -- we have a meter that measures the output. I will go to Home Depot this weekend and find one of these bulbs and see what the output is.

What brand name are they under?

Philips I think. It was in the section with all the other bulbs and was labeled Mercury Vapor Bulb [$14]. I have no idea what kind of construction application would use such a bulb. I built houses for my dad growing up and I am at a loss but there they are.

Would be great if they would do the job on the cheap!!!
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]

Mercury vapor bulbs made for households will not produce any UVB. UVB rays are harmful for humans to be exposed too, and the bulbs also produce less heat than the reptile ones do.
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A mans got to do what a mans got to do. A woman has to do what he can't.

Mom to:

1 little boy born 7/19/04
2 male RES, born 1999
1 ribbon snake, age unknown
3 FBT, ages unknown
1 female bearded dragon, born 5/2002
1 male lab mix, born 5/24/03
1 female calico cat, born 6/7/04

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sig file edited 1/29/05 [phw]

Is this something you researched or are you making a hypothesis? Could it be some sort of industrial application like drying paint or something and not used for lighting per say.
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]

No, it is true. All UVB rays do is fade things, or cause skin cancer in humans. Industrial bulbs are not made for reptiles to use. Go buy a real UVB bulb.
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A mans got to do what a mans got to do. A woman has to do what he can't.

Mom to:

1 little boy born 7/19/04
2 male RES, born 1999
1 ribbon snake, age unknown
3 FBT, ages unknown
1 female bearded dragon, born 5/2002
1 male lab mix, born 5/24/03
1 female calico cat, born 6/7/04

____

sig file edited 1/29/05 [phw]

What do you mean by a REAL UVB bulb. Are you saying that Mercury Vapor bulbs are not good for reptiles at all or that the industrial mercury vapor bulbs are not good for reptiles and flourescents should be used?

As far as UVB rays go are you saying that UVB rays from flourescent bulb are safe and from mercury vapor bulbs can cause skin cancer in humans and fade furniture. Just a bit confused here what you are trying to day.

You had to read my earlier post.

Reptile mercury vapor bulbs are great at producing UVB, much better than flourescent tubes. That is why they come with warning labels, saying for reptile use only. If you sat under a mercury vapor UVB bulb for long periods of time you could do damage to your skin and eyes.

THe mercury vapor bulbs from home depot are designed for human use, and so produce no harmful UVB rays.
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A mans got to do what a mans got to do. A woman has to do what he can't.

Mom to:

1 little boy born 7/19/04
2 male RES, born 1999
1 ribbon snake, age unknown
3 FBT, ages unknown
1 female bearded dragon, born 5/2002
1 male lab mix, born 5/24/03
1 female calico cat, born 6/7/04

____

sig file edited 1/29/05 [phw]

Oh okay. I know the smaller Phillips bulbs that Depot sells are a source of UVA not UVB rays. I still want to get one of those larger mercury vapor flood lamps though to test what the output (if any is). Just curious since we have this meter (Kid with a his toy thing ya know).

I have been using the mercury bulbs (Capture Sun etc.) for all the turtles and torts in my collection and all the rescues that come in too. I have had some great results with them but you do have to constantly get readings on their output. Some become useless in a matter of a couple of weeks.

Currently using Mega Ray bulbs. They are the best I have dealt with thus far for maintaining their UVB output.

I looked into mercury vapor bulbs at home depot a few years ago. I didnt see any for $14, but the ones I did see generally come with a really thick cover and have a warning on the box that says exposure will cause cancer in humans. I believe all the MVP bulbs I saw were intended for outdoor use only. The main reason I decided not to get one is that they require a special fixture, and once I bought the whole system, I wouldve spent more than I would on one designed specifically for reptiles. I believe the MVP bubls at Home Depot would have the same effects but that they would not be cost effective, and you would need to alter the assembly of the bulb by removing the clear housing to expose the actual bulb.
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