Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A couple of things. Do they ever get burned by the bulb?
Seems burns are in alot of articles.

Do you just put warm water in the second bowl or is there some kind of heating unit? I really like this idea.

I know these are other devices but what are your opinions on heat cable and flexwatt tape (rather than an under tank heater for babies). I know heat rocks are evil killers but thought maybe the cable would work for belly heat on a lizard that didn't bask. I've never used either product.

I use a small under tank heater zoomed, flex watt is illegal in Canada sins 92?
Iv use flex watt on a dimmer with good results.

Some products are very good, but some are as bad as it gets.

I use 25w bulbs because you can’t burn on them, in fact you can hold a 25w bulb in your hand no problem. The 65w floods I use have a shape that keeps lizards from being able to cling to them, I make sure the light sockets are smooth porcelain with no possibility for grip.

Most reptiles only burns themselves when proper basking is not allowed, for example if a lizard is only allow 80f basking site when it needs 120-140f then this lizard will try to reach the heat source, this is how most thermal burns happens. When these lizards are allowed to bask at preferred temps they don’t try to make contact with the bulb.

The problem with literature is that most authors will advise on the safer side of things, it’s easier to blame your lizards lost to parasites then to a lake of proper heat. The other side of literature is that many authors simply don’t have the experience, so they cover this up by citing reference literatures and emphasise on documented natural history. This way the readers see all this impressive content that in reality is of little use to them.

I am very reluctant to publish any material, because as I said, whatever information I share today will change when new methods are developed by the next generation herper's, I really wouldn’t like to see my work belittle in any way, therefore when I do publish it will be the kind of work you just cant stop reading, the reference not just an other good looking book.

I still have a lot of work, many trips in many parts of indo-Malaya and many more species to collect and breed, because without first hand experience with species and there habitats I will never publish. I will not talk about an animal iv never kept or bred, right now I own 7 species of gonocephalus 2species of hysilurus 5 species of acanthosaura, there are still many species of each to collect and many locations to see, this can take many years.

Remember I just started keeping these dragons, a year ago I didn’t know anything about them. The big advantage I have is my 25 years of study with Asian varanids, many share the same habitat.

rgds