Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was just looking at pictures from 2 years ago and i noticed that my red nigerian used to be a lot more vibrant in his colors. he used to be VERY orange and now he has a lot more black and dark colors on him. is there any reason why? is there any way to get his color back?
thanks!

Check temperatures and his UVB. Most of those tube UVBs start to die out after about 5-6 months. I really like the Mega Ray, my red saharans' colors became very vivid and his activity increased after installing one.

i am not using the tube lights, i have the lamps with a 100-150 watt bulb( i forget the exact watt) and then i have another lamp with the UVB bulb in it. where can i get the Mega Ray and how much do they cost?

reptileuv. com Is the site to get them.

Ditto - double check your temperatures and get a good UV light like the MegaRay. I've seen photos of the color difference Gnuby went through, and my Gizmo also went through a huge color change when I switched him over to a MegaRay. I've noticed that my Uros really color up the hotter they are, i.e. when they are basking directly under their MegaRays, they are the brightest.

Here is my Gizmo before having a MegaRay:

And after using a MegaRay:

so is the Mega Ray a UVB light or is it for heat? can i get them in bulb form?
thanks for all of your help, i really appreciate it.

If you check out their website, it has a lot of good information. There are a few kinds of Mega Rays, I use the 100w SB model. That means that the bulb gives off usable UVB at a minimum of 12" and up to 30" diameter from the surface. The SB models do give off heat, of course the 160w will give off more. I can not recall if you said you were in the UK, but I believe they have socket options for persons overseas as well. The model bulb I have is rather large, but it will screw into a ceramic socket. The bulbs themselves resemble a large flood lamp with thick textured glass. As a reminder, MVBs can not be put onto dimmer devices, and if they are turned off they need a cooling down period before they can be turned back on.

is the 100 watt SB bulb the only lamp you are using? does it provide enough heat? i checked around the website but couldnt find if they guarantee it on arrival. like if it is broken when i get it will they send me another one?
you guys have been awesome, thanks a bunch!

I'm sure a quick call to their customer service center will clear up any questions like that. I know some people use just the 100w SB bulb and it gives enough heat, if they have a closed top enclosure. Unfortunatly, I still have a 'open top' enclosure (working on getting the fiance to build a custom front open!) so I use an additional bulb, sometimes 150w, right now another 100w because it is a bit warm here. But I live in Maryland, so the temperatures can be very different here than where you might be. Also, we have about 8 other critters in that room, so we have a heater that is set to kick on if it gets below about 77*F.

I have 2.5' x 4' Animal Plastics cages with closed tops and side venting, and they retain heat SO MUCH better than our old tanks with screen lids. All summer long I've only used a 100-w SB Megaray and a very bright fluorescent for added light, and I get about 120 degree basking surface temp, high 90s hot side, and mid 80s cool side. Since my cages are 24" tall, I just played with the height of the basking areas to get the correct basking temps. I'm sure I'll have to add supplemental heat in the wintertime, maybe another basking bulb or a CHE, since I've only had the AP cages since May. We'll see....

Andi

Andi, Always consider adding another light source rather than a heating unite with sun lovers. We have several great videos on the website helping explain this (but believe me, I'm no Steve Irwin).

BM
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