Red Night Time Basking Bulbs..... I think they might be bad news

[SuzQ]

When I first got my Golly Gee I was soooo frustrated by the lighting sold at petco and petsmart, I had such a ridiculous time finding a bulb that emitted both UVA and UVB. TONS of lights were labeled to look like they would be all you would need but they were not even close. I found a few but they were coil lights which I had to return because 1) they didn't emit enough heat 2) I read all over that they cause eye problems. I tried just about everything I could to get around the expensive exo tera solar glos or the repta suns. None Put out enough heat so I eventually had to suck it up and buy some uva, uvb heat combo lights and I suppose its worth it.

Next up was the stupid night time lights.... Ugh I live in colorado so it gets cold at night here and because both of my beardies are in my room, I don't want to crank up the heat so I can sleep uncomfortably every night. I tried ceramic heat emitters because I don't like sleeping with the bright red light at night. They did not put out enough heat. I then decided to just deal with the red lights and then I noticed while I was looking at my my crested gecko his pupils were little pin pricks despite crestids being a nocturnal gecko. I wondered if my beardie could see the red light too. I looked in her cage and she seemed irritated by the light but I still wasn't sure so the next day I pulled out a laser pointer and she chased it. Yup beardies can see red light just as well as anyone else... So I took yet another trip to the pet store and found the light below, the highest wattage seems to provide adequate heat, very little light and the box claims that it even emits both UVA and UVB (Im taking that with a grain of salt). WHAAAAAAA?! and it was only 10$! The box has a snake on it but I think this light is just perfect for my beardies. Even more upset at these companies selling items for pets without even testing them. I felt so bad knowing that years ago I had my beardie under bright lights 24/7 and I never had a clue. Any thoughts? Do you think your beardies can see the red lights?

 

[PatsyB]

Yes beardies can see red light and more spectrum of lights than we can see. If you look at the top of your beardies head there looks like a little pin hole or a scale that is darker than the others, that is their 3rd eye. It allows them to asses danger over head. When you have a red light on over them they can see that and it disturbs their sleep cycle. Now I have a red light in the same room as my beardies, it's on my frog tank across the room from them and they have never had any issues with that so I think it's just an over head light.

As long as their night time tank temp doesn't get below 65 degrees you don't need any sort of night time heat. I live in the midwest where in the winter its 30 below and I never have to use a heat source. There were a few nights that we took Dexter out of her tank and let her sleep in the front room where it was warmer but the rest of the nights they were fine.

Lights are always hit or miss and it can take a long time to find the lighting combination that works for you. At one time my house looked like a hardware store with all the different wattages and types of bulbs! I actually have to go out this weekend and buy some lower wattage bulbs because it got real hot here all the sudden.

 

[SuzQ]

That's really interesting. Does it work like a vipers sensory pit?

I like to keep my room at 60 degrees, because any hotter and I get overheated at night, so I like to keep their temps up with heating bulbs. Checking the temp probes on either side of the tank, The lowest temp I've seen is 74 degrees the highest is about 84. They really seem to appreciate the change in lighting and they work far better than the heat emitters I could find. Rather than being restless at night, Brutus lets me tuck him in with his blanket. My only complaint would be that they tend to go out a lot easier that other lights. I really, really wish these companies would do a little bit of research before selling these things as people try to trust these companies to be knowledgeable about animals. I too have waaaay too much hardware because of trial and error.

 

[PatsyB]

I've used a halogen flood light for Dexter's tank and it's lasted for months and gives off the same amount of heat. Funny thing is I was at the pet store yesterday and saw that one of the companies is now selling a halogen flood light style bulb that they say is water proof for water animals.

The temps sound good as long as they have a basking spot that gets to 105-110.

I get overheated at night too and my room is naturally one of the coldest rooms in the house. I used to have some of my frogs in there but it got too difficult to keep their heat up.

 

[SuzQ]

haha someday they will have their own room!! does the halogen emit UVA and UVB?

 

[drzebra]

No, if you use a halogen light, you'll need a uvb tube light like a Reptisun.

 

[SuzQ]

Yeah Unfortunately I have to go with as few fixtures as possible so I chose the UVA UVB light +heat combo bulb because It offers the heat I need and the correct wavelengths. If I ever build my own viv Im sure I will explore other lighting options but as of right now Im working with the exo terra front open tanks which appear to have limited lighting options. Giant Brutus and Golly gee are thriving but it just burns me up that companies sell lights to people that they know are improperly labeled as sufficient.

 

[PatsyB]

I have an Exo Tera front opening tank. It's 36x18x18. I have a dome light in the front with a basking bulb and in the back I have a T5 repti sun hood.

I.also have another Exo Terra front opening that is 24x18x18 for my frogs and I have a mini dome for heat and a hood for UVB.

 

[SuzQ]

Yeah Im quite happy with my lighting situation... any more chords would most likely pop a breaker. Again, posted this not because I needed new daytime lighting but was curious to see if anyone had found any other solutions to nighttime reds. I was also outraged by the clear neglect of the health of the animals exhibited by these companies marketing insufficient and damaging lighting.

 

[drzebra]

If you want fewer fixtures, look into mercury vapor bulbs. UVA/UVB and heat. Exo Tera Solar Glo, ZooMed Powersun, Mega Ray, T-Rex, etc.

I use the Flukers Sunspot for my dragons.

Mercury vapor bulbs seem to be controversial, but I think the controversy is overblown.

Just make sure that you can keep the dragon at least 12 inches from the bulb. They are intense and very hot.

 

[SuzQ]

yeah those are the ones I have now or the combo light, they are expensive but Im down to two lights per enclosure and I hoping that over the summer I can forgo the night lights all together, but we'll see I like the room chilly.

 

[jarich]

Unfortunately there is no way to have just one bulb that gives you all you need. Its very difficult to get the heat and UVB requirements correct when you have just a single bulb. Also having multiple bulbs will save you in the long run as different bulb have different longevity.

As for MVBs, the real issue is that they produce a very unnatural type of light, with extreme spikes at specific wavelengths, and then literally nothing in between. They do provide some of the essential wavelengths but are otherwise very limiting. Also, they vary highly from brand to brand. I wouldnt bother with the Exo Terra or Zoomed version really. MegaRay and Arcadia are about the only two quality versions.

Regarding what they can see, Patsy is right in saying they can definitely see red spectrum lighting. As a matter of fact, they can likely see much more spectrum than we can, with their sight extending into the UVA wavelengths.

 

[SuzQ]

Yeah Im quite happy with my lighting situation... any more chords would most likely pop a breaker. Again, posted this not because I needed new daytime lighting but was curious to see if anyone had found any other solutions to nighttime reds. I was also outraged by the clear neglect of the health of the animals exhibited by these companies marketing insufficient and damaging lighting.

 

[SuzQ]

again I was not talking about daytime lighting

 

[jarich]

I appreciate that, however threads are here for everyone to learn from, so I thought it was a good idea to give further information. Feel free to take from it what you will.

If you're still looking for other options you could consider a radiant heat panel, or depending on your substrate, so under tank heater. You're only talking about a few degrees warmer really.