Repti Glo 10.0 compact bulb

[spyder86]

I have heard these are bad for beardies but is was wondering if there was any way to use them safely. I ask b/c I bought one before I learned they were bad and now they wont let me return it so I don't want to have wasted $20 on a light that cant use. Any and all info would be very helpful.

 

[vickson420]

Topic moved to Enclosures
Unfortunately no there realy is no way to safely use them I am sorry to say.When you use them your going to risk poor uvb exposure or worse.I would just chalk it up to a loss.Sorry I wish I could have given you a more positive direction but until they start testing and producing these bulbs with some sort of safety and consistency they just are not worth the risk.

 

[Embee]

Just not worth using it... too many risks, sorry to say.

If it makes you feel any better, we paid a whopping $52 for our Zilla compact. But after what our beardie went through having used it, I wasn't the least bit sad when we had to ditch it (in favor of a ReptiSun tube). The money hurt (and we made some others errors as well), but our beardie is oh so happy and thriving now, in her proper and SAFE environment.

The best,
Em

 

[spyder86]

guess i dont need to buy a new light for the the back step then, I will just put that in there.

 

[diamc]

Not sure what you decided to do. You won't be using the compact UVB at all then, right? Certainly not worth the risks.

 

[spyder86]

going to use it as a yard light at the back door of my house since that light burnt out. about all it is good for.

 

[xavice]

I've heard nothing but people say that compact UV bulbs are bad, but what exactly is so bad about them? I ask becasue my gf is using one for her iguana and she wanted me to use one for my beardie but when I told her that they were bad she started to worry. Are these bulbs bad for all reptiles (turtles, chameleons, iguana's, etc.) or just beardies?

 

[diamc]

Actually, they are bad for all reptiles. Please read this info and view the pictures. http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

 

[xavice]

Thank you so much for the link, she is very thick headed and wanted "proof" to why it was bad ... this should .... ummm quiet her up now.

 

[Embee]

I've heard nothing but people say that compact UV bulbs are bad, but what exactly is so bad about them? I ask becasue my gf is using one for her iguana and she wanted me to use one for my beardie but when I told her that they were bad she started to worry. Are these bulbs bad for all reptiles (turtles, chameleons, iguana's, etc.) or just beardies?

I can only speak from my own experience, but if you search the boards here (health, ER and behavior forums, in particular) , it's easy to find many titles such as: "My beardie isn't eating" and "My beardie is sleeping all the time" or "My beardie isn't growing." In my own research, I've read more of these threads than I can count. In nearly every thread I've read, one of the main--if not the main--reasons for beardie not thriving, can be traced to using either a compact, coil or insufficient tube UVB light.

In my own experience, we were using a Zilla Compact light at the start. At first, beardie "seemed" normal, however, I know realize that even from the beginning, she wasn't eating NEAR the amount that she should have been. The first weeks we had her, she did grow some (an inch and a half or so), but in the following weeks, her appetite quickly decreased, and she became lethargic, and was sleeping most of the time. When she was awake, she was closing her left eye most of the time.

Thanks to the forum, I learned that the compact was not only insufficient in UVB, but in that, was very possibly dangerous. Within HOURS of switching the compact out for a ReptiSun tube, our beardie was doing better. She was, well, awake for one, and in the next days and weeks, regained some semblance of an appetite, and the left eye was no longer closed all the time. The change to start, was quite dramatic, and I was convinced, to say the least. (We have since moved her under an MVB, where she is really starting to take off...).

My .02 for whatever that's worth.

Em

 

[Embee]

Thank you so much for the link, she is very thick headed and wanted "proof" to why it was bad ... this should .... ummm quiet her up now.

hee, hee... indeed, that report is VERY convincing. Hope it helps her understand the risks.

Em

 

[MagillaGorilla]

lol at using it for your back porch light. Dont stand to close to it for to long!

 

[spyder86]

thought i could use it as a tanning light :shock:

 

[Embee]

thought i could use it as a tanning light :shock:

:mrgreen:

My DH and I are still seething over our whoppingly expensive compact, which now sits in the "big pile" in the basement. :?

You know, it has been a long winter, and I'm terribly pale... only, what if I start losing my appetite, and start sleeping all the time!? :wink:

The best,
Em