Petsmart basking light bulb! Everyone read!!!!

I put this topic in the ER because I feel like more people are going to read this topic here. I bought a all livings thing basking light from petsmart. This morning when I went to turn on mollie lights the bulb blew. I didn't think anything of it because lights blow all the time. When I turned over my fixture to remove the bad bulb the glass was dangling by a wire! The glass was completely detached from the medal socket and the only thing that kept the glass from smashing into mollie was a thin wire. I quickly unplugged and removed the bulb. But just a heads up DO NOT BUY PERSMART BRAND LIGHTS!

Reptilelady":1nrcpezg said:

OMG!! You know what when i was there at Petsmart one of the store associates told me to get that bulb and then after reading on it well most reptile bulbs are overly priced anyway but the petsmart's brand is " All living things" and idk but for some reason i just do not trust. I returned the bulb shortly after (thank goodness) and got a exo terra basking bulb, so far no issues. My beardie loves it and he shows his bright colors. Curious, what kind of heat lamp were you using when the bulb exploded?

They at first told me to get that basking bulb and the all living things mini 5.5 dome which i have a 50 Gallon terrarium ( 36" x 18" x 18") didn't really need the mini dome since i have ample space on top of my terrarium :lol:

Seriously, stay away if you can from " All living things" which is Petsmart's brand. Most of the employees there will tell you because they are trying to sell their own brand.

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I use zoo med double domes for both my beardies. I usually buy the zoo med light basking bulbs. When I went to go buy a new bulb last time they had the all living things bulbs on sale for a good price so I figure why not? I figured the bulb would blow in a month or so. But I never thought the bulb would fall apart! I'm just so glad that the wire kept it from smashing into my baby. And I'm glad that I was home to quickly unplug the fixture before it caught on fire.

Horrible Chinese junk .... from those chain petshops.

Wouldn't touch their uv lights , mvbs, basking globes and light fixtures with a barge pole.

Spend a few extra dollars and buy good gear made by Arcadia, Zoo Med and Exo Terra and you wont go wrong.

For basking globes , nothing wrong with a good quality domestic par38 clear colourless incandescent or halogen flood / spot globe (Philips are my choice ) or good quality MVB.

Here's a list of brands I've compiled that I recommend reptile keepers stay well away from :
not all UVB compacts and T8 and T5 tubes and MVBs are created equal or as well , many pet shops sell their own brand , invariably these are cheap nasty copies that come from somewhere China and are simply reboxed and get a brand stamped on them.

Avoid these brands
Zilla
All Living Things
Reptile-One
National Geographic
Natural Selections (in green boxes)

all of which are cheap Chinese clones made very cheaply using very poor quality quartz glass and cheap phosphors ==> very poor UV spectrum produced incl UVC band and bad parts of the UVB band.

That particular brand would always give out on my Dragon in two or three weeks tops. I was always returning them for exo-terra bulbs I've found that those are more reliable than all living things. I've never heard of the wire popping out but I wouldn't doubt it, those bulbs were cheaply made. Any other bulb is fine, I haven't had a bad experience with the other brands. Although Exo-terra bulbs seem to make my Beardies alert and more active.

Ya, I know what you mean.

Side note: I always look at new posts at the to of the board index header. This keeps me updated on every new post made since I last visited.

LOL it was on sale for a reason... sometimes don't get sucked into the sale price unless the item you want/good quality is actually on sale. I am not against the dual domes or anything I just prefer to have the 8.5 inch regular light fixture as it seems to be better as far as heat distribution and also you can move independently. You can also have a higher wattage output. The mini domes can only go up to 100W and need to make sure its ceramic socket. There is always pros and cons just have to see what works better for your situation.

I am also glad that you was home to quickly unplug before catching on fire and your baby is okay

Ashleymthornton1990":3alsr9q7 said:

Reptilelady":3alsr9q7 said:

OMG!! You know what when i was there at Petsmart one of the store associates told me to get that bulb and then after reading on it well most reptile bulbs are overly priced anyway but the petsmart's brand is " All living things" and idk but for some reason i just do not trust. I returned the bulb shortly after (thank goodness) and got a exo terra basking bulb, so far no issues. My beardie loves it and he shows his bright colors. Curious, what kind of heat lamp were you using when the bulb exploded?

They at first told me to get that basking bulb and the all living things mini 5.5 dome which i have a 50 Gallon terrarium ( 36" x 18" x 18") didn't really need the mini dome since i have ample space on top of my terrarium :lol:

Seriously, stay away if you can from " All living things" which is Petsmart's brand. Most of the employees there will tell you because they are trying to sell their own brand.

Click to expand...

I use zoo med double domes for both my beardies. I usually buy the zoo med light basking bulbs. When I went to go buy a new bulb last time they had the all living things bulbs on sale for a good price so I figure why not? I figured the bulb would blow in a month or so. But I never thought the bulb would fall apart! I'm just so glad that the wire kept it from smashing into my baby. And I'm glad that I was home to quickly unplug the fixture before it caught on fire.

Click to expand...

Reptilelady":2z1d167g said:

LOL it was on sale for a reason... sometimes don't get sucked into the sale price unless the item you want/good quality is actually on sale. I am not against the dual domes or anything I just prefer to have the 8.5 inch regular light fixture as it seems to be better as far as heat distribution and also you can move independently. You can also have a higher wattage output. The mini domes can only go up to 100W and need to make sure its ceramic socket. There is always pros and cons just have to see what works better for your situation.

I am also glad that you was home to quickly unplug before catching on fire and your baby is okay

Ashleymthornton1990":2z1d167g said:

Reptilelady":2z1d167g said:

OMG!! You know what when i was there at Petsmart one of the store associates told me to get that bulb and then after reading on it well most reptile bulbs are overly priced anyway but the petsmart's brand is " All living things" and idk but for some reason i just do not trust. I returned the bulb shortly after (thank goodness) and got a exo terra basking bulb, so far no issues. My beardie loves it and he shows his bright colors. Curious, what kind of heat lamp were you using when the bulb exploded?

They at first told me to get that basking bulb and the all living things mini 5.5 dome which i have a 50 Gallon terrarium ( 36" x 18" x 18") didn't really need the mini dome since i have ample space on top of my terrarium :lol:

Seriously, stay away if you can from " All living things" which is Petsmart's brand. Most of the employees there will tell you because they are trying to sell their own brand.

Click to expand...

I use zoo med double domes for both my beardies. I usually buy the zoo med light basking bulbs. When I went to go buy a new bulb last time they had the all living things bulbs on sale for a good price so I figure why not? I figured the bulb would blow in a month or so. But I never thought the bulb would fall apart! I'm just so glad that the wire kept it from smashing into my baby. And I'm glad that I was home to quickly unplug the fixture before it caught on fire.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I only use double domes for basking lights. In the winter I use a heat ammeter bulb because my house gets to cold.

Hello,

Wow, so sorry your bulb was dangling like that! I am glad your dragon is alright. Some of those bulbs are just not good at all, which a lot of them are Chinese brands, too.
The Par 38 halogens are the best for basking though so I recommend using one of those instead.

Tracie