Heat Lamp/ Lighting??

[DougieTheBD]

Hello! Over the past year of me having my beardie, I've gone through maybe 4-5 heat bulbs which have all been Zoo Med. I've used 2 100w and 2 150w bulbs in a Zoo Med Deep Dome that can go up to 160w. I dont know if I'm somehow putting the bulbs in wrong or if it has to do with anything else but earlier today I took out my beardie, turning on both lights, and when I out him back in the heat lamp made an odd noise and I knew that the light was gonna go out AGAIN. It ended up doing exactly that, and I'm pretty exhausted with having to replace those bulbs as often as I've had to. At this point, I'm just trying to find some sort of inexpensive heat bulb + probably a new lamp since this one is killing off all my bulbs. No clue if it's an error on my end or not either. If I could get any recommendations for cheap heat bulbs and any kind of lamp it would be greatly appreciated! Trying to figure this all out by myself is giving me a headache lol. In the meantime ( until i can get at least more bulbs ) he has a ceramic heat emitter and his usual uvb tube. If it has any relation to why my bulbs are dying off so quick, I use a timer for both uvb and the heat lamp so I'm curious if that has to do with anything? Thanks!

 

[KarrieRee]

Something is defective w/ the bulbs going out that often - its either the dome your using something w/ the electrical wiring or the timer your using--- first I would start w/ getting some new basking bulbs ASAP the heat emitter is not going to get your temps up to where you want them --- so look for this bulb at Walmart 4 Soft White Energy Saver Halogen bulbs they are dimmer mercury free halogen 100 Watt equivalent 72 actual 2 X the life --- look for something like that-- then see what the bulb does - if it goes out right away then you know some thing else is defective -- also shut the timer off and test just the dome itself - if they last you know its not the dome- then try the timer --- its a process of elimination --- and hope its not a wiring issue in the house -- make sure you get a basking temps w/ these new bulbs --- how are you getting your basking temps? NO stick ons!
Karrie

 

[Draven88]

In my experience its those bulbs that are the problem as far as the lifespan. They do their job well, but die way too fast. If it were a problem with wiring like the dome or timer it would under most circumstances cause a problem very quickly not over a couple months.

As noted you don't have to have a pet store branded "basking bulb" you just need a good white light that will provide the correct temps. A heat emitter will only heat the air around it, it will NOT provide a good basking spot of correct temp. The Halogen bulbs are a great way to go, it just may take trying a couple different wattage's to find the right one (you get more heat from a halogen per watt) hence the recommendation to start at the 72 watt range.