Question About GE Household Bulbs

[scistar11]

I've been trying out different bulbs to get an optimal temperature in my enclosure. I've got 40 gallon breeder, reptisun 10.0 and one basking light. The UVB is mounted inside at the top back wall.

For basking, I've tried a 100 watt GE Reveal Household bulb, 75 watt GE Reveal household bulb, and am now using a GE Halogen energy efficient bulb that is clear. It says it's the equivalent to a 100 watt bulb. My dome is also hanging from a lamp stand and the base of the dome is about 1 inch above the mess screen. This allows me to remove the screen lid without having to touch the dome lamp at all.

I use a digital thermometer with probe to measure the temperature at the basking spot. The cool side is currently at 80 degrees. The basking spot is currently at 100 degrees. Is this an okay temperature or does the basking spot need to be higher? I've read that young dragons need up to 110 degrees and I'm having a little trouble with that. Before I purchased the lamp stand, the dome rested right on the screen lid and the temperature reached about 108 degrees. Now that it's hanging an inch above the screen, I'm having trouble with temps. I thought about maybe getting a bigger dome that could accommodate a stronger light. My dome is 5 inches and supports up to 100 watts.

Lestat is 3 months old. I've tried placing a low wattage bulb on the cool side to add extra light, but it increases the heat to above 85 so I stopped using it.

I've read on here that some of you use GE household bulbs but I don't know which one exactly and I'm trying to get the lighting and temperature right. Are the bulbs mentioned above okay to use? Should I use a GE Halogen Flood light?

Is it better to just use one of the "basking spot lights" made for reptiles that are sold in pet stores? Earlier on I had bought a 90 watt Zoo Med Halogen but returned it b/c a lot of reviewers online said it stopped working after about 3 months and was cheaper to just use a household bulb which work just as well. I've seen a "professional" bulb made by Exo Terra but don't know much about it. Has anyone used this?

I'm just worried that Lestat isn't getting what he needs in terms of heat/light. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Claudiusx]

I don't think its better to use the basking lights made for reptiles. All they are are lightbulbs that get hot and are marketed to reptiles which makes them expensive. House hold bulbs are the same thing, but they are marketed for house's, which is why they are cheaper.

I also think your temperatures are fine. That is about the temperature i've always raised babies at.

-Brandon

 

[scistar11]

Thank you Brandon. I'm still keeping an eye on things. I checked a minute ago and the probe at basking spot read 122 degrees. It keeps jumping around and I'm not sure why. Once in a while it reads 90 degrees, other times it reads 100 degrees, and just now it said 122 degrees. The cool side is remaining at a constant 80 degrees. Lestat seems to want to be on either side of the actual basking spot. I'm guessing it's not as hot on either side. He's not gaping and seems okay. He's still active and alert and gets down to roam or nibble on his salad. I have noticed since yesterday that he's not really eating his crickets anymore. I'm not sure if this is due to heat fluctuations or him being stressed due to relocation. He has probably eaten about 16 total today. He also goes to sit in his water bowl from time to time. Anyway, is it normal for temperatures to fluctuate like this?