about a month ago i brought a repti glo10 strip light i read it may be bad the reptile shop said the are fine hes been sleepy for about amonth or so he said it was the time of year what do you all think i live in uk
They aren't the best bulbs out there. There have been reports of problems with them. Be sure to put a bright white bulb right next to it. How old is the dragon?
I also have one of those Rep UBV bulbs, and I scared to death to be using it! I'm in the process now on getting the tubs 10.0 I'm getting a recue Sat. so I've been pricing every thing. I understand that the bulbs can cause eye problems to BD's.
your better off unplugging the reptiglo 10.0 and using only the heat lamp untill you can get a proper UV-B source. for petstores(especially small ones that have to compete with petsmart), making a sale is WAAY more important than giving proper info to a customer. many petstores dont carry ReptiSun; theyre made in Germany and after going through so many hands on the way to the pet store the price gets jacked up 7 or 8 times. if you can actually find RS10.0 in the petstores theyre like $60 :shock: . so basically, theyll sell you the $20 reptiglo just to keep you from walking out the door without a sale. trust me, ive seen it happen a million times...
ExoTerras reptiglo 10.0s are a cheap knock-off of ZooMeds ReptiSun 10.0s. the ReptiSun has been around forever and has had extensive testing done on it to insure its safety. ExoTerra simply saw all the money it was missing out on and hastily slapped together its own version of a 10.0 UV-B bulb. these bulbs have had vry little testing done on them, but the tests that have been done suggest they put off a ultra-high wavelength of energy dangerously close to the UV-C part of the spectrum. UV-C is known to cause cancer and damage to the DNA of many animals; whether bearded dragons are effected in the same way is unknown at this time.
one thing i can tell you is if you must use it, make sure its at least 12" away from the animal at all times(that includes when they climb up into the branches). its also important that you mount a bright white heat lamp next to their basking section. the whole point of this(besides giving them heat) is to keep them from looking up into the UV-B bulb. if they are allowed to look into the UV-B for long periods of time it can damage their eyes, possibly perminantly.
if you try to buy this bulb in petstores it will cost you anywhere from $40-$80 +tax... on that website you can get any size RS 10.0 for $19.24, around $30 after tax and shipping! ive had 3 36" bulbs delivered to my door and each time they arrive within 3 days.
anyhow, sorry to run so long. its just that alot of people use these bulbs and dont understand why they shouldnt:
*theyre a waste of cash; at 12" away, they might be borderline safe but at that distance their not doing anythng positive either.
*for a few bucks more you can get a superior bulb delivered to your house.
*RS 10.0 put off much more UV-B than RG 8 or 10.0 at the same distances.
*ReptiSun can reach much further down into the enclosure, effectively synthesizing D3 at a much higher rate than ReptiGlo.
thanks for giving me a moment to discuss that :wink: .
Thanks Jason.
He is right. Unfortunately, until more studies come out on the Reptiglo 10 that prove to me that they are a decent bulb, I do not recommend them. This light was made with the incorrect photo therapy phosphor that allows incorrect light to filter through the glass. It was a manufacturer's flaw & obviously was not tested prior to releasing them to the public for sale.
There are several reasons other than just the UVC emissions. The low wavelength of UVB is not favorable for D3 synthesis which can leave your dragon vulnerable to getting metabolic bone disease. Over time, not properly absorbing calcium will weaken his bones which will stunt growth as well.
If you have been using the Reptiglo 5 & now are using the Reptiglo 10 that is why your dragon is probably sleepy. It could be the weather yes, but the inadequate lighting definitely has not helped. I highly recommend getting the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb. You are in the UK, so you should be able to easily find the Arcadia D3 12% flourescent tube bulb which is actually just a little stronger than the Reptisun 10 is.
I have seen quite a few cases in which people had used the Reptiglo for longer than a few months & their dragon began having bone issues which could have been prevented. So other than them being hazardous, you also have health problems to think about as well. Anything that you can prevent now with proper lighting is always best to do so he will not have health problems later on.
Ever since I got the bulb, I started reading up on it, I used it one day, and its been turned off ever since.
Tracy, you sound like a WELL loved person on this site. thamk you for your reasons.