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.
so like i previously stated; your better off ditching the reptiGLO and buying a reptiSUN. if you have i credit card i suggest ordering from this website:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
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: .