Well, it's time for me to once again replace my UVB tubes, and as we all know, the 10.0 Reptisun is simply the best, and I won't buy any other UVB light before they fixed all the bugs with the others, there's only one problem, here in South Africa they're getting quite expensive, and since my two beardies don't come along too well, I have them in separate enclosures, which means two tubes per year, having said that, time was never my problem, I want to give the them the best possible life that I can and ensure I give them everything they need, it's been almost 5 years owing them, but reptile products are simpy getting to expensive here! it costs nearly R450 to R500 for a single Reptisun 10.0 tube, that's about $53.60 to 60$ US, not even talking about all the other expenses...
I don't have a problem paying for them, I just would like to get everyone's thoughts on this, I know when I bought them, that they'll be costly and I can't let money get in their way of a healthy life, but products are really getting more & more expensive...
they offer a discount if you buy more than 1 bulb at a time, it's only a few dollars but it's something.
how is the weather by you? if you have a low humidity, warm (above 70 degrees F), and very sunny area you can just take them outside to get their UVB. only a few hours (4-6 i think?) will give them the amount they need for the day. you can set up an outside enclosure (not glass, it'll heat up too fast) or put a harness on them and sit outside with them. This will help conserve the life of the bulb and save on energy.
Call or email bigappleherp, they're selling the reptisun10 for $17 a piece (if you order a dual pack, that is). Ask for a shipping quote to South Africa, at that price, it might work out in your favor.
how is the weather by you? if you have a low humidity, warm (above 70 degrees F), and very sunny area you can just take them outside to get their UVB. only a few hours (4-6 i think?) will give them the amount they need for the day. you can set up an outside enclosure (not glass, it'll heat up too fast) or put a harness on them and sit outside with them. This will help conserve the life of the bulb and save on energy.
Thanks for all the speedy replies!
Yes it does get quite warm here in the summer, mid humidity where I live but very minor. I'm considering building an outdoor enclosure with a nice spacious area for basking and an appropriate area for shading and hiding, and then at night I'll just move them either inside, or even build a nice hide in the outdoor enclosure equipped with an infrared light in the hide to use when necessary. I do often put them outside when I have time just to give them some natural sun, however now it's very cold, since it's winter here!
I don't know if this will help you in Africa but after paying over $50 for a 24" 10.0 reptisun, I thought this is nuts. Went on eBay and the same bulb is like around $25 with free shipping. That's were I'm planning on getting my replacements. I'm sure Amazon should have one of the best prices also but I haven't looked.
Is there a certain amount of time that I should leave them in the sun outside in their outdoor cage? yes, the cage will have shading areas as well, just wondering?