Heat lamp advice

[Flash the tortoise]

Hi, we had a heat/ubv lamp that's blown off. I'd like to get a separate heat lamp for our enclosure. I've been reading advice online and i'm dizzy with all the different info. So i'm looking for help -hopefully links with ideas- to get a hood heat lamp and bulb that is not going to catch fire or blow up. Please?

Thanks

[Flash the tortoise]

Not to worry, i think i've found the right stuff

[Nina]

Ooh, that's horrible when a lamp blows. I use one lamp for heat and light (either an ordinary household spotlight or a reptile lamp (but not a UVB one, and then a fluorescent UVB strip light that covers most of the table. That way I can raise or lower the heat lamp to make it cooler or warmer in the table, but it doesn't affect the distance of the UVB source from the table. What did you get in the end?

Nina

[Flash the tortoise]

Hi Nina

I've got an arcadia solar basking bulb 100w and the arcadia dome lamp 14cm They are on their way to us. In the meantime, we've got no light though

[Nina]

That sounds good for heat and light,and I've used that one in the past too. But what will you be using for UVB (as far as I know it only gives off UVA, not UVB)?


Nina xx

[Flash the tortoise]

I've got a 10% uvb bulb in place. Will eventually get a uvb tube.

[Nina]

Perfect!

Cheers,
Nina

[Flash the tortoise]

Hi Nina

I've got a question.. i've just realised there are 2 types of basking bulbs. A 'spotlight' and a 'floodlight'. Which one is best? I've got a 'spotlight' right now with my new lamp. But happy to get the other one if it's better.
Thank you

P.S. Did you say an ordinary household bulb would also do the job? What sort? Thanks.

Carla

[Nina]

Hi Carla,

I think that most people use spotlights, so you're fine. Yes an ordinary household spotlight can be used, but the problem is that there aren't many of these available to buy now as all the incandescent bulbs were fazed out over the last several years in favour of low energy bulbs (which don't give out much heat at all).

Nina

[Flash the tortoise]

Thanks Nina

I've seen the 'old' style bulbs in charity shops, so i'll keep my eyes peeled. Should they also be 100W?

[Kimberley]

Hi,

I have both here, flood and spot. Flood is much better, it gives a nice wide spread warmth that fades out.

Spots give a very strong heat in a small area if that makes sense, don't know how to explain, too much in a small spot.

I'll keep them for when a lamp blows or something, don't like them at all.

Kimberley

[Kimberley]

Hi,

I have both here, flood and spot. Flood is much better, it gives a nice wide spread warmth that fades out.

Spots give a very strong heat in a small area if that makes sense, don't know how to explain, too much in a small spot.

I'll keep them for when a lamp blows or something, don't like them at all.

Kimberley

[Nina]

I think Kimberley has a point there. Why not get one of each, if you can, and see what you think works best in your set-up.

Nina

[Flash the tortoise]

Thank you, yes, i was thinking if it's worth doing that too

[Flash the tortoise]

Hiya

We moved housec this weekend and today we moved our Flash. For some reason his light doesn't seem to be warm enough. We had it at 32C and now is not going over 23.5C. It's at the same height as before, in the same place and pisition, but nit warming up. The bulb itself is about 5 weeks old. Would you know have any ideas why? Woud the lamp be failing?

The house we came from was at 24C inside. The new house has not warmed up yet and it's at 16C. Would that make a difference? TIA

[Nina]

Hi and congratulations on the new house!

The temperature of a room had a huge effect on the temperature in the tortoise table, so if your room is 16C then in the tortoise table it won't be as hot as if it were 26C in the room. We're due to have warm temperatures this week so hopefully your room temperature will go up.
If you think about it, if it was 32C in your room for some reason, it would be impossible to get the table temperature lower than that, even if you turned the lights off, and if you were outdoors in winter time with below freezing temperatures, you would need a really powerful lamp to get the temperature below it up to 30C.

Do you have the ability to raise and lower your lamp? I think it's essential to be able to do this, and while the temps in your room are still cooler, just lower your lamp and you will get a warmer temperature in the table (just lowering an inch or two will take the temperature below the lamp up several degrees). If it gets really hot you will need to raise the lamp to lower the temperature. Actually 32C is a teeny bit warm, so I would aim for 30C if possible.

Hope that helps. Will Flash have some garden space in the new house? We're due sunshine over the next week, so some outdoor time might be good for him.

Nina

[Flash the tortoise]

Thanks Nina, it's reassuring what you say. Yes, we are lowering down the lamp -trying to find the box where our underwear is, first - It's next on our list. Gotta love moving!

And yes, Flash will have outside space as soon as we get some net to protect him from the local hooded crows.

We are in the Outer Hebrides so the weather here is never as hot as in mainland Scotland, nor as cold But there are days that would be warm enough to get Flash out for a bit.

Are dimming thermostats any good? I thought they were unnecessary, but someone suggested them.