Infra red bulbs vs ceramic heat lights

[JezJez]

I'm interested to find out what keepers prefer to use for heating...

I currently keep various pythons & have been using infra red bulbs hooked up to habistat probe thermostats but find the bulbs tend to die easily..

Firstly, does anyone know of some reliable brands for infra red bulbs that last?

Secondly, what are people's thoughts on ceramic heat lights & heat mats as an alternative?

 

[saximus]

Are they on/off type thermos? If so that's why you keep losing bulbs. Ceramics work a better but heat cord would solve your issue too. They are the bomb

 

[Raddy318]

i swear by ozwhite ceramic bulbs, them infared red bulbs are crap

 

[maddog-1979]

ya, for terrestrial i use heat cord under slate, for arboreal i prefer ceramic. and for my lizards i just swapped over from ceramic to phillips spotlight globes. half the watt and and seem to have my beardies more active.

also i dont know about pythons, but i think lizards can definately see the infared globe light, and keeps them awake at night, preventing a proper photcycle. esp my old EWD, she used to head butt the red globes until they blew out

 

[JezJez]

Are they on/off type thermos? If so that's why you keep losing bulbs. Ceramics work a better but heat cord would solve your issue too. They are the bomb

Hey Saximus, they're a probe switching type so a lot of on/off.. Guess that explains it. Might give the ceramics a go..

Are they on/off type thermos? If so that's why you keep losing bulbs. Ceramics work a better but heat cord would solve your issue too. They are the bomb

Btw cheers for the record keeping template you sent me, I can't access it on my iPad so it's downloaded on my girlfriends laptop.. When she brings it over I can get started entering in all the data

 

[sarah_m]

We switched to the ceramics in our BHP tank about 3 yrs ago (cos the regular globes kept dying) and we still have the original ones we bought in there now. So I would say they are great value in the long run, much better than globes.

 

[Belv6]

Yeh ceramics are the way to go and u can get em for $20 bucks off ebay and your rep will actually get a good night sleep

 

[Vincey]

I've done some reading and asking as of the passed week about this as well, am switching to ceramic, ordered an Exo terra 60w ceramic heat emitter for $26. Bargain.

 

[bowdnboy]

I still use the purple infrareds. But I have dimming thermo's. Ive found some of my globes lasting 12months. for about $8/globe, I'm pretty happy with that. Every now and then u get one that goes early. On/off thermos will chew through them.

 

[JAS101]

i have ceramic heat emitters with on/off style thermostats that are 3 years old . one thing u have to remember with ceramics is they get damm hot and a ceramic light holder socket is needed in most cases. i temp gunned the base of a ceramic emitter and got 175 degrees .

 

[davobmx]

i use exo terra basking spot globes to heat during the day and on a timer for my infra red heat globe to heat at night. except for summer when night heating is rarely needed. i have yet needed to buy a thermostat but lookin at getting one now as its ****ing warm at the moment and only need heating for a couple of hours in the morning.

 

[Jarrod_H]

I use reptile one ceramics havent had one go in me yet. with a moon fluorescent for night time and ya set. Much better then looking at red

 

[Bedella]

Jarrod - the moon flurencent is that the blue heat globe? i have seen them at the shop but havent really looked (just got my first dragon and dont need night heating at the moment but might in winter) is the light from them fairly low? like wouldnt disrupt the day/night cycle?

cheers
Bec

 

[Jarrod_H]

Jarrod - the moon flurencent is that the blue heat globe? i have seen them at the shop but havent really looked (just got my first dragon and dont need night heating at the moment but might in winter) is the light from them fairly low? like wouldnt disrupt the day/night cycle?

cheers
Bec

You can get the bulbs that do emit heat in as low as 15w which is nothing all the way up to 150w.-I use to use these-
I still use the caramic day and night but I also use the long fluro moonlight 15w
On a timer so when the day UVB lights turn off the moonlight turns on just makes the enclosure look awesome while I'm still awake then at 11:00pm they go off.
Dosnt mess with the day/night cycle, it's like a nice dull blue "moonlight" coulor.

 

[Bedella]

ok cool thanks for the info

 

[cement]

Zoo med make the best infra red bulbs, Use a dimming thermo and you will be ok. If you buy in bulk from the wholesaler you will get them for around $14 each. I just onsell the ones I don't want to the local produce shop at cost.

The trouble with ceramics is little known. Sure they are cheap and last but they will dry out an enclosure. Which is fine for a desert animal not so good for tropical or east coast eg Diamonds.

The ceramics get so hot at the bulb they actually create a completely dry atmosphere around the bulb, which in turn draws moisture to the bulb drying out the enclosure and creating draft through the vents. I much prefer the more gentle heat put out by the infra red...plus it is the infra red spectrum that the snakes use to heat up in the wild. heat panels give off this spectrum too. Its personal choice but for me the ceramics are too hard core.

 

[Snowman]

I haven't had any bad sheds using ceramics for the last two years in non desert dwelling pythons enclosures. If they dried up the atmosphere that much then you'd expect this to be a problem.