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Red bulb/white bulb, $12.99/$0.50...

Spirit

Spirit

New member
What is the difference between a red 100 watt bulb bought at a pet store for $12.99, and a regular 100 watt light bulb I can buy for $0.50? I keep reading that regular light bulbs can be used as a source of heat, but does it have to be a "soft white", or can a plain one be used?

Other than the "pretty red glow", is there a difference in the bulb itself, or the heat it emits?

Also, what about sensitivity for the snakes eyes? I mean I know I would hide more if I had this giant bright light shining at me...
 
The white bulb (incadecent) can be used, and it doesn't need to be soft. But, you will have to turn it off at night. The red bulb, can be left on Day and night to provide heat 24 hours a day. The red light will give off an infrared heat where the white bulb doesn't. Well, think about the sun. a white bulb will be more like the sun as far as the kind and intensity of light that it puts off. a Red bulb will be a lot less bright. I don't know if the light can hurt a snakes eyes, but the red one won't.
 
Hmmm... That's interesting. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to regulate the heat when the UTH is on at night. I like the red light (right now it's left on 24/7) but it does sometimes get on my nerves, not to mention I can't turn on the UTH at the same time.

I'll do some experimenting with regular bulbs and see what kind of temps I get. Thanks. :)
 
Spirit said:
Hmmm... That's interesting. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to regulate the heat when the UTH is on at night. I like the red light (right now it's left on 24/7) but it does sometimes get on my nerves, not to mention I can't turn on the UTH at the same time.

I'll do some experimenting with regular bulbs and see what kind of temps I get. Thanks. :)
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You could always get a red bulb that is a smaller wattage than the one that you have. This way you can use the UTH and the lower watt red bulb at the same time.
 
I would rather buy a dimmer and lower the wattage of mine at night, then turn off the UTH during the day. The point of my question though, is that the red bulb costs that much more than a regular one, so if I can use an every day light bulb (esp when it's daylight in here), then I could save myself a buttload of money.

I'm still shopping for that dimmer switch. Can't find one anywhere!! *grumble*
 
Spirit said:
I would rather buy a dimmer and lower the wattage of mine at night, then turn off the UTH during the day. The point of my question though, is that the red bulb costs that much more than a regular one, so if I can use an every day light bulb (esp when it's daylight in here), then I could save myself a buttload of money.

I'm still shopping for that dimmer switch. Can't find one anywhere!! *grumble*
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Yes, you can use a regular light bulb. you should be able to find a red light for cheaper too...probably at a hardware store.

Tell you what...send me your UTH, and I will make a Dimmer Switch and attach it for you. I will make sure that it works, and then send it back...
 
No no, I want the dimmer for the lamp. The UTH I'm going to put an on off switch so I can turn it off during the day (or warmer temps), but I want to be able to turn the light down (not off) at night. Can't find one! I want the kind that splice directly into the cord... like on a table lamp.
 
Spirit said:
No no, I want the dimmer for the lamp. The UTH I'm going to put an on off switch so I can turn it off during the day (or warmer temps), but I want to be able to turn the light down (not off) at night. Can't find one! I want the kind that splice directly into the cord... like on a table lamp.
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then send me your lamp, and I will put one in. I am an electronics tech, so I have access to things that you might not.
 
I'll find one somewhere. I know how to install it (snip, snip, clip), it's just a matter of finding the actual dimmer that's not a wall one.

Sweet of you to offer though. Thanks, man. :cheers:
 
Your welcome...anytime. If I find one that you are looking for, I will let you know..and will be willing to ship to you.
 
Oh wow. Thanks! I did find one, but it cost $30, and was kind of bulky. I'm in no immediate rush.

For now, I'll just enjoy the lovely red illumination. hehe
 
You are welcome. I will be heading to a hardware store sometime this week, to get some items for a project that I need to start working on. I will look for one while I am there and if I find one, I will let you know.
 
One more question. I put a 60 watt "pink" bulb (the pink is basically a soft light for reading and whatnot - just a regular bulb) and the temps are now 85 with the UTH, but if I turn the light off, the temps drop significantly (obviously).

What should the temp be from just the UTH alone (I know some of you don't use heat lamps)? It can get fairly cold in here, so how important is it to turn the light off at night?

Red light can stay on 24/7, but what about white/pink light (and lower wattage)? Turn off? Leave on? It's really no brighter than the 100 watt red, just that it's not a red light.

Did any of that make sense? Sorry. lol
 
For one of my snakes I use the UTH (on a thermostat) and a Blue bulb- 50watts for a combined temp of about 87 degrees. I have tried using a rheostat for the bulb with limited success (I'm not sure why) so now I just have the bulb on. I liked the blue light because it gives off heat & enables you to view the snakes at night without disturbing them. :)
 
Blue and Black actually can change the behavior in snakes...At least it did in mine. The red bulb can be left on day and night with out disturbing the snakes too.

Spirit, if you are using a regulur white/pink light, you need to turn it off at night. When you do this, you can put your red light on.
 
Oh forget that. I'm not going to change the bulb every night (then raise it to regulate the red light temps). What a giant pain in the butt that would be. lol! I'd sooner just turn it off. The tank (over the UTH) stayed at 80 last night (light off) so I'm happy with that. 85 with the pink light on. Over 100 with the red light on. ACK!

Max ate on sunday, but hasn't moved an inch since (that I can tell). I'm not sure if I should be concerned at this point, but we'll see. I'm still experimenting with the light thing, so he could just be wanting some peace to digest his meal. I've been careful not to disturb him under his hide. :)
 
a lot of snakes will find a good place to hide after they have eaten and just sit there until digestion is done. or until the lump in their gullet is a little smaller. How easy would it be for you to move around if you has a lump 1 to 1.5 times larger than the largest part of your body? And, i am sure that anyone that has experienced Pregnancy can relate to this...I know my wife has have problems moving since about the middle of September
 
pcar said:
Blue and Black actually can change the behavior in snakes...At least it did in mine. The red bulb can be left on day and night with out disturbing the snakes too.

I haven't seen any behavioral changes in any of my snakes, but, that is interesting to note!
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WhiteLips said:
pcar said:
Blue and Black actually can change the behavior in snakes...At least it did in mine. The red bulb can be left on day and night with out disturbing the snakes too.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen any behavioral changes in any of my snakes, but, that is interesting to note!
Click to expand...

Yea, mine started to act really wierd. I used a Black light on my breeding pair for the same reason you are. After I have been using it for a couple of months, I noticed that the male seemed to be having constant cesiures(sp). I called a local herp vet here in Austin, and he said to try removing the light. I removed the light and in about 2 weeks, the cesiures had completely stopped. So, i switched to using red bulbs and have been using them ever since.
 
pcar said:
Yea, mine started to act really wierd. I used a Black light on my breeding pair for the same reason you are. After I have been using it for a couple of months, I noticed that the male seemed to be having constant cesiures(sp). I called a local herp vet here in Austin, and he said to try removing the light. I removed the light and in about 2 weeks, the cesiures had completely stopped. So, i switched to using red bulbs and have been using them ever since.
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Thanks for that info... I'll keep an eye out for any changes!
 
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