Heat Lamp Bulbs

[osbain]

So I woke up this morning and went to check on my critters like i always do, and I had a heat lamp blown out, not thinking it would have gone so quickly i didn't get a spare when i purchased less then two weeks ago. Right away I called someone to have a new bulb brought to me asap, and did what I could to warm her up.

Anyway, seeing there is no petshop in the town i am living in right now ( its about an hour away) I was wondering if there are any other bulbs that anyone uses from hardware stores that are safe for gecko heat lamps?

 

[LizMarie]

Is there a way to get a heat mat? It will save you the headache and money for a few years give or take.

 

[osbain]

I already have a heat mat, but it dose not get the temperature all the way up to where it should be.

 

[ruthie_bee]

I'd be interested to know how this worked out for you - I want to increase the temp in my tank by 2-3 degrees.

I'm in the process of coming off sand onto vinyl, and I think this might do something for it, but at the moment I'm running 2 heat mats and still not getting perfect temps. I'm going to put foil behind the mats to reflect the heat I think.

Any advice?

 

[Leo TheoryZ]

I use a regular 60 watt incandescent bulb and my tank is a consistent 82-83 degrees during the day. Ohh and I have the Under Tank Heater. Thats what I am using for now I would say a 60 or 75 watt Lightbulb should do the trick.

 

[THE WHISPERER]

When using bulbs for reptiles you'll want to use a cloth to install the bulb, fingerprints can cause them to burn out. Might be why yours didn't last too long.

 

[ruthie_bee]

Do you not find that the higher wattage bulbs are too bright for the geckos? I was told that they were nocternal and hated bright light?

 

[Saphira]

I would be concerned about regular light bulbs.