"Infrared bulbs" disrupt wake cycle?

[equinelove93]

Hey everyone,
Not sure if this has been discussed (although Im sure it has at some point)
On the subject of so called infared bulbs sold as nightime heat bulbs for leopard geckos and other reptiles.

When i had first purchased reptiles many many years ago, i believed that the infared red bulbs you can purchase as a nightime heat bulb was completely invisible to reptiles because it emitted a red light that was supposed to be "invisible" or "infared" to leopard geckos.

I was using these red heat bulbs in the winter (when my house got fairly cool) and realized over time that my geckos would not emerge from their hides when the infared bulb was on. Then during school age i learned about lighting and wave lengths and realized that true infared is also invisible to the human eye. I would notice after i turned off the night red light, that my geckos would come out at night and i completely tossed the red bulbs and switched to ceramic heat emiters if the ambient temperature dropped too low during cold nights.

I just wanted to discuss your opinion on marketed infared bulbs for reptiles and if you believe that these bulbs are seen as normal light to leopard geckos/ reptiles because red is supposed to be "invisible"to them ot if they are actually invisible and are okay to use for night time. Do you use infared bulbs? Have you ever had a problem with the sleep/wake cycle using them?

Recently, i also found out that true infared light, that is invisible to humans can be seen as a purple-ish light on cell phone cameras by taking (EG. )A tv remote and taking a picture of the sensor while pressing a button on the remote. It will show up as visible light on your camera that you normally cant see

Just curious of your experiences with red bulbs and opinions to discuss..



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[strhunter2]

im not sure of the purple bulbs but even tho geckos cant see red light, the see it as grey or some other color... i tested this by watching my gecko chase a red laser around

 

[Neon Aurora]

"Infared bulbs" disrupt wake cycle?

Leopard geckos can see red light. In fact, humans only have 3 cone cells (red, green, blue) many types of nocturnal geckos have 4 or 5 different types, so they even see more colors than we do.

So yes, red light will disrupt their circadian rhythm.

 

[indyana]

Yep, any of the light bulbs on the market are visible to some extent, whether it's the red bulbs or the purple moonlight ones. Nothing wrong with having one you can turn on for night viewing sometimes, but not something I would personally run every night.

The article online I usually cite is this one in Reptiles magazine:
Reptile Lighting Information

 

[Kristi23]

I moved this to the husbandry and general care section.

I have heard so many mixed things about bulbs that I just never recommend them for people. For keepers who need supplemental heat, I would suggest a ceramic heat emitter.

I understand wanting to watch your geckos, but I've found mine are active at different times and not just at night. Maybe because they are in racks? I'm not really sure. I just try to be as safe as possible and offer as little stress as I can for them.