Light as heat source

[poissonguppy]

Does anyone have any experience with useing light as a heat source for your garters? What type of wattage or brand is the best? Thanks!

[GarterGuy]

As of right now, all I use are lights for heat. I really like using these for garters, since they seem, in nature, to be real baskers and this seems to recreate that pretty well. As far as bulbs, pretty much any will do. I like to get the colour balanced basking bulbs myself, just so they don't "wash" out the garters when they're on. As far as wattage, depends on the temps., the size of the tank and if you're using a thermostat or not (something I highly recomend). Most pet stores carry lots of different bulbs from different manufaturers.
Roy

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, a reading lamp with a 60W bulb.

The brand doesn't matter and the wattage depends on your own needs. I've used everything between 35 and 60 watts and what the wattage determines, is how far away you can mount the lamp and how much the temperature in the terrarium rises.

[Snaky]

Here it's also the only thing I use as heat source. I use 40 and 60 Watts, depending on the temperature I get on the heating spot. Most of the times 40W is enough.

[Stefan-A]

Those of you who live within the EU; Have you heard that they are trying to ban conventional light bulbs because they aren't energy efficient? Try to create a basking spot with an 11W energy saving bulb after that.

[poissonguppy]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to put the light up in a ten gallon tank? Are there clips or anything like that?

[Stefan-A]

It doesn't have to be inside the, it will heat surfaces inside even through glass. What kind of tank is it, an ex-aquarium? What kind of lid do you use?

[poissonguppy]

Yeah, I guess you can say it's an "ex-aquarium." I am just using the commercial mesh lid you buy at pet stores.

[Stefan-A]

I have no idea what the commercial lids look like. :) We always have to make our own.

But let's see now.. What kind of lamp do you have? I used a hanging lamp (homemade; lightbulb, cord, flower pot) when I still had a glass terrarium with a mesh lid. I had it hanging from a strip of wood resting on the top of the lid, with a loop of wire going through the mesh. It's a bit hard to explain.

In such a small tank, I'd rather have it shine through the glass and not directly from above. Unless the mesh is metal.

[RedSided]

At the moment I use a heat mat inside the viv, but I was looking to get a light , but as my viv has wooden sides and sliding glass doors I wasn't sure how to go about using light as a heat source. Its a 25 gallon tank.

Any suggestions on what bulbs to use how to mount them and how to shield them from the snake to avoid burns.
Could I use a reading light with a certain bulb and shine it through the glass?

[adamanteus]

I always use heat mats or cables, on a thermostat. Lighting is always strip lights which produce very little heat. I find the temperature is easier to contol this way, without effecting the photo-period. As Roy said, Garters like to bask, and sometimes I do worry about this, but as the hot-spot is in a brightly lit area of the viv, my animals generally seem to be fooled.

[poissonguppy]

Stefan-A, I have a light bulb socket from a hardware store. Ha ha, heat through the glass! (Why didn't I think of that?) Anyway, I'm going to return it for another socket that can be clipped near the tank.
By the way, how do you go about making a homemade lid?

[Stefan-A]

This is the simplest model: Wooden frame with the inside dimensions that are the same as the tank's outside dimensions, then just attach a mesh by any method that suits you. I used a stapler. :)

After a minute of thinking, I have a few more ideas including hinged lids and lids that lock on to the frame of the tank. :D

There is one thing that is pretty popular and that's to tip the tank onto its side and make a sliding or hinged glass door in the front with ventilation holes in the ends. I'll see if I can make a picture.

edit:
don't know if you can make anything out of this picture, but this the general idea of tipping the tank over and making the top into a front.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/tankfront1.jpg

[poissonguppy]

Thanks a bunch! I'll think about it.

[drache]

I use basking spot lights on my garter tanks. I put them into dome fixtures, so the can just sit on top of the screen top. The wattage depends on how tall the enclosure is. and its total volume. I'm not that precise though. I just make sure that there is ample gradient, so the snakes can regulate themselves.

[RedSided]

Is a regular spotlight ok to use in a reading lamp? or does it have to be a special reptile bulb?

[drache]

a regular bulb is totally fine
I'm not sure about regular spots, but I don't see why not

[RedSided]

Its a 25watt one at the moment and about 5-6 inches away for the "basking spot" , shining through the glass sliding door. If I put my hand on the basking spot I can feel modrate heat on the back of my hand but not too hot. She has not basked in it yet and just seems to crawl up the glass to try and use it like a heat matt:p . I will give it a fair tiral for a few days and if shes still a little apprehensive I will revert back to the heat matt.

The 25watt seems to make it hot enough from the distance I have it at.

Any suggestions?

[GarterGuy]

Not much a suggestion as a warning. Shining heat lamps through the glass walls of a tank can actually cause them to expand and crack. I had this happen in a leopard gecko tank I once had (it was a 20gal)...so you do want to be careful of this. As far as the wattage, as long as the snake is not constantly sitting in the heated section of the tank, it should be good enough. Your snake will pretty much let you know if it's too hot or too cold. If it's constantly at the heat source, it's probably too cold; if it's constantly away from it and buried or sitting in or around the water dish, it could be too hot. Usually a snake will sit at a warm spot a while to get its self up to "opperating temp." and then move off. If it's just fed or if it's gravid, it may bask more extensively....but will still move around and such. Hope this helps.
Roy

[RedSided]

Success I just caught her catching a little heat from it, she is very active, more so since Ive been testing the light as a heat source. She did use to just sit on her heat mat a lot, not all day but still for a fair amount of time.
At the moment she just seems to slither around, digging, climbing occasionaly stopping to bask for a minute or two and then returning to exploring.

I will keep an eye on the burrowing becase as you said it may mean she is too hot.

[GarterGuy]

Burrowing is fine....they really like to do that. It's just staying burrowed that could be a sign of over heating. They go underground to get away from the heat.

[RedSided]

Thats ok then , no shes not doing that :) , although she was intimidated by the light when I first tested it yesterday, She did a very long drawn out tongue flicker almost slow motion. I think that means snakes are angry or intimdated, read it somewhere.

[adamanteus]

She did a very long drawn out tongue flicker almost slow motion. I think that means snakes are angry or intimdated.

That can be true, sometimes, but it can also indicate that they're just trying to pick up an elusive scent.....such as light!!!!:D

[RedSided]

haha yeh :D , such inqusitive creatures.You gotta love em though.Ive changed her water 3 times today because she soiled it, talk about cheeky.

[Cazador]

That slow tongue flicker is very often done when snakes are too cold. I don't know if that might apply in this situation... only a thermometer would tell for sure.

Rick

[adamanteus]

Good point Rick....Do we all have a thermometer in every viv? I think we should!

[RedSided]

Of course, and its certainly not too cold.:p

[crayguns]

What I used in my boa constrictor's cage was a porch lamp. It had a glass globe. Desmond could feel heat. If it was too hot for him, he didn't climb upon it. I kept a 60 watt bulb in it. I painted it with motorcycle black expansion chamber paint on the inside of the globe (for night). For summers, I had it off. I also mounted an old kitchen incandesant ceiling fixture on the underside of the cage's floor.This worked quite well. I had bought a hot rock. It looked like brick with a electrical cord coming out. I kept a thermometer in the cage.

[Stefan-A]

Good point Rick....Do we all have a thermometer in every viv? I think we should!
I agree, but I don't have a thermometer in every viv. I have a perfectly reasonable ;) excuse for this: I monitor the temperature for a while before removing the thermometer. I just make sure that the basking spot is warm enough and the cool end of the terrarium is cool enough. I don't really need to monitor the temperatures except for the hottest weeks of the summer, when I'm forced to shut off the heat. One of the benefits(?) of living this far north, the conditions are fairly stable. ;)

[Thamnophis]

I don't have thermometers in my terrariums.
I have one in the room where they stand.
I know the temperature in the terrariums is ok and as long as I do not change anything it stays allright.

[drache]

I have thermometers in about half of my tanks. I do check-ups and seasonal tweaking on the others.

[i of the storm]

how about a clamp-light fixture (the aluminum bowl reflectors) with a 25w bulb resting on the wire mesh top of a 20 gal tank on a timer? Even in the winter the house doesn't drop below 67*F.

[Elliot]

That'd be fine, you might want a higher wattage bulb though.

[enigma200316]

I use that exact lamp, one with 60 watts, for my small viv, and one with 100 watt for the my big viv. its like 50-55 gallons,but they work perfect..
warm side is around 80-82 and cool side is around 75-78.......:)

[i of the storm]

thanks, I'll give a 40 watt bluish bulb a try.

[RZL36]

I would say, use common sense. If it is too hot and out of season, don't do it. I rarely use lights for my snakes. Then again I try not to buy tropical snakes that need labor intensive heating set-ups. I keep my Garters in my room and they do well. Bear in mind I don't like when it is too hot or too cold. I use my light only after eating (so they can digest) and when I want to play with them (by play with them I mean, grab their tail and they flail wildly). I got a light for plants. Don't know what it is. It it gets hot quickly and I turn it off.

Please advise if I am giving bad advice.:)

This just seems to work for me.

RD

[CrazyHedgehog]

and when I want to play with them (by play with them I mean, grab their tail and they flail wildly). RD

WHAT!!:eek:

[RZL36]

Yeah, it isn't as bad as it sounds. They are super active and I just kinda hold them, they go nuts and then I worry about them hurting themselves. Mine can't be held outside of the cage unless absolutely necessary. Hope I didn't freak you out.:)

It isn't abusive. Believe me, my snakes get better treatment than my friends. Really, they are fine. It is truthfull, but I won't allow them to hurt themselves.

No need to eek.

RD

[enigma200316]

if I'm not mistaken isn't there to be a warm side of a tank and cool side. so if they want to warm they can and if they need to cool they can??
about like 86 on one side and 78 on the other.............:confused: the only time there shouldn't be light or heat like that is when brumating right??

[RZL36]

Yeah, that is what the word is. They get natural sunlight though and can hide from it when they wish. You are totally right though and probably shouldn't be offering unorthodox methods on this forum (I don't brumate, b/c I don't breed yet). Sure fire way for people to banish me and I kinda like it here.

Sorry guys.

[RZL36]

I use the same method with my pine, but my kings get the normal light treatment.

[adamanteus]

Yeah, that is what the word is. They get natural sunlight though and can hide from it when they wish. You are totally right though and probably shouldn't be offering unorthodox methods on this forum (I don't brumate, b/c I don't breed yet). Sure fire way for people to banish me and I kinda like it here.

Sorry guys.

Rich, no one's going to ban anyone for expressing an opinion or talking about the the way they do things. This is a forum, where we all have a right to our own views, and an opportunity to express them. People here realise that any opinions given are simply that...opinions. No one expects you to be right all the time. Relax, enjoy.:D

[enigma200316]

Rich, no one's going to ban anyone for expressing an opinion or talking about the the way they do things. This is a forum, where we all have a right to our own views, and an opportunity to express them. People here realise that any opinions given are simply that...opinions. No one expects you to be right all the time. Relax, enjoy.:D

well unless your name is James or Stefan....hahahahha:D:D:D

[RZL36]

Thanks man. I'm new here and not trying to lead anyone astray or make anyone too angry.

I sometimes find that good ol' empirical study does a curiosity good, as long as my snakes don't die.