Advice.......again...(did warn you there would be questions)

[chris-uk]

As long as you don't plug a bulb into the socket which gets too hot you should be fine. I'd imagine most bayonet fittings are designed for up to 100W bulbs, and you shouldn't need anything that hot in your viv.
The most important thing is using an appropriate guard to stop your garters getting close enough to burn them.

[mark cope]

Thanks again you guys.....
Man I love this site
Mark

[nitrogen15]

Sounds like a cool idea, please post pics! You could look into an exterior use non-toxic paint or lacquer to add water-resistance.

[ConcinusMan]

UV lights are for simulating sunlight. But, garters do not need them at all. Most lizards and such need some sort of UV I believe, though.

No, they're not for simulating sunlight exactly. They're for vitamin D3 (needed for absorption of calcium) synthesis. Reptiles, and even people, can synthesize D3 in their skin but UV exposure is needed to accomplish that.

People and snakes can get all the D3 they need from their food and so UV exposure isn't absolutely necessary as long as there is enough D3 in their food. The reason for UV output bulbs is that many lizards, especially desert species, can only get D3 by sythesizing it in their skin. For those species, without UV exposure they cannot get the D3 they need, so they can't absorb calcium, and so they end up with soft bones and other health problems, and ultimately, they'll die.

You can simulate natural daylight for garters without the UV output by using common white or "daylight" florescent bulbs. I would recommend that you use one of those, even if you use and incandescent bulb for heat.

Personally I think it's safer if you use a florescent for light and an undertank heater. I never did see how people could put hot bulbs directly in an enclosure. Every time I've tried that, snakes inevitably get burned, water spashes the bulb and breaks it, and numerous other hassles.

[Didymus20X6]

Which is why you don't put the bulb IN the tank, but overhead or to the side.

[ConcinusMan]

And yet I keep seeing enclosures with sockets/bulbs hanging from the ceiling inside the enclosure. I don't get that. It's no problem if they're on top of a screen with a ceramic socket lamp and deflector. I do that.

[mark cope]

I have thought about it ...I don't really want to put a bulb in, I would rather use a heat mat .....spoke to another guy and I'm thinking of adopting his idea ....which is put the heat mat in the viv ....then secure a piece of 3mm hard board on top of the heat mat ....then set stat probe above that to make sure it never gets too hot.

[d_virginiana]

Wouldn't putting the heat mat on the side/bottom of the viv be easier? I've only used the very little ones for my frog, since my house never gets cold enough for the garters to need extra heat, but it doesn't get hot enough to burn. The larger ones might though, idk.

[mark cope]

Wouldn't putting the heat mat on the side/bottom of the viv be easier? I've only used the very little ones for my frog, since my house never gets cold enough for the garters to need extra heat, but it doesn't get hot enough to burn. The larger ones might though, idk.

Heat has to 15mm of furniture board and through substrate if i put it on the outside
Inside it would only have to pass through 3mm hardboard and substrate,....the hard board and stat would stop snake from getting hurt

[d_virginiana]

Heat has to 15mm of furniture board and through substrate if i put it on the outside
Inside it would only have to pass through 3mm hardboard and substrate,....the hard board and stat would stop snake from getting hurt

Sorry, I was thinking about a glass aquarium when I wrote that