Has anyone used this bulb for a hermanns? It's supposedly high-intensity and made for uromastyx, beardies, and other reptiles tht are exposed to strong bright sunlight for most of the day.
Exoterra UVB200
- Thread starter aidenb
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Hi. Are you new here? If so, welcome. 
I'm new to tort keeping as well, so I can't give you too many pointer as I'm still learning. I can tell you, though, about what I have learned from the more experienced people here.
The particular coil bulbs you're asking about are not safe for torts, according to some of the more experiences people here. We're not sure what causes the damage, but another forum member, Baoh, is running an experiment. You can check the thread "coil bulb experiment," in the Enclosure threads.
Now, I can tell you from personal experience that coil bulbs are definitely not safe for human eyes. A couple of yrs before getting my torts, I bought one for myself to help with serotonin-melatonin balance and vitamin-D production. Although I never looked straight into the light--the bulb was mounted overhead and my eyes were directed downward, as I read--I still couldn't manage more than 20 minutes of reading before my eyes began burning. So I'm assuming that it's also what reptiles experience.
The one I got for my torts is the Exoterra Professional Series, Solar Power 125; UVB & heat. It was recommended by other people here and it seems to work just fine; no harmful effects to the eyes.
Hopefully, other people will chime in soon. Have a good day!
May[CHERRY BLOSSOM], Hermann's [TURTLE][TURTLE] & Aussie [DOG FACE][DOG FACE][DOG FACE] (@YWG)
I'm new to tort keeping as well, so I can't give you too many pointer as I'm still learning. I can tell you, though, about what I have learned from the more experienced people here. The particular coil bulbs you're asking about are not safe for torts, according to some of the more experiences people here. We're not sure what causes the damage, but another forum member, Baoh, is running an experiment. You can check the thread "coil bulb experiment," in the Enclosure threads.
Now, I can tell you from personal experience that coil bulbs are definitely not safe for human eyes. A couple of yrs before getting my torts, I bought one for myself to help with serotonin-melatonin balance and vitamin-D production. Although I never looked straight into the light--the bulb was mounted overhead and my eyes were directed downward, as I read--I still couldn't manage more than 20 minutes of reading before my eyes began burning. So I'm assuming that it's also what reptiles experience.
The one I got for my torts is the Exoterra Professional Series, Solar Power 125; UVB & heat. It was recommended by other people here and it seems to work just fine; no harmful effects to the eyes.
Hopefully, other people will chime in soon. Have a good day!
May[CHERRY BLOSSOM], Hermann's [TURTLE][TURTLE] & Aussie [DOG FACE][DOG FACE][DOG FACE] (@YWG)
I would not use any coil type cfl bulb. Use the long florescent tubes, a mercury vapor bulb, or even better, get your tortoise out in the sun a few times a week in a safe enclosure, and skip the indoor artificial UV entirely.
aidenb said:
Sorry, forgot to ask where you live. Depending on where you are, you may be able to get away without the UVB bulb, like Tom said. But, if you live anywhere, in North America, above the 37th parallel, UVB availability highly depends on seasonal changes and time of day.
I live in Canada, so we get 0 UVB from late September to late May. This year, we had a much longer winter as well; below 0 temps well into June. Brrrrr!
May[CHERRY BLOSSOM], Hermann's [TURTLE][TURTLE] & Aussie [DOG FACE][DOG FACE][DOG FACE] (@YWG)
They apparently come in a tube light as well. And I'm in central saskatchewan so outdoor time is pretty limited to only a couple months per year. I was more wanting to know if a 12% equivalent UVB bulb would be too intense or of I should stick to a 10%
aidenb said:
I'm in Winnipeg. Howdy, neighbour!
Can you believe this past winter? And no spring at all! I would think 12% it's too intense, as is meant for desert dwellers; e.g., Sulcatas. I'd go with something that's meant for tropical and/or subtropical species because the area where Eastern Hermannis come from is part of Subtropical region, in Europe. I'm going to the Reptile Exo next weekend, so I'll ask the breeders what they use.
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