Looking for people to tell their story of using coil bulbs

[BrinnANDTorts]

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to tell me their story about how a Coil fluorescent bulb, like the reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb,


hurt their tortoise or any reptile really. I mainly want to hear about how you positioned in in your enclosure. The distance from your tortoise, did you have the bulb at an angle or facing straight down into the enclosure, did you let it go through the burn in period, did you read the instructions

that came with the bulb so that you would know how to properly use it, did you have the right light fixture for this bulb that are listed in the instructions?

Moderator Yvonne note: Please also include the brand of the bulb, the type and the wattage. Thank you.

 

[dmarcus]

These are the type of bulbs that I believe are the issue..

 

[ascott]

Hi...I am a bit confused...? The bulb you are showing here is a Compact Fluorescent UVB but your thread has reference to a Fluorescent Coil Bulb UVB? The Compact Fluorescent UVB is a ok item to use--if used as instructed by manufacturer directions....however the Fluorescent Coil Bulb is the one that I believe you likely are referring to? Yes?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Angela...You have WAY confused me...the florescent coil UVB bulb is what blinded my tortoise, but you say the picture of the florescent coil UVB bulb and the florescent coil UVB bulb are something different??? i think I am getting a head ache, between this and the calendar pictures happening so quickly and Jacqui being pregnant it's all too much for me...

 

[byerssusan]

this is the bulb I WAS using that I have heard hurts

 

[tyler0912]

Angela...You have WAY confused me...the florescent coil UVB bulb is what blinded my tortoise, but you say the picture of the florescent coil UVB bulb and the florescent coil UVB bulb are something different??? i think I am getting a head ache, between this and the calendar pictures happening so quickly and Jacqui being pregnant it's all too much for me...

PAHA Jacqui pregnant...That thread made me giggle!

 

[BrinnANDTorts]

OMG your kidding me?!?! I bought a whole new bulb and everything because I thought my tortoise was going to go blind. When I posted that I was using that bulb many people said it would cause blindness. Now I am confused, so my bulb the one I posted a picture of

will not cause blindness as long as used properly as the instructions say?

---

Hi...I am a bit confused...? The bulb you are showing here is a Compact Fluorescent UVB but your thread has reference to a Fluorescent Coil Bulb UVB? The Compact Fluorescent UVB is a ok item to use--if used as instructed by manufacturer directions....however the Fluorescent Coil Bulb is the one that I believe you likely are referring to? Yes?

I thought they were the same, a compact fluorescent UVB and a fluorescent coil bulb UVB. The compact fluorescent UVB is what it says on the package but everyone on here is referring to them as coil bulbs... not the same? I thought they were because people were telling me mine would cause blindness.

---

this is the bulb I WAS using that I have heard hurts

They are both compact fluorescent bulbs, does the shape of the bulb make that much difference?
mine is shaped like this

 

[byerssusan]

I really don't know if there is a difference or not. I am confused ...

 

[BrinnANDTorts]

I really don't know if there is a difference or not. I am confused ...

Me too, for safe measures I will just not use it

 

[Utah Lynn]

You have the good one. I was told to mount mine Horizontal instead of up and down vertical. I remounted mine in an aquarium hood.

 

[Mao Senpai]

I used the one you have in the first picture a year or so back... I noticed a change in behavior and inactivity and I was using it for only 2-3 days so I just took it out and went back to the mvb I was using and it was fine... I don't really have any proof per say if it hurts their eyes or what not but just the change of behavior was enough for me...

 

[byerssusan]

Same here. I am not using mine until I know for sure.. And even then I will second guess because I did see a difference in her eyes when I turned it off. I am very lucky I guess. Because where I live I can give her natural sun light for a couple of hours a day..So I am not even going to worry about that light.

 

[BrinnANDTorts]

How did yall have the lights set up in cages if u don't mind me asking?

 

[Utah Lynn]

How did yall have the lights set up in cages if u don't mind me asking?

I got rid of the domes and put my bulbs (UVB & HEAT) in an old aquarium hood that I had on hand.

 

[Tony the tank]

Well look what I found...maybe it is a design flaw in the use of flouresent coil bulbs or CFB ..

http://anddomestic.com/cfl_cancer.htm

And from what I understand they are both referred to as compact flouresent bulbs in the industry..

I posted in haste..they are referring to maybe causeing cancer..seems all flourecents put out UVA..

 

[jaizei]

From what I've read, I was under the impression that it was the helical (spiral) lamps that were the problem and that the tubular type cfl were fine. But that's not a risk I'm willing to take.

 

[Candy]

This is the one I've used for my cherryhead's Dale, Ruby and Little Eddie and it hasn't hurt them.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752555

 

[Tony the tank]

Just a little bump..

 

[byerssusan]

Well I can tell you when I bought my bulb there were No instructions on how to use it. I only after getting it all set up and joining this forum learnt how to use the bulbs. Petsmart said it was the right kind I needed and of course I as an idiot believed them.

 

[BrinnANDTorts]

Well I can tell you when I bought my bulb there were No instructions on how to use it. I only after getting it all set up and joining this forum learnt how to use the bulbs. Petsmart said it was the right kind I needed and of course I as an idiot believed them.

That happened to me and my sister when we bought our first redfoot from petsmart. We soon figured out from googling and this forum that they had no idea what they were talking about. I bought Gupta from a breeder , which I think was much better than getting them from petsmart. I wonder if anyone has found a store online that's safe to buy them off of because I want a cherry head or yellow foot or mountain tortoise and I can't seem to find one.