Questions concerning UVB

[tortoiseowner101]

Are exo terra CFL bulbs safe to use ?
If a CFL bulb is harmful to a tortoise, is it harmful to all other reptiles ?
Are zoo med reptisun CFL bulbs safe to use ?
Are all CFL bulbs harmful to tortoises ?

 

[Sterling Thunder]

CFL is a no go, they cause eye problems in torts apparently. Cant speak to other animals.

 

[wellington]

There are quite a few reptiles that those harm.

 

[Tom]

They don't always cause harm, but sometimes they do. I've seen eye damage in green iguanas, bearded dragons and several species of tortoises.

I recommend against all cfl UV bulbs. There are other alternatives like the long tube florescents or mercury vapor bulbs that do not cause these issues. Even better is to build a safe outdoor enclosure and let the sun do its job for your tortoise, so you don't need any artificial UV bulbs.

 

[tortoiseowner101]

Thanks everyone
It helped alot

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But they told me combine exo terra bulbs with exo terra reptile vision it will be fine

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But when I went to our local exo terra shop they told us that in the past bulbs were used for human vision but now they made them specifically for reptile vision

 

[Tom]

If you haven't figured this out yet, sometimes people selling you stuff in pet stores don't know what they are talking about. Sometimes they just don't have the experience with a given species or product that someone else has. Nobody here stands to gain anything by misinforming you, whether it be from ignorance or not. I don't sell a competing product, or any products at all. I'm just sharing what I have seen and learned, so you don't have to learn it the hard way at the expense of your tortoises eyes.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Pet stores and pet supply stores have one primary agenda: to sell pets and pet supplies. Giving 100% accurate information is not a requirement for them.

 

[Madkins007]

Several years ago, one maker made a batch of CFL UVB bulbs that allowed too much of the wrong levels of UV radiation and it badly hurt a lot of tortoises. That issue has been corrected.

Since then, there have been other reported examples of the same issue, but little has been clinically studied as far as I can tell. We have no way of knowing if the bulbs were correctly installed, what the diet or other cares were, etc. so there is a possibility that the bulbs are getting a bad rap.

However- the design of the CFL makes a fairly tight beam of intense light come out the tip, and it is possible that is the problem. This is actually a bad idea for most herps since we want them to sunbathe in a 'pool' of light that their entire body fits in to get both warmth and UVB exposure- not just a tiny hot spot of warm, UVB-rich light.

If you use a CFL, consider mounting it so the SIDES of the bulb are doing the work and the tip is pointed high on a sidewall.

 

[tortoiseowner101]

I will use MVB bulbs


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