Ceramic Heat Emitter

[Lickeypie]

I'm in the market for a ceramic heat emitter for my beardie, because I fear the temps in my apartment will soon be too cold. Right now I use a regular incandescent bulb for his basking spot.

How long do che's usually last? What is the best brand?

Thanks :)

[formica]

I've only used one ceramic, I bought it in 2002, I believe its an ExoTerra, it heated my Beardies enclosure for 6 years, then into storage until the beginning of this year, and it is now a supplemental heater in my Sav enclosure, and still works great. For at least half of the time with my Beardie, it was on a Pulse-Proportional thermostat, these will give extra life to your ceramics, because it means the heater doesnt need to go from hot to cold constantly, which is what damages the element and ceramic casing


thats not to say that newer ceramics will last as long as that - unfortunetly its a common problem, that as products are developed, they are made cheaper, and dont last as long....umm, so maybe my experience is not that useful to you lol

[smy_749]

They last for years. Just don't get them wet :P Don't know what brand is best.

[Lickeypie]

Yes, very helpful! Thank you!

[Mikoh4792]

I'd try to find one that has a long warranty
on it so if it breaks you can get a new one for free

[B_Aller]

I'd ditch the CHE and just use a light bulb.
Light bulbs are so much easier to tell if their working, CHE can be broken for quite some time before you realize.

[Lickeypie]

I'm worried about night time though...

[smy_749]

Unless your house gets really cold, the beardies will be fine at night with no heat at all. I wouldn't worry unless it gets in the low sixties in which case you yourself would be pretty cold.

[formica]

if a ceramic is plugged into a pule thermostat, then it is as simple as watching the light on the front, to find out how well it is working. the instructions contain all the info you need

I'm worried about night time though...

Your instinct is correct, lamps are not appropriate for animals which require a day-night cycle, except for the day cycle

but as smy said, you may not need the extra heat at night, have you got a thermometer which has a minimum temperature record? they can withstand low temps as smy said, but there is nothing wrong with being cautious, especially if you dont not have any way to know the minimum temperature in your house at night - but if your central heating is on a thermostat and on all night, then its unlikley to be an issue