Can a heat lamp catch wood on fire?

[Jimmie]

I purchased a premade tank and my heat lamp was just sitting on top of the wood is it dangerous to place two pieces of wood at the edge of my heat lamp to support the lamp? Or could it catch fire?

[Jimmie]

My lamp was sitting on top of the protection mesh not wood*

[Herpin' Man]

If it was sufficiently hot, yes.

[1202]

Mine used to sit on fine mesh then I went to radiant heat panels.

[pet_snake_78]

You would never want the bulb to touch anything not even the metal screen, 1st. Second, you want only metal screen under the bulb and no way for it ever ever have wood directly under it. If it's a front opening cage, you may wish to secure the basking done in place but remember it needs to be able to be undone for bulb changes. Cats, pets, earthquakes, and children knocking it over onto the floor can be dangerous too.

[akane]

If the wood is too close or touching the edges of the reflector without enough airflow/ventilation space under the lamp it will make the wood hot enough to blacken and potentially catch fire. Usually just having the rim of the reflector touching something without blocking too much of the heat will not cause a problem but it would depend on the amount of heat you are running and size of the reflector. In some situations even having something rest against the outside of a metal reflector could melt it or start discoloring wood. I've had stone tile crack and burnt my fingers moving it when just 25-50w che bulbs were left sitting for awhile with part of the rim on them. Finer mesh will also melt. Usually commercial made aquarium lids are durable enough for the size of heat lamp that would be placed on them but the top can get quite hot to touch and I've had center braces that weren't in direct contact melt under stronger lamps for brooding quail when trying to get 100F at the center of the heat spread below. Brick is probably the only thing that can always handle and safely spread the heat from direct contact with the lamps so brick stacks are sometimes used to set lamps on for various heating purposes around birds or potentially some mammals. Not really so useful for any application of reptile heat lamps though. Better to use the wire loop they should all have to suspend them with plenty of space from any solid materials or finer screen door mesh type material.