Advice for Day and Night Bulbs - Page 2

dannybgoode · 04-14-17, 01:18 PM

Uv bulbs aren't gnarly! And trust me-what a reptile bulb can put out is a fraction of what they'd be exposed to in the wild. The chances of overdoing it are slim in less you went mad with multiple bulbs etc.

Use a quality brand like Zoo-Med though. Don't use Repti-Glo - not nearly as good and don't last as long. Spectral output is more questionable too.

Just make sure there's plenty of shade and hidey places as well as a basking spot and the snake will be fine. I generally put the uv where the heat is also so it basks in the uv and heat together.

Dmurphy95 · 04-14-17, 04:21 PM

All right, thank you! They just always seem a lot stronger than the other bulbs that are commonly used, and I am simply being a cautious snake mom. XD

I will definitely do that though-- Zoo-Med has usually always had amazing reviews on like, all their products, so I certainly trust them!
And do not worry I am supplying my little Rosy with plenty of hides and other places where they can burrow under to keep them feeling safe and content.

akane · 04-14-17, 09:45 PM

There has been problems of using uv with lizards and the increasing fully supplemented commercial diets designed around many not using uv but snakes are not supplemented with vitamin d since it's difficult and not required so unless you go beyond normal lighting methods you will reach an uncomfortable temp or brightness they avoid first.

Dmurphy95 · 04-15-17, 11:29 AM

I will be using a timer-based socket for the double-lamp I am getting to help mirror a normal day and night cycle for them, but if that's the case should I not use a UV..?

Again I will be using a stand and a double-lamp fixture with a timer controlled socket, but I am getting the lowest wattage for the UV screw-in bulb.

dannybgoode · 04-15-17, 11:32 AM

No reason not to use uv on a timer - I do on all my vivs. A rosy boa would be exposed to a high tv index in the wild so no need to hold back with wattage or uv %.

Dmurphy95 · 04-15-17, 12:04 PM

All right, thank you for the imput!

At this point I have decided to use the timer-based double setup simply to allow a more normal sleeping pattern (of sorts) but also so I can still view the little guy without constantly having that brighter daylight bulb on all the time. X3

-- ALSO that being said, I am very excited! I finally ordered my little Rosy Boa TODAY! It's a little boy. He'll be coming in a few weeks so I still have plenty of time to set up things and get Qizil to his new cage, but I am very excited.

Again, thank you all for the imput, and I will defintitely show pictures when the little man gets here~ !

dannybgoode · 04-15-17, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmurphy95

All right, thank you for the imput!

At this point I have decided to use the timer-based double setup simply to allow a more normal sleeping pattern (of sorts) but also so I can still view the little guy without constantly having that brighter daylight bulb on all the time. X3

-- ALSO that being said, I am very excited! I finally ordered my little Rosy Boa TODAY! It's a little boy. He'll be coming in a few weeks so I still have plenty of time to set up things and get Qizil to his new cage, but I am very excited.

Again, thank you all for the imput, and I will defintitely show pictures when the little man gets here~ !

No light at night right? I know it's tempting to be able to view 24/7 but they need dark at night. Some people with use red lamps or 'moonlight' blue lamps but imo even these are questionable (note natural moonlight is not blue!).

Use a ceramic heater in one of the sockets for 24/7 heat and then full spectrum inc uv bulb for day time light-thats what I'd do.

If you absolutely must view at night then red heat lamp in one socket and the uv bulb in the I get for day time light.

dannybgoode · 04-15-17, 12:39 PM

Oh and do post pics, lots of pics...

Dmurphy95 · 04-15-17, 04:04 PM

That is what I'm planning, yea. I did get a ret bulb simply because humidity is hard to hold in an all glass tank, and especially with the ambient temps we have where we live. The fogger I am getting will hopefully help with that, but still. I am just overly cautious. XD If it seems fine and I have no quarrels with it I might just stop using the red bulb and simply turn off the UV bulb at night, then sell the double-fixture and get a singular one.

-- Believe me when I say I will happily show lots and lots of pics when I get him~
I am super excited!

TRD · 04-15-17, 04:46 PM

Better to turn off light at night, no blue, no red.. reptiles can pickup on light that you as human can not see at all, mostly in UV, but some also in IR, and some very much in IR like pitvipers and most pythons (even though it's not through the eyes). All reptiles need a normal day-night cycle, just like you do.

If the room is normally dark, or it can be blinded without being disturbing for you, one could also simply adjust the day-night cycle with your own lighting. F.e. start the "day" at noon and end it at midnight. But you can only do such a thing in a totally blinded room...

PS... Rosy Boa, Fogger...? I doubt too low humidity will be a problem with these guys

Also if your ambient is high, you will likely have enough heat of the UV bulb itself... Those guys are rather straight forward to keep.

Dmurphy95 · 04-15-17, 05:36 PM

Well that being said, it's a good thing I haven't actually bought the foggers yet. XD I guess I'll only buy one then for Qizil!

If that's the case I might just need to buy a second single-light fixture and use the double for Qizil, since he defintitely needs higher humidity than a Rosy Boa. He'll also be the only one getting a fogger it sounds like.

This is the main problem I see happening a lot. Lots of people say certain things about lighting/humidity while other people say other things, and it's hard to figure out what I should actually be doing.

So far though a lot have said that using a UV isn't necessary but is ok to be used. Humidity is low enough that misting shouldn't be a problem (unlike Qizil XD) and a normal day-light cycle should include literally no light at night.
I am not so much worried about humidity anymore, but i have heard that Rosy's especially are renound escape artists, and as I usually stay up later for work I am worried the little bugger will slip out without me noticing.
I suppose I am still on the fence about the nighttime lighting. X'3

akane · 04-15-17, 06:30 PM

Why would you need more humidity? Do you already live in a desert? Some don't even leave a water bowl in to keep it low enough. Mine was probably 20% plus an incandescent bulb all winter and that's one species that didn't even cross my mind when setting up humidifiers near others. They come out of deserts and some quite harsh interior deserts. You'll be suffering sore throats yourself before you dry out a rosy with constant water access and shedding is still usually the least eventful of anything I have. I'd definitely not put on a fogger. They are known to get respiratory issues easy if there is frequent extra moisture in the air. At most get a wider water dish and put it under the light for more natural evaporation and wet instead of overall mist a part of the tank once a day during low humidity parts of the year or with signs of shedding. I will spray a rock which evaporates into the air for a rapid but temporary increase on the warm end and sometimes the back wall of the tank usually in evening. My cleanup critters need a chance at moisture besides bowls and the "rain" with subsequent slight decrease in temp often triggers activity and hunting desire in desert species. That's when prey would most be out. My wild caught was so disappointed nothing happens and often stakes out the water bowl when hungry. It's amusing to watch the careful stalking of a dead mouse no matter how many times it's always dead.

Dmurphy95 · 04-16-17, 06:18 PM

Nah I was mostly talking about Qizil in that regard, not my Rosy.
My apologies, I didn't specify that well. X'D

I am mainly worriedad about humidity for the Rosy simply because humidity at my house drops down really quick, and it likes to sit at around 40% as far as I've seen.
That's considered too low for Qizil, my Red-Tailed Boa, but so far I only know that Rosy's need "low" humidity, and am speculating that means around 40?
It's frustratingly hard to find more exact percentages for these guys!

dannybgoode · 04-17-17, 03:40 AM

For my boa I find humidity is controlled just fine using a decent substrate. In the case of my boa it's predominantly coco coir but with some top soil and a little orchid bark. I'd say 70% coco, 20% soil and 10% orchid bark. 70% or so is perfect for a Boa imperator.

Heating is by a 150W che, there's a 20W if tube in there as well which generates a fair amount of heat as well.

A good spray of the substrate every 2-3 days holds the humidity at 70%+.

A note re foggers - one that just makes a must effect on the air actually does very little for humidity. To get the humidity up that means keeping the substrate moist. A nice layer of hydroballs underneath the substrate that are good and wet coupled with a rain system - MistKing is pretty much the best solution by far would work well but then in an unplanted Viv just a good spray of the substrate with a plant sprayer is usually sufficient.

When I set the reptile room up I'm going for a full MistKing set up as it will run multiple vivs and as mine will predominantly be planted this means the plants will stay nice and watered.

Just to reiterate when you 'mist' a viv, mist the substrate not the air to bump humidity up. Also be cautious what you are measuring humidity with. Those stick on dials are pretty useless. I use a digital hygrometer in all my vivs. Not cheap but I am more confident in what they're telling me.

Dmurphy95 · 04-17-17, 06:06 AM

Thanks for the reply and imput!

Yea i don't trust my stick-on dials so I ordered digital probe double-meters for Humidity and temps. I can definitely get it up in the 60%-70% range but it doesn't stay there for long, hence the constant need for misting.
I do understand the "spray the substrate not the air" thing, I think it is mainly just that it dries up pretty fast and then humidity plummets.

-- Oh, hydro balls? I have only barely heard of them. I want to switch from spraying Qizil often because he really is not a fan of getting sprayed. XD He always arches away and gives me the stink-eye when I have to spray him, hehe! So I want an alternative so I can annoy him SLIGHTLY less with my shenanigans.
Would you reccomend the Hydro Balls over any foggers/misters? I am not too worried about money, I am mostly just worried about practicality and which you would reccomend better.