Light Bulb Ban

iAmCentrochelys sulcata

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I use incandescent bulbs in my reptile enclosures to provide a warm lit basking area. I've done this since the 80's. I've enjoyed a wide variety of shapes and sizes over the years, and these bulbs have done their job well for me. Time marches on and technology advances. We now have cfl and LED bulbs that are much more energy efficient and much longer lasting. I like these bulbs and have them all over my houses and properties for lighting purposes, but they aren't suitable for what I need for my reptiles, or my chick brooders. For some specialty purposes, I need the heat generated by the old style incandescent bulbs.

I think it is FANTASTIC that we have these new energy efficient bulbs and I've been happy to buy and use them, but now the California government has decided that I will no longer have a choice about which bulb to buy. Now they have decided for me that I'm not allowed to purchase the bulbs I need for my reptiles and chicks. In January of 2018, they said the stores could sell of their remaining inventory, but not buy any more. As of January 2020, it is against the law to sell an incandescent bulb in CA. I knew the stores were phasing out the incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy efficient newer models because they've been getting harder and harder to find. I thought this was a market driven consumer choice. I wasn't too worried because I knew I could order my bulbs on Amazon or elsewhere on-line. Nope. Amazon won't ship them to me. Its ILLEGAL to purchase them in CA. They are BANNED. Against the law. Contraband.

This, frankly, is BULLSH**!!! They didn't tell anyone they were doing this. It wasn't on the news or in the papers that I saw. We didn't vote on this. They didn't even ask for public opinion. They just took away a small piece of our freedom whether we like it or not, and there is no legal recourse. Two groups tried to fight it, and the higher courts upheld the ban. Like every other stupid law, I will find a way around this law, but I should not have to. They are slowly but surely eroding our freedom in this country. If you haven't noticed that we are losing our freedom and our country to this sort of government over reach, you are in for a rude awakening.

If you live in CA and want to keep your reptiles warm and lit, you better make friends with someone in a free state that can receive them and forward them to you. What a pain in the arse!
i mean they probably thought “Who would care”
 

Tom

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Tom, have they banned all the various incandescent bulbs that are specifically made for reptiles?
According to what Mark wrote above, I don't think so. The problem is that the specialty incandescent bulbs marketed for reptiles are not good for tortoises. They are all spot bulbs or colored bulbs. We need flood bulbs, and in a variety of watts to try out and find just the right one fro each enclosure.
 

2turtletom

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According to what Mark wrote above, I don't think so. The problem is that the specialty incandescent bulbs marketed for reptiles are not good for tortoises. They are all spot bulbs or colored bulbs. We need flood bulbs, and in a variety of watts to try out and find just the right one fro each enclosure.
I'm wondering if Zoo Med could essentially buy the flood bulbs and then sell them as their own reptile bulbs? I'm curious as to why they don't sell floods now, really.
 

Jeanettics

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Guess whose heat bulb just popped.. and went looking for affordable heat bulb alternatives... and just discovered this thread.... ?
 

Agathaade

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Hey,
I have observed that reptile brands don’t label their bulbs properly and, for example, Amazon lists some BR20s (available in CA) as ´spotlight’ when they are in fact flood bulbs.

Case in point :
Fluker's Basking Spotlight Bulbs for Reptiles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006L2UBK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Let me pull up the thread where I did a side by side comparison...
 
Last edited:

Agathaade

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Here it is. You can see the listing I linked above says spotlight but the product packaging actually doesn’t. I had to buy it and compare to regular flood bulbs I had.
 

Jeanettics

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Hey,
I have observed that reptile brands don’t label their bulbs properly and call their BR20s (available in CA) ´spotlight’ when they are in fact flood bulbs.
****Edit : It is the amazon listing that mentions ´spotlight’. The below product packaging doesn’t mention either spot or flood. Confusing!

Case in point :
Fluker's Basking Spotlight Bulbs for Reptiles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006L2UBK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Let me pull up the thread where I did a side by side comparison...

Definitely gonna save those Fluker's bulbs to my favorites list.. I know what I'm asking my family for Christmas in bulk.
 

mylittlecholla

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Even I, a relatively new and rookie tortoise owner resent this. I like the inccandesent bulbs for all kind or reasons, hate flourescents, and dislike the LEDs, both for me, my husband, and my tortoise. I didn't know incandsecent bulbs was now illegal in CA. That's crap!

I'll have to go on line and buy as many as I can. Thanks for the heads up.
 

Tom

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Even I, a relatively new and rookie tortoise owner resent this. I like the inccandesent bulbs for all kind or reasons, hate flourescents, and dislike the LEDs, both for me, my husband, and my tortoise. I didn't know incandsecent bulbs was now illegal in CA. That's crap!

I'll have to go on line and buy as many as I can. Thanks for the heads up.
You can't. I tried. Its illegal to sell them here. Online sellers won't sell to you.

You have to have someone out of state buy them and ship them to you.

This is the tip of the iceberg folks. Keep electing leftists, and we will get more and more of this, and it will continue getting worse and worse. Take a look at Venezuela to see where we are currently headed.
 

Dizisdalife

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You can't. I tried. Its illegal to sell them here. Online sellers won't sell to you.

You have to have someone out of state buy them and ship them to you.

This is the tip of the iceberg folks. Keep electing leftists, and we will get more and more of this, and it will continue getting worse and worse. Take a look at Venezuela to see where we are currently headed.
Tom, if you want to turn this forum into a place for political rants, I am ready for you. Bring it on!! I've been going at it For 4 years now, but only on forums for that type of conversation. Fox News has banned me more than a dozen times, and I have twarted their efforts each time. I have had my computer attacked, I believe by Fox, but I have bolstered my computer defenses and survived them unharmed. Sorry you can't purchase the light bulbs you want, but to draw comparisons to Venezuela and make baseless projections about how America will decay to that level is absurd. I haven't been to Venezuela in many years, but in the years that I served there I learned a lot. Mostly about how our country has exploited these countries, their citizens, and propped up dictators that would allow these abuses to take place. And, yes, I did use weapons. I would tell more, but most of my missions are still classified and I could go to prison. I'll just say that these Right-Wing Militia groups look like middle age Boy Scouts and will wilt at the first fire. Venezuela was not the only country I served in.

Again, sorry you can't buy the light bulb you want. Please don't bring politics to this forum. This is where I go to get away from that stuff. Here, and the 90 minutes each day I spend with my sulcata.
 

zovick

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Tom, if you want to turn this forum into a place for political rants, I am ready for you. Bring it on!! I've been going at it For 4 years now, but only on forums for that type of conversation. Fox News has banned me more than a dozen times, and I have twarted their efforts each time. I have had my computer attacked, I believe by Fox, but I have bolstered my computer defenses and survived them unharmed. Sorry you can't purchase the light bulbs you want, but to draw comparisons to Venezuela and make baseless projections about how America will decay to that level is absurd. I haven't been to Venezuela in many years, but in the years that I served there I learned a lot. Mostly about how our country has exploited these countries, their citizens, and propped up dictators that would allow these abuses to take place. And, yes, I did use weapons. I would tell more, but most of my missions are still classified and I could go to prison. I'll just say that these Right-Wing Militia groups look like middle age Boy Scouts and will wilt at the first fire. Venezuela was not the only country I served in.

Again, sorry you can't buy the light bulb you want. Please don't bring politics to this forum. This is where I go to get away from that stuff. Here, and the 90 minutes each day I spend with my sulcata.
@Dizisdalife Thank you for your service.

Bill Zovickian
US Army 1968-1974
 

Dizisdalife

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@Dizisdalife Thank you for your service.

Bill Zovickian
US Army 1968-1974
Thanks Bill, but I wasn't in the "military". My "outfit" was one of those with a three letter name. I did, however, coordinate the actions of US military operatives. When I see these Right-wing or left-wing militias posing in gear for photo ops I cringe. This is America!!! These are the very type of groups I sought out and disrupted over forty years ago in foreign countries. This is not a good look for our nation.
 

zovick

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Thanks Bill, but I wasn't in the "military". My "outfit" was one of those with a three letter name. I did, however, coordinate the actions of US military operatives. When I see these Right-wing or left-wing militias posing in gear for photo ops I cringe. This is America!!! These are the very type of groups I sought out and disrupted over forty years ago in foreign countries. This is not a good look for our nation.
OK, Joe, so noted. However, even if you weren't in the military you still performed a valuable service for our country and I am appreciative of that.
 

Yvonne G

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And now governor gruesome wants to ban non electronic cars by 2035 . .. what a bunch of clowns running our government
My 2005 full size 1/2 ton Dodge truck is in like new condition (I'm the typical 'little old lady from Pasadena') and it has many, many more good years left in it. . . way more than fifteen! But then, do I???
 

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