How bad are coil bulbs?

[ottosmom18]

Hi, I just wanted to ask a quick question. I have a coil shaped UVB bulb in my enclosure, and everything's chipper. Why are they so bad?

 

[Tom]

Sometimes they can damage reptile eyes. Seen it many times. They don't always do this, but why risk it? There are safer, better alternatives, that won't do this.

 

[ottosmom18]

What other bulbs can I get? I did a little online shopping at Petsmart and didn't find any non coiled ones. What do you use?

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I use the Powersun MVB. These bulbs provide a nice basking spot with good temps as well as providing active UVA/UVB and they last a good long time. I change mine out at 14 month. I'm sorry you bought the coil bulb, you really should replace it.

 

[ottosmom18]

I already have a basking spot bulb that works wonders, so I'm just looking for something that doesn't give off any heat. But, thanks for your suggestion. I'll try it next time I need to replace mine!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

That's the beauty of the Powersun, it replaces multiple lights as well as supplements the heat during daylight cycle.

 

[SmileyKylie623]

I take it these are the bulbs you are talking about? http://www.tortoisesupply.com/zoomed-reptisun-10-0-uvb-compact-fluorescent/

If so I guess it is time to get a new bulb :/

Although there is a little fine print that says it no longer hurts reptile eyes like previous models do? Better to be safe then sorry..

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

T-Rex produces a similar MVB called a mega-ray. For me, Powersun bulbs are more readily available.

 

[laney]

I don't get why they are still allowed to sell coil bulbs!!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I don't get why they are still allowed to sell coil bulbs!!

The USA doesn't have a standard of care requirement for reptiles. In theory, I could advertise and sell, broken glass as a substrate for reptiles and say its perfectly fine because they have hard scales that protect them and if they ingest any, it will just pass on through them.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Sometimes we are knuckleheads as a country. If it sucks, it should not be out there. Kinda like our food policy. Oops, sorry. Don't let me get started about the stuff in our food.

If it damages our little friends eyes it needs be gone from the market. Wish I was queen. I would declare it bah-bye.

 

[jamiescorer]

I have one and have had no problem, but I've read that many bad things, Toms right why risk it I'm awaiting for delivery of a new bulb.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

The only way the coil bulbs will go away, would be if none were purchased. The old supply and demand.


3sulcata
7russian
2pancake
1uro
6cats
1syko dog
1 wonderful wife

 

[Yvonne G]

Read about coil bulbs here:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm

The bulbs are supposedly now fixed and don't cause the problems originally found in them, however, there was never a recall, so the old, bad bulbs are still out there. One has no way of knowing if he were buying a new bulb or an old bulb.

 

[jaizei]

Sometimes we are knuckleheads as a country. If it sucks, it should not be out there. Kinda like our food policy. Oops, sorry. Don't let me get started about the stuff in our food.

If it damages our little friends eyes it needs be gone from the market. Wish I was queen. I would declare it bah-bye.

Would you retroactively ban MVBs as well? I remember back when they were the 'new kid on the block' and were deemed to be too dangerous for one reason or another. Used incorrectly, they are still quite dangerous.

---

The only way the coil bulbs will go away, would be if none were purchased. The old supply and demand.

Fluorescent lights will remain in high demand until an affordable LED is marketed. You may see an MVB producing heat as a bonus, however those of us in the warmer states do not.

---

Read about coil bulbs here:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm

The bulbs are supposedly now fixed and don't cause the problems originally found in them, however, there was never a recall, so the old, bad bulbs are still out there. One has no way of knowing if he were buying a new bulb or an old bulb.

Anyone reading that site should be sure to read it in it's entirety. You will see that it wasn't just the bulbs themselves that were the problem. The way they were used was also a contributing factor.

How often do we see someone on here say to get a brooder lamp instead of buying an 'expensive' zoo med dome? That alone can be the difference between safe and unsafe use.

---

And honestly, if you are using any type of UV bulb you should own a UV meter.

 

[Madkins007]

To add to Yvonne's comment- the BIG problem was that one manufacturer had a bad run of bulbs some years ago and the coating actually allowed TOO MUCH UV to get through, which injured animal eyes.

Some keepers have reported problems with the bulbs apart from this specific issue and they MAY create a 'hot spot' of high UVB levels coming out of the tip of the bulb. The 'hot spot' is bad for two reasons- a.) it may possibly be too much UVB, especially for young eyes, and b.) small hot spots are generally a bad idea since they do not allow proper basking.

If you have a coiled bulb you can make it more useful by positioning it sideways so it creates a larger pool of useable UVB and shoots any concentrated beams at the side of the habitat.

As for 'all-in-one' bulbs like Megarays- two of the things I dislike about these are that they ARE all in one, so a failure means no UVB, no light, and no heat. I prefer to use a separate system for each. With an all-in-one, you cannot independently adjust light levels, heat, and UVB levels.

The other issue is that they also create a smallish hot spot. When you look at thermal imaging of tortoises basking in the sun, they heat pretty evenly all over. When they bask under a heat lamp or single heat source, the back gets hot (often VERY hot), but the plastron remains cool and the limbs may or may not warm up depending on the size of the warm area.

We DO want some variation in temperature in the habitat, but the bulk of the space should be pleasantly warm for them, not a hot side and a cold side.