UVB Coil

Ryan Kruse

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
55
I am referring to the following bulb: ZooMed Reptisun 10.0 (the one with the two loop coils)

I had recently (past month) bought a veiled chameleon from a reputable national breeder. I spent a fortune on the right enclosure, plants, lights, etc. I even bought a "nice" UVB bulb.

The first week or so went fine. Then Gizmo started having eye problems. First one eye stayed shut, then a few days later the other eye. He started hiding at the bottom of the cage as well. All perimeters were right on. I spent hours talking to different breeders and chameleon owners. The problem kept getting worse. Eventually Gizmo stopped eating and drinking. Within another week he was dead. He had no other health issues and was an absolutely beautiful and healthy guy that went down hill very quick!

So, I am just blaming the bulb right?? Not quite yet.

So now Topanga comes into play. My cute little Russian. Once again a beautiful creature. Healthy and happy. I made some changes per the people on this site to the enclosure etc. I used the same UVB bulb as with the chameleon. It was suggested that I change the bulb from a coil bulb to either a mercury vapor bulb or a tube floursecent. No problem. Seeing that it has only been 8 days since I got her/him, I wanted to research some of the bulbs and not blow another $40. There are some bad reviews on some of the bulbs:( But in the mean time I noticed her blinking her eyes a lot. I didn't think any of it because I originally had some sand mixed in the substrate. I figured it was just some of the old sand that she managed to find. But two days later she is now keeping both eyes shut.

Coinsidence?? I think not!! Needless to say the bulb is gone. I have been using some saline drops. I expect a full recovery in a couple of days. But to those of you who think the coil bulbs are okay, DON'T RISK IT!
 

Tom

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Do you still have that bulb in your possession? We are trying to get one of the "offending" bulbs and test it. If you do I'll pay you for the bulb and shipping to get it to @zenoandthetortoise here on the forum.

Many people don't want to take our word for it because we have no scientific proof. We are trying to get some of the bad bulbs and test them to find out exactly what is the problem.
 

Ryan Kruse

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Dec 28, 2014
Messages
55
I still have it in working condition. Let me know what I need to do. Also, anything else that I can do for my Russian?
 

Tom

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I still have it in working condition. Let me know what I need to do. Also, anything else that I can do for my Russian?

AWESOME! Hold on to it. I need to get you and zeno together so he can tell you where to ship it. When that is done, send me your addy in a PM ("conversation") and I will reimburse you for the cost of the bulb that you won't be returning as well as the shipping costs to get it to zeno.

I'm sorry to hear about both of your animals, but perhaps we can make something good come from this.

Thank you for posting.
 

katfinlou

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Oct 26, 2014
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446
I have no doubt that my cool bulb hurt my Hermanns eyes. Granted before she came to me she had never been exposed to uv light, and in my ignorance i took what petshop guy said as gospel and used the coil uv bulb that he recommended. The first day she wouldn't move from under the light, she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Next day she hid away at the opposite end of the table and kept her eyes closed most of the time. Thanks to advice from this forum I switched off the coil bulb and bought a Mercury vapour bulb and she's not hid away since, eyes bright and sparkling, no problems at all. I absolutely believe the coil bulb was hurting her eyes. Im glad I changed it before serious eye damage occurred.
 

Ryan Kruse

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Dec 28, 2014
Messages
55
Tom, thanks. I still see this type of bulb for sale.

They are the "newer" supposedly that are still sold about everywhere. I bought this at a brick and mortar store, but they sell them at about 75% of the online stores.
 

Tom

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Tom, thanks. I still see this type of bulb for sale.

They sell them as quickly as they can stock them, so there is no sign of them going off the market anytime soon. This is common in the pet industry.

Examples:
They still sell those ramped water bowls for tortoises.
They sell red bulbs for heat all day long.
There are cartoonish pictures of happy small animals on the packages of cedar bedding. Cedar is highly toxic to small animals stuck in cages with it.
Etc...
 

Ryan Kruse

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
55
Thanks to advice from this forum I switched off the coil bulb and bought a Mercury vapour bulb and she's not hid away since, eyes bright and sparkling, no problems at all. I absolutely believe the coil bulb was hurting her eyes. Im glad I changed it before serious eye damage occurred.

I have been sooo mislead about reptiles from online sources, I usually don't buy into all the hype. My cousin and I have bred and owned everything from exotic mammals, an alligator, a bear, to reptiles and amphibians across the board (I leave the large stuff to my cousin). Most of what we have read and researched online is totally off base with reality. However, this forum does seem to be an exception. This is the first time I have actually experienced or met/known anyone to experience problems with the coil bulbs. Thankfully, I have already noticed a difference in Topanga's energy levels and eye problems and was able to catch it in time. I wish I hadn't of lost Gizmo because of something so preventable. He was a gorgeous creature that would have brought years of joy!
 

Ryan Kruse

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
55
They sell them as quickly as they can stock them, so there is no sign of them going off the market anytime soon. This is common in the pet industry.

Examples:
They still sell those ramped water bowls for tortoises.
They sell red bulbs for heat all day long.
There are cartoonish pictures of happy small animals on the packages of cedar bedding. Cedar is highly toxic to small animals stuck in cages with it.
Etc...

I believe you said in one forum post that almost everything you need for a tortoise comes from a hardware store, not a pet store. So true!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Jan 9, 2010
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63,269
Location (City and/or State)
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We have a member here who is a vet tech. Sorry, the name escapes me now...

He came on during one of these may coil bulb debates and stated that the exotic vet that he works for has seen 50 or so cases of eye damage from these cfl UV bulbs.

The problem (...or at least one problem) is that not all of these bulbs cause this problem, and to this day no one can say exactly what it is that causes the problem. Many reasonable theories have been proposed, such as tiny cracks in the phosphorescent coating allowing UVC through, but no definitive study has been done that I have ever seen.
 

Danny G

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Aug 25, 2014
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Location (City and/or State)
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I lost a baby box and I now believe this coil bulb was the reason why.
He had eye issues.
Tom, If you would like a couple of more bulbs to study, I would be more than happy to send these to you.

mercury vapor bulb is what I need?
If I know for sure ehat I need, then I can buy one at the Expo this weekened.

thanks!
 

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