Heat lamps & basking bulbs & UV lights, oh my!

[Emz3]

Hi all,

So I've had my BTS a couple months now I think, and things are going well over all. Still learning as I go! I had a lighting question for you as I am new to the world of reptiles. How safe is all this lighting we use? I leave it on for 12 hours a day, every day and do leave the house of course!

I have my basking temperatures good (95-100) and my cool end is good! (75-85) I use a clamping flood light for the basking bulb, I also have a small infra red bulb that isn't as hot and then of course the uvb light. All three lights lay on the top of the tank cover which is made of metal. Have any of you ever had a problem with the wiring or bulbs? I'm not usually a worrier but couldn't this be a fire hazard? I don't even leave my Christmas lights on when I leave the house! lol!

Your thoughts?

[Richard.C]

I like to secure the lights,just for peace of mind,i have them inside the cage,if u have pet cats,birds ect id be worried they could knock them off causing fire risks,if no other pets and sitting on metal screen i see no probs if cage is sturdy

[Lea]

Use a circuit breaking powerboard, with built in switches/circuit breakers, for all the plugs to sit in. They are pretty good and will short out if it detects a problem, but are also easy to reset without having to change fuses. Keep the boards free from dust, well ventilated and of course, dry as a bone! Main causes for fires would be from overheating, so good ventilation is a must. Keep the powerboards flat and don't overload them so much that they tip over or cause the plugs to loosen/dislodge- this causes overheating secondary to poor connections and therefore increases the risk of fire.

Oh, make sure all your fire alarms are connected or have good batteries. It's worth having a backup battery one, if you are hard wired, in case of power outages, btw.

(I lived out in the bush a while, so kind of pedantic over fire safety!)