Aspen catching fire?

[Codes89]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum and I'm getting my first BTS in a couple days with everything ready to go for him/her. I'm mainly using aspen shavings as my substrate so my question is; can a 100watt heat bulb sitting on top of the cage light the aspen on fire? My terrarium is 12in high with 3-4in of aspen(do BTS's need more?) so that's only a 8-9 inch difference between the heat bulb and the aspen itself. Thanks for any input.

[Tokkay]

Disclaimer that I only have about 2 years of experience with BTS, so this is just from what I've personally seen.

You shouldn't have any problems! I use shredded aspen in my cages as well and have not had any issues. Unless the lamp or light bulb severely malfunction, you should be okay. That said, it's a good idea to have a thermostat to control the temperature just in case! That way if your lamp starts getting too hot, your thermostat will switch it off for you.

But no, a normal heat light at that distance should only warm the aspen up a little bit. I've used 150 watt bulbs at the same distance with no problem, if that helps!

[Codes89]

Awesome, thanks for your reply, no worries then.

[Janella]

My only question is what type of skink are you getting? Most skinks do better off of Aspen and on something that can hold humidity better.

[Codes89]

Website says I'm getting a Teliqua scincoides scincoides. IDK really what species that is but I've already put a ton of money on him/her and the setup. I already bought and used a huge bag of aspen that's sitting on top 2 inches of eco earth.

[Janella]

That is an Eastern right? If you are using the Ecoearth and then Aspen on top, I think you should be just fine. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't straight Aspen. However, I am no expert with Easterns. I will let the experts chim in on this one. Send us pictures when you get your new baby and congratulations.

[Codes89]

Thanks I will. Got it full grown.

[splashy07]

Send a picture as soon as you get him. Easterns are quite rare in the states, and can only be obtained from breeders. Finding one on a dealer's website is impossible, unless you live in Australia. Whatever type you get, I wouldn't use aspen. I even found it too dry for my Northerns.

[Codes89]

I really don't know what type it is, I asked them but I'm waiting for a response. I'm using aspen and eco earth below it. Im just here making sure that the aspen won't catch on fire from the heat bulb.