Coil Bulbs.....

Minihuey

Minihuey

Established Member
Ok... does anyone actually have experience with a CF UVB bulb or do they just go with what other people are telling them. Those articles everyone keeps posting did not really give hard evidence other than a few cases.

I am not too convinced that the CF bulbs are the problem.

I have been using a coil bulb for my one my chameleons and she has never shown any problems. I am getting a tube one in a week or so but for the past 2 months the coil has been her light source. She is aware of things around her and eats just fine....

Feedback...
 
I dont use them for my Chams, just the monitors and Beardies......
I did use one for like a week on my newest baby Panther, and it was at a distance of 6" from the screen.
I personally like them.
 
summoner12 said:
I personally lost a cham to a CFL.

He was dead after one month.

He was a 3 month old Ambanja panther.

He starved to death.
Click to expand...

Are you sure it was the CFL? There is too many variables to consider. Not trying to put you down but it is easy to blame things..
 
I think the issue lies in that some were made with higher than acceptable levels of UVB in particular, aka, unbalanced. I beleive someone suggested the bulbs mentioned output higher levels of UVB than normal sunlight.
Dense flexarium like mesh will ofcourse cut much out, more so than aluminium mesh.
Glare is mentioned and may well play a part.
People report chameleons closing their eyes. This is no surprise giventhe sensitivity/accuity of cham eyes, as you noticed, it was hard to look at for you, imagine that amplified through a looking glass and you might very roughly represent what the cham experiences. (again, enclosure types play a major part, as does distance)
Ive seen bearded dragons blinded by them, I beleive the reason for this is that compacts
'concentrate' that output over so small an area, as opposed to tubes which spread it over a wider area and therefore less intense. Direction may also be a factor here.

If you consider such a glaring bulb, even if its UV output is normal and balanced, in for example, a white melamine cage. All surfaces reflect both visible light and UV to varying extent, a white shiny surface much more so. You could liken this to snowblindness, if you ever noticed how bright it is in the snow on a sunny day without sunglasses.

Both light and Uv are bounced back off the snow into your eyes, resulting in much higher levels of both visible light and Uv hitting the cells of your cornea.
The fact that some folk do use compacts without issue seems to make sense whenyou take into account these variables, mesh type, direction, distance etc.

Personally I prefer tubes because as pointed out early, they spread the light/Uv over a much wider distance, which is exactly what I want, since I consider artificial sources purely supplimentary, I want him exposed to it as often as possible wherever he may be in the enclosure because artificial Uv is just not the same as the Natural source.

:)
 
Check Howdyco's threads.
He had a situation with a panther (who is doing well now)
He contacted and worked with Dr. Baines.
The CFL was without question the culprit.
Why would you even risk it?

-Brad
 
1. Get a CFL UVB bulb.
2. Hold it under your hand for 5-10 minutes.
3. Do you see that sunburn? Imagine 12-14 hours of that!!
 
Sunburn in ten minutes under a compact Uv bulb? Mate you dont get sunburn here in summer at 45c/112f on the beach in direct sun (though you may get heat stroke) in ten minutes unless you have incredibley fair skin.
Why dont you try it then show us a photo of your hand? :)
I think you might have exaggerated a little. People have kept chameleons under them for weeks before they noticed they were keeping their eyes shut, but none of them mention skin damage, excepting thermal burns from basking lights.
Besides, you fail to point out the obvious, human skin is nothing like chameleon skin.
 
jojackson said:
Sunburn in ten minutes under a compact Uv bulb? Mate you dont get sunburn here in summer at 45c/112f on the beach in direct sun (though you may get heat stroke) in ten minutes unless you have incredibley fair skin.
Why dont you try it then show us a photo of your hand? :)
I think you might have exaggerated a little. People have kept chameleons under them for weeks before they noticed they were keeping their eyes shut, but none of them mention skin damage, excepting thermal burns from basking lights.
Besides, you fail to point out the obvious, human skin is nothing like chameleon skin.
Click to expand...

I will try this. I think i under-exaggerated. Syn said 3-5 min.
I dont have a Coil bulb, So if someone else could....... lol
 
Sorry mate I dont either lol, thats why I suggested you try, also I have olive skin, I dont burn, and Im not a chameleon! :D
 
Pure said:
A CFL can cause sun burn:confused:
Click to expand...

Yes.

I can't find the data at the moment but if you were to hold your hand under I think the R-Zilla lamps you would have a sun burn.

I am drawing a blank on the UV index numbers... but some CFLs are capable of producing a UV index MUCH higher than you would see in nature. Reptiles will shade themselves from high uv index sunlight. so why provide a lamp that is more than natural?
 
Minihuey said:
Are you sure it was the CFL? There is too many variables to consider. Not trying to put you down but it is easy to blame things..
Click to expand...

That was an 'overview' of what happened. what kind of variables should have been considered? It is known the lamps cause blindness. if you can't see how do you eat? if you don't eat, what is the end result? starvation? yes. and if you are starving the end result is death.
 
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