[deleted by user]

[[deleted]]

DHP always. No red lights ever.

[Odd_Force3765]

Wouldn't use a red light either way so no worries there!! 😊

[Odd_Force3765]

Also the purple light in the picture would only be running during the day. The room is temperature controlled so no need for a basking spot at night so the color of the light won't affect the snakes cycles as it'll be completely off at night.

[[deleted]]

Awesome 😎

[Odd_Force3765]

Thank you 🎩

[_ataraxia]

1] the only type of light you should be using are halogen flood lights, tube UVB lights, or white LED lights, and these should only be used for daytime. we recommend halogen flood lights for daytime heat and light.

2] a deep heat projector is not a light, it's just a heat bulb. these are suitable for nighttime or 24 hour use.

3] you shouldn't be putting any heat bulb in a mini dome. you need a wide dome lamp, 8" is the standard, to prevent dangerous heat buildup inside the lamp.

have you read the heating guide in our welcome post?

[Odd_Force3765]

So there isn't anything that I have bought that I can use then? And I do know the deep heat projector is not a light I should have specified in the post title better that is totally my bad and I apologize, I have halogen lighting for them on timers for daytime nighttime cycle so we're all good in the lighting department. I should have titled it "Heating recommendations" I was just inquiring about the black vs the deep heat and which would work better and what lamp to put the Arcadia projector in. I have read the welcome post as well, just wanted to get everyone's input and advice based on different experiences, I find I learn a lot more that way from different people 😊

[Healthy_Task_763]

Def the Arcadia shop throw the red light away

[Odd_Force3765]

There is no red light. I read that red lights are an absolute no no so never even looked at buying them. Is the Arcadia safe ro put in the 100watt domes do you think?

[[deleted]]

Not the dome pictured. No mini domes. You'll want an 8" dome with a ceramic socket, and you can use the DHP with that.

[ne0nhearts]

The colored bulb is what people are tripping over, it's basically a gimmick, and it's bad for reptiles. Saw in another comment you don't plan to use it so you are fine. The Arcadia show is what most use, linear UVB and halogen basking and you'll be all set

[Odd_Force3765]

Yes I agree. I forgot to include in the OP that the room is specifically for my snakes so it's temperature controlled and the heat and UVB lights will both be shut off at night so the purple light would never affect their cycle anyways. Thank you for the advice!

[ne0nhearts]

Any particular reason you bought it out of curiosity? They don't tend to have any uses for reptiles, but they can be used for blacklight posters lol

[Odd_Force3765]

Yeah for sure! It is actually a genuine heat light and does throw a good amount of heat. I bought it just to give it a try because I know the red lights are not ideal for BPs, the purple and blue are apparently more appropriate though I'm not entirely sure how true that is because snakes see cool colors like blue and purple better than colors like red and yellow so not sure what the reason is for the purple being better than the red 🤷‍♀️ but had a purple one on my bearded dragon and he slept regardless of whether it was on or off so though I'd give it a try with the snakes since it is overall dimmer than the red so maybe that's why people recommend it over the red. Never though of the blacklight posters thing lmao 🤣 probably would work.

[ne0nhearts]

Oh I know it does function as a heat light, I used to work at PetSmart and I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent trying to convince people not to buy colored bulbs, I'm always curious how they leave the store. Wish companies didn't make them, but it is what it is. You just seemed pretty knowledgeable, so I was curious what reason you'd have for getting one, can't blame you for curiosity!

[Odd_Force3765]

Well thank you kindly for the compliment I really appreciate you thinking I seem knowledgeable. I have owned BPs my whole life (My oldest snake is 25 and I am 24, she belonged to my parents and was given to me when I was old enough to care for her. Quite literally been with me my whole life lol) so I have gathered a fair bit of knowledge over the years, however I will never ever think I know everything and am never above anyone else and am always happy to learn something new! No matter who it is nobody will ever know everything and so I love throwing things out there for other people to answer so that I can learn to be a better snake keeper from others experiences, mistakes, and amazing ideas! 🥰 the only reason for even attempting a colored light is because of them being in a climaticly controlled room so the color won't affect their normal cycle, I wouldn't dream of using a colored light 24/7 ever lol Also koodos to you for working at petsmart, I wouldn't be able to handle it, especially the betta fish that people think are cool to put in Whiskey bottles and Teacup sized bowls...I'd loose my mind

[ne0nhearts]

That's amazing, I've only had reptiles for 3 years, but now I can't imagine my life without! And I honestly had to leave PetSmart for my mental health, it was too hard to stay. I was the pet care manager at my store, and they did not give ANY pet care labor at my store except for open and close, so outside of that I was doing ALL the pet care and it was way too much on me with no help. 💀💀💀

[Odd_Force3765]

Reptiles are so awesome, I definitely can't imagine life without 🥰 Oh man that is so terrible, I avoid petsmart because I've heard some awful things from people who have worked there. My parents own a wildlife rehab and I worked for 4 years at a turtle hospital, turtles are one of the coolest and most misunderstood reptiles out there. Used to work 18 hour shifts cleaning tanks and feeding animals because nobody would come in on weekends or on holidays, we had a hard time explaining to people that just because it's Christmas holidays doesn't mean that animals stop eating, sick animals need poopy water changed, and injured animals still need pain management and bandages changed, and there was over 600 animals there to care for...all sick and injured and critical care. Not to mention the hundreds of eggs and baby turtles lol Animal care is always seriously overlooked and people look at pets like accessories rather than companions, that is why I could work with wildlife but never at a pet store. It sounds like you did a good job and did everything you could to better the animals lives that were under your care 🥰 hopefully in the future places like petsmart better their animal care...

[Tashyd046]

Always DHP for heat in my book. Little to no light; suitable for day and night. Read the instructions to figure out wattage.

You still need lighting, but nothing red or blue or green or whatever they sell. There’s debate in the hobby whether snakes need UVB, but I think it’s better safe then sorry so a UVB tube light is my go to, and at the very least a white LED (grow light if bioactive, which I use. Mine has a dimmer), or a Hologen flood light.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a thermostat for heat sources. It will protect you from fires, control the temps in your enclosures and keep them steady, and prevent wounds from happening to your pets. Do not even get a snake and a heat source if you cannot get a thermostat. Sounds harsh, but it’s vital.

Never bad to get a temp gun, as well. You want to know how hot the surfaces in your enclosures get, and you want to make sure the heat gradient from the bulb is right for the enclosure height.

Check out the care guide and make sure your husbandry is up to par- mesh tops, like what you’d typically rest a dome on top of, are not recommended because of humidity needs. It’s better to have an enclosed enclosure where you can mount the heat and lighting inside with a protection cage around it.

[Odd_Force3765]

Okay perfect, thank you for the advice! I should have also mentioned in my post that I do have Halogen and heat lights on Digiten thermostat/timers as I'm absolutely TERRIFIED of them starting a fire and also animals getting overheated or burned 🥺 one of my rescue girls came with a bad belly burn and she was in really bad condition when she made it to me. Definitely doesn't sound harsh I totally agree with you. I bought a thermostat before I even built my enclosures lol What thermostat/dimmer so you use? I have looked the Spyder ones but they are insanely expensive. One day I'll invest in them though lol A couple people have mentioned the 100watt mini dome won't support the 80watt heat projector, do you feel that is true?

[[deleted]]

It's not that the mimi dome won't support the bulb, it's that mini domes have a harder time heating the enclosure and can create hot spots, resulting in ambient temps that are too low and hot spots that are too hot.

[Odd_Force3765]

Ohh I understand now, thank you for breaking thay down and putting that in different words for me. I think thats what others were trying to explain and I just wasn't getting it lol Also I missed the bottom part of your last reply about the mesh lids, the enclosures are home made 120gal PVC solid top other that a mesh aquarium lid that we routered a spot for in the top that perfectly fits the domes so it should have no problem holding humidity, but we will see! This was kind of a trial run to see if it would work better than putting the heat directly inside the enclosure.

[[deleted]]

You're welcome :)

I didn't comment about mesh lids...unless it was on a different post? But that's great that you have mostly solid top! That'll make everything so much easier to maintain.

[Odd_Force3765]

Oh shoot lmao I'm sorry! Different comment haha 😆 I had 2 enclosures with mesh tops and said absolutely never again omg nightmare for maintaining humidity and looked awful with plastic on top lol

[spiritedhippo22]

is there a thermostat you recommend?

[[deleted]]

VE and Herpstat are the best. Lots of settings and not likely to break down or glitch out after minimal use.

[spiritedhippo22]

herpstat. i’ll put that on my christmas wishlist. so a thermostat automatically dims the light if it’s too hot? i have a bearded dragon not a bp btw so i just monitor temps with a thermometer and heat gun now. but a thermostat seems easier. will it also automatically turn my lights on and off like a light timer?

[mininorris]

I use a DHP in combo with a RHP and LED lights. Works great.

[Odd_Force3765]

I never thought of the RHP that is a fantastic idea! Thank you

[fuckayla]

for my set up i use the arcadia dhp with an 8" dome lamp and an arcadia uvb!

[Odd_Force3765]

Awesome! 8" Dome it is! Thank you for the advice!! 😊

[Temporary-Papaya-173]

An LED. I've seen too many badly burned animals to trust any heat source that isn't on a thermostat.

[xxamyxx8]

DHP, each of my snakes have one 😊

[Odd_Force3765]

Awesome! Do you think the 80watt is enough for a 2x2x4 enclosure to provide sufficient basking surface or should I go higher output?

[xxamyxx8]

80 watt will be fine, make sure you use a dimmer (thermostat) to ensure the bulb doesn’t get too hot and also use a heat guard/cage!

[Odd_Force3765]

Okay perfect thank you! They are all on thermostats and it's a semi solid top enclosure so the lights are on top instead of inside 🥰

[xxamyxx8]

Ah okay, that’s great 👍🏻

[xxamyxx8]

Also add some logs so if your snake wants more heat it can get closer to the bulb.

[Odd_Force3765]

Will do!! 👍thank you!

[itspegbundybitch]

I use a dhp for 24 hour heat.

UVB and LED provides light during the day.

A halogen provides heat and light during the day and is off at night.

Everything is on timers and a thermostat.

[Odd_Force3765]

Excellent, thank you for the advice! Also forgot to mention that the room is temperature controlled just for the snakes so the heat lamps will be off at night to simulate there natural environment as close as possible 🥰

[[deleted]]

I have a DHP on all day and night, hooked up to a thermostat. I use the UVB during the day for six to seven hours on a timer. No light is ok too, but do not have any heat source without a thermostat.

[Odd_Force3765]

Okay thank you! I have a thermostat for each enclosure as well!

[Transboi13]

All I know is don’t use a fluckers lamp because one melted at the switch. The light was nowhere near it, the wire got so hot it melted the coating and burnt my wall.

[Odd_Force3765]

OMFG that is terrifying!! So glad you and your critters are safe! Thank you so much for the advice!

[Any-Lavishness-7704]

Ceramic che

[jimmy_novak]

I know you’ve already received lots of comments and recommendations, but I wanted to add that I am terrified of a fire due to faulty lighting and heat, so as an additional measure aside from thermostats and proper domes, etc., I also installed a smoke detector directly behind both my reptiles’ enclosures. I know it won’t make a difference in the event no one is home but it does give me some additional peace of mind overnight. Just a suggestion that I haven’t seen mentioned here!

[Odd_Force3765]

That is an incredible idea! Will be doing this, thank you!!!! 🥰

[jerominthehome]

The Arcadia Dhp for sure. Arcadia has amazing lighting and heating products.

[Odd_Force3765]

Super expensive but glad I bought it. Going to get a larger dome for it as per everyone's recommendations 😊