exo-terra repti-glow uvb CFL

i have recently contacted exo-terra directly and brought up issues i have been having with their bulbs. this is what i have sent them

Discussion Thread
Customer (jessica hewitt) 11/29/2010 03:45 PM
i have been using the repti-glow uvb 10.0 on and off for some time.

i have had issues with it numerous times causing eye irritation and skin irritation.

the first instance i have had issues with it was 2 years ago, i bought a bearded dragon and a set up. the set up included a uvb 10.0 13w repti-glow lamp. after a few days the bearded dragon did nothing but lay on the floor of his enclosure. i did research and found that the compact uvb bulb could be causing the issue. i immediately removed the bulb and replaced/returned it with an 18 inch uvb 10.0 from exo-terra. the bearded dragon returned to normal behavior with in 2 days of removing the compact uvb source. this bulb was placed on top of a 10 gallon tank with screen top

a few months ago i had a uvb 10.0 13 watt bulb in a 4 foot melamine enclosure. bulb mounted inside enclosure. i noticed after a while one of my frill dragons started experiencing puffy eyes . her eyes were huge. i then realized her favorite basking spot was under the uvb source. i immediately removed this bulb (which i had gotten from a friend) the frill dragon was with in 6 inches from the bulb.

i have a 10.0 repti-glow 26 watt (the larger one) on one of my sail fin dragons. he often faces to the right side of his enclosure while on his favorite basking spot. his uvb bulb is 8-10 inches away from his basking branch. and its to the left of him. i just started noticing sores on his tail, and i have removed the uvb repti-glow lamp from his enclosure as of yesterday after noticing this problem.


i have a reptiglow uvb 10.0 on another sail fin. it is placed onto of a screen enclosure. it is 10-12 inches away from him and he is not experiencing any issues.


if i am not using the repti-glo i am using solar glow (which burn out fairly often and need replacing fairly quickly) if i am not using the solar glow mvb, i am using 18 inch liniar 10.0 tubes. which dont emit nearly enough uvb for my reptiles. but some is better then none.


all my enclosures have strict husbandry, i experience no issues in enclosures where i use mvb (solar glow) or 18 inch liniar tubes. all issues are experienced when using solar glo uvb compact bulbs.

i believe it is because compact bubls are HIGH OUTPUT , 18 inch bulbs are not high output . there are different types of fluorescent bulbs available. one being high output, which produce higher lumens. i believe that some how the compact bulb , which is HO , some how effects the reptile.

there are numerous problems listed online. countless help threads asking for advice which seem to be a result of the bulb.

when using hte 10.0 10-12 inches away it does not produce enough mw of uvb , about 30, where as mvb produce 100-200 just a few inches away and 70 or so at recommended distance.

simply placing the uvb 10 bulb further away to help prevent irritation, would not be good advice since it does not produce efficient uvb at further distances.

-jessica hewitt

CFL uvb bulbs, nothing new here, we know that they can possibly harm our reptiles. but why isnt exo-terra doing anything about it.

http://www.chameleonforums.com/subje...b-bulbs-36225/ quoted:

It is thought that UVB wavelengths under 300 (not found in natural sunlight) is the cause of the skin burning/eye issues. The offending products produced significant amounts of wavelengths below 300. These lower wavelengths were produced by the type of material used to produce the UVB itself. Some manufacturers have claimed to have re-engineered their bulbs so that they do not use materials that produce UVB below 300. Since ZooMed does not furnish the spectrum of their UVB coil/compact bulbs I would not use them. Unless, that is, you have managed to get ZooMed to furnish that information to you personally in some form.
R-Zilla also had both linear tubes and coil/compact UVB lights that were shown to cause significant health problems with reptiles and were shown to provide significant UVB below the 300 wavelength. I have gone to their site and they do not provide any specification on wavelengths for their products. Until I see that provided, I would not use those products either. Perhaps someone has received this information privately from them. I have not.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...6220729AAKuGnE

As far as the Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 CFL, there is some evidence that may indicate that their product lines, including their linear tubes and mercury vapor lamps may be in question since they have, yet again, switched manufacturers for some of these products and phosphor formulations may be in question.

i have called exo-terra prior to sending them an email. the lady on the phone knew nothing about any sort of irritation or any problems with uvb emitted from the cfl repti-glo.


it seems that zoo-med did re-design their product once informed of the issue. but has exo-terra done anthing?

the list goes on, posts about unhealthy reptiles and the problem winds up being the CFL uvb lamp. research posts about these cfl bulbs. what is exo-terra doing?

also. i love MVB, but i hate buying them online, only to have them burn out in a few weeks, like most but not all, do. i use exo-terra mvb but they burn out quickly, though i can exchange them in store, if i dont loose the receipt.

Originally Posted by fc3schick87

it seems that zoo-med did re-design their product once informed of the issue. but has exo-terra done anthing?
.

If everyone switches to zoo med because they redesigned, exo terra will either redesign or go bankrupt.

Originally Posted by lucille

If everyone switches to zoo med because they redesigned, exo terra will either redesign or go bankrupt.

so are you saying exo-terra doesnt care? is this just an opinion or do you have any other information about exo-terra?

come on people. every one uses uvb who has any type of lizard ect. i need more feed back.

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-...d-uvb-lamp.phpWhem I had a bearded dragon I purchased a mega ray uvb bulb and it worked great to provide both heat and UVB for my bearded. I would highly reccomend it for any animal that relies on uvb and uva supplementation. You can buy these bulbs at reptileuv.com

There in stock for only $59 which is cheaper than zoo med.

I have used zoomed before the mega ray and the zoomed bulb only lasted me 5 months before burning out.

mega ray has a 6 month warranty, however my bulb lasted 2 years before I replaced it.

Originally Posted by kluas88

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-...d-uvb-lamp.phpWhem I had a bearded dragon I purchased a mega ray uvb bulb and it worked great to provide both heat and UVB for my bearded. I would highly reccomend it for any animal that relies on uvb and uva supplementation. You can buy these bulbs at reptileuv.com

There in stock for only $59 which is cheaper than zoo med.

I have used zoomed before the mega ray and the zoomed bulb only lasted me 5 months before burning out.

i have about 16 reptiles and i have each in their own enclosure. 16x59$ plus the possibility that they will not be in stock, since they go many months with out having any in stock. and then one burns out, i send it back and they dont have any to replace my order? i rather not use reptile uv, if it is the best thats awesome. but they dont have them in stock for a very long time, it goes back to my statement i made above , where i said i hate ordering mvb online. since they do go out, and they do require replacement

the issue at hand is exo-terra and their damaging uv wavelengths.

Originally Posted by kluas88

mega ray has a 6 month warranty, however my bulb lasted 2 years before I replaced it.

i have a zoomed that lasted almost 2 years. i have some mvb that last a long time, but some dont. its hit or miss.



exo-terra has contacted me back and things are going smooth, they had one of their experts personally call me. and i got in contact with him and the bulbs are first being replaced, and i am sending them the 2 bulbs i have had issue with.

exo-terra is actually stepping up to the plate, they are in contact with me and i'm hopping to get results from these bulbs, possibly see whats going on.