Basking bulb burns out after about 2 months.

[Zei]

Hi all. I currently have my chameleon on my porch and after as little as two weeks, the basking bulb always burns out. I'm pretty sure it's from the humidity. Inside the bulbs tend to last a year at 12 hours a day. Is there a certain type of basking bulb I can get that will last longer for outdoor use?

 

[kinyonga]

You can use a regular household incandescent light bulb for a basking light. They're cheap and usually last for quite a while.

 

[Dro B]

These days, compact fluorescents come in both daylight spectrums that are suitable for plant growth. The ones that are in the 3000 degree/Kelvin range are used for flowering and "height growth" growth and give off the reddish tone, and the 6500 Kelvin are for vegetative and leaf growth, and give of the bluer tone. If you used two they'd be full spectrum, like a plant would grow outdoors, but I don't recall if basking was used for warmth only or for health so I can't help you there and don't know how it would convert to reptiles use exactly.

 

[MelissaB]

You can try rough service bulbs, they're made with a stronger fillament so they should last longer. I wouldn't use the type with a coating, some have an "onion skin" to make them a little tougher to break.