When UVB stops working.

[SilverWolf]

So I just had a thought. I have a blue daylight basking bulb from petsmart. On June 7th, it randomly burned out after two months of use. Bought a new one from petsmart that same day. two months later, it burned out. This is the third daylight blue bulb I have in just four months. But this made me think of something just now. Everyone says to replace the UVB tube after 6 months or so because that's when they stop emitting UVB even if the bulb itself still turns on. Here's my question. How do you know for sure whether or not it's emitting UVB still? These basking bulbs went out twice, its as though the store used them first or something. How do I know my chameleon is still getting UVB from it?

Thankfully, I take him outside for natural sunlight almost everyday so he definitely is getting UVB, but obviously I'll need a UVB bulb, especially since it needs to be replaced by october anyway when it will be getting cloudier occasionally here and natural sunlight won't be as easy to come by.

 

[Big Gulp]

First off, you're wasting a ton of money buying "basking bulbs" from pet stores. You can buy a regular soft white house hold bulb for the fraction of the price. The wattage depends on your temps, obviously.

As far as knowing when a UVB bulb goes bad, I think most will use a solar meter to test them.

Also, if you buy an arcadia bulb/fixture, those last a year instead of the 6 months most will last.

 

[Olimpia]

those blue bulbs don't produce any UVB anyway, so if you are using them as heat and UVB then don't buy another one lol

Like stated above, you can use a normal house-hold incandescent or halogen bulb for heat and while light AND a UVB bulb like a linear Reptisun 10.0 or an Arcadia 6%, as examples.

 

[SilverWolf]

those blue bulbs don't produce any UVB anyway, so if you are using them as heat and UVB then don't buy another one lol

Like stated above, you can use a normal house-hold incandescent or halogen bulb for heat and while light AND a UVB bulb like a linear Reptisun 10.0 or an Arcadia 6%, as examples.

I figured that was obvious, they're only for heat. I have two bulbs.