Worried about a fire . . .

[CamrynTheCham22]

I am very afraid to keep my heat lamp on during the day because I do not want to start a fire at any costs. I am not sure what to do. I keep the actual house heat pretty warm, maybe around 70, while I am gone. When I get home, I immediately turn the basking lamp on. I have thought about lamp timers, but the lamps would still be on and the fire risk would still be there. I have no idea how to solve this. I am wondering if my veiled will suffer any long-term damage from not being able to bask for a few hours out of the day?

 

[blue_cham]

Most heat lamps are on the metal mesh top of the cage, so not flammable. You could always get a clamp to hold it on place if are worried about it being unstable or knocked ascew. Is it the bulb you are worried about or the plug??

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

Please, please do not put any heat source on or near the top screen of the cage! Ways feel the screen directly under the heat source with the back of your hand! If it feels uncomfortably warm it is quite likely to burn your chameleon if it was to climb on the top screen and hang around there. And believe me, chameleons do climb around like that!

 

[Carlton]

I am very afraid to keep my heat lamp on during the day because I do not want to start a fire at any costs. I am not sure what to do. I keep the actual house heat pretty warm, maybe around 70, while I am gone. When I get home, I immediately turn the basking lamp on. I have thought about lamp timers, but the lamps would still be on and the fire risk would still be there. I have no idea how to solve this. I am wondering if my veiled will suffer any long-term damage from not being able to bask for a few hours out of the day?

If there was much risk of fire all the cham keepers who use this forum would probably have reported it before now. Just doesn't happen. The wattage of basking bulbs chams need are relatively low...they just don't get that hot. There are things you can do to minimize risk of fire from a basking lamp:

Use a light fixture that can handle the wattage your basking bulb draws. You can check the maximum wattage your fixture can handle, as there is usually some sort of label stating the max.
Use a light fixture that has a ceramic socket, not plastic.
Plug the light into a properly grounded wall socket.
If you need to use an extension cord to reach the wall socket, use a cord that is rated for more watts than your light will draw.
Don't splatter water on a lit light bulb (such as when you spray your cham's cage). It is much less likely to shatter.
Don't allow the bulb to touch anything while it's on.
Don't put any cloth or other materials around the top of the cage.

The problem with just keeping the room warm is that chams associate light with heat, and climb upwards to get both. 70 F is too cool for proper basking. They need to absorb heat for a good amount of time in the mornings so they can properly digest and metabolize their food. The UVB lamps don't create that much heat even when lit. If you turn on the basking bulb in the afternoons when you are home, it will mess up their day/night timing and might mess up their digestion and metabolism.

If this is such a fear for you I would question whether a cham is the right pet for you to have.

 

[Remkon]

Yea... In the 17+ years I had reptiles I have had my house burn down only 5 times so that's not even once every 3 years...

No seriously, use proper materials, don't cheap out on electronics and the chances of a lamp causing a fire is next to none...

@Carlton sums it up very well but I like to add 1 thing; Don't hang your lamp from the electric wires but use steel wiring or chain wiring, also don't use gardening wire as that's thin and will become brittle over time I've noticed. You basically want to relief strain on the electric wire or you will risk it coming lose over time.

Household fires are barely ever caused by lights but more often by short circuits of improper installation of electronics so do it properly and you don't have to worry.
You should already be protected against short circuits if you have a properly installed fusebox but if you have a group switch switch off by itself more than incidentally you may want to have an electronics expert have a look at it.

Funny thing is you are worried about a light over your enclosure, but you unknowingly leave a lot of stuff on when leaving the house. To name a few: TV (standby), fridge, clock of your microwave/oven, internet modem, alarm/security camera, tablet on the charger etc... It's all the same risk of catching a fire really, if done properly next to none...

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Just the actual fixture, the outside, gets pretty warm and I am worried that since the cage is up against the wall something will catch on fire. I do not have my lights hanging from anything and I am not too worried about it falling. I was just worried about the heat. I do have one of those dumb red heat bulbs right now and I have been searching for a standard house bulb to replace it with. Does anyone have any good bulbs that they have used for a basking bulb? Also, the fixture is plugged into a surge protector. Again, the only thing I am worried about it the heat on the outside of the fixture getting too hot and burning something.

 

[Syreptyon]

Just the actual fixture, the outside, gets pretty warm and I am worried that since the cage is up against the wall something will catch on fire. I do not have my lights hanging from anything and I am not too worried about it falling. I was just worried about the heat. I do have one of those dumb red heat bulbs right now and I have been searching for a standard house bulb to replace it with. Does anyone have any good bulbs that they have used for a basking bulb? Also, the fixture is plugged into a surge protector. Again, the only thing I am worried about it the heat on the outside of the fixture getting too hot and burning something.

Cam, come on... Basking spots are not optional, especially for veileds. Your paranoia is unfounded and it is completely unfair to deprive your chameleon of the conditions it requires to live a good life because of a non-issue. If you're afraid of leaving a basking spot on during the day, then reptiles are not the pets for you and you should consider re-homing your chameleon. Secondly, you really ought to be using a lamp timer one way or another. It ensures consistency in your cham's day/night schedule which is very important and also decreases work load for you. They're inexpensive, so there's really no reason not to have one already. As for the basking bulb, just go to the store and buy an incandescent light bulb of a comparable wattage to the red one, making sure to re-check your temperatures - the brand is not important

 

[JacksJill]

They only fires have ever read about on this forum came from heat pads or tapes used on bug bins.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yup, the heat tape and heat pads for big bins are what I avoid. I just spend the money to heat a room during the winter with a space heater. Can't risk it.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Well I don't have any heat pads or anything like that, so it should be fine. If I ever turn the lights off it is usually for only 2 hours or so, but I will see if I can hook up a timer. Thank you for the input, I have been stressing over this for a while.

 

[Carlton]

Just the actual fixture, the outside, gets pretty warm and I am worried that since the cage is up against the wall something will catch on fire. I do not have my lights hanging from anything and I am not too worried about it falling. I was just worried about the heat. I do have one of those dumb red heat bulbs right now and I have been searching for a standard house bulb to replace it with. Does anyone have any good bulbs that they have used for a basking bulb? Also, the fixture is plugged into a surge protector. Again, the only thing I am worried about it the heat on the outside of the fixture getting too hot and burning something.

Here's another thing that may help you realize this is not a huge risk. If the accumulated heat from one light bulb can dissipate into the air around the fixture, nothing is going to heat up that much over time. If the heat was trapped (like having a curtain or towel wrapped around it), that's when it might get hot enough to ignite something. So, be glad the fixture gets warm....the built in venting is doing it's job. If you have trouble finding a household incandescent bulb for your fixture, try a low watt halogen porch light (maybe 40 w). Exterior use halogens are sturdy, handle daily use well, and tend to last a long time. You can always test how warm the cage and lamp fixture surroundings' temperature with a hand held temp gun. These things are fantastic for spot checking temps in the cage, around the cage, your cham's body surface temp, etc. Just a wonderful useful tool for herp keeping. You can also look up the ignition temperatures for various household surfaces (wood such as the cage frame, metals, a curtain, etc.) It might reassure you.

 

[Carlton]

Yea... In the 17+ years I had reptiles I have had my house burn down only 5 times so that's not even once every 3 years...

Really? Wow! Not to scare the OP, but what caused these fires? Were they related to herp equipment? Too much? So sorry to hear that!

 

[Remkon]

Really? Wow! Not to scare the OP, but what caused these fires? Were they related to herp equipment? Too much? So sorry to hear that!

It was sarcastic .
I don't consider my vivariums a firehazard. I feel perfectly secuee leaving em on when I'm not at home or even on holiday.
Just make sure everything is properly wired and no cheap plastics.

 

[Boston Pitty]

My thought of the heat bulbs is if they caused fires easliy than why would anyone have reptiles?

Ive never heard of a heat lamp catching fire before. Considering its the same bulbs you use to light your home. I leave lights on and yet to cause a fire

 

[Goose502]

Ok, I have to admit, about 20 years ago, I actually had a large terrarium ignite. The heat lamp was actually installed in the cage(made of particle board). So basically, the metal surround was in the cage, and the black plastic bulb receptacle was pushed into a hole drilled to fit. Now I used the cage for many years without problem, but the particle board did catch on fire. Luckily my dad walked in my room and saw it almost immediately. The wood was charred and smoke was in the cage. The fix was simple, drilled a 6 inch hole, stapled in some aluminum screen, and placed the entire fixture (dome) on top. This is embarrassing to admit, but it happened to me. Not my proudest moment, but I learned.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yea... In the 17+ years I had reptiles I have had my house burn down only 5 times so that's not even once every 3 years...

LOL... I have to respect your will to never give up, fire after fire, just kept jumping back into the hobby. That's dedication people

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Here's another thing that may help you realize this is not a huge risk. If the accumulated heat from one light bulb can dissipate into the air around the fixture, nothing is going to heat up that much over time. If the heat was trapped (like having a curtain or towel wrapped around it), that's when it might get hot enough to ignite something. So, be glad the fixture gets warm....the built in venting is doing it's job. If you have trouble finding a household incandescent bulb for your fixture, try a low watt halogen porch light (maybe 40 w). Exterior use halogens are sturdy, handle daily use well, and tend to last a long time. You can always test how warm the cage and lamp fixture surroundings' temperature with a hand held temp gun. These things are fantastic for spot checking temps in the cage, around the cage, your cham's body surface temp, etc. Just a wonderful useful tool for herp keeping. You can also look up the ignition temperatures for various household surfaces (wood such as the cage frame, metals, a curtain, etc.) It might reassure you.

Wow thank you so much! I have used one of those temp guns before and they are amazing. I will definitely be buying some new basking bulb in the future. I feel a lot better about it now. I was just being cautious. I figured a chameleon would probably prefer a little bit cooler temperature rather than the house burning down, but now I see that it is not that black and white.