UTH or Bulbs

[seanzee1]

This is something that constantly is argued about but is never answered. I would like to know without any arguments just why you chose UTH or Bulb. Along with some personal experience with each?

[jclaiborne]

My thought is it depends on what you are keeping. Bulbs are great for most lizards because they are drawn to the light as a source of heat. That being said bulbs can also really kill humidity fast. My thoughts are if you are keeping a snake it is easier to use a UTH and not constantly battle with keeping high humidity (if your species requires high humidity). UTH's also draw less power then a bulbs, so if your collection is large, it is cheaper to go with a UTH. I use bulbs with all my Lizards and a UTH for my childrens python.

[rabernet]

This is something that constantly is argued about but is never answered. I would like to know without any arguments just why you chose UTH or Bulb. Along with some personal experience with each?

For ball pythons I use UTH because it aids in digestion, and ball pythons are nocturnal - they aren't basking in the sun in their natural environment and do not require overhead lighting/heat.

[Solidus106]

It also has a lot to do with where you live and the environment the viv is in. Living somewhere dry and warm, you can probably can just get away with a uth and have the proper heat gradients and humidity. Somewhere really cold , adjustments would have to be made while including a heat lamp.

[KMG]

Where is the option for both? I have a cold home and my ball tank is not in the snake room and instead is in my living room. Its to cold there so I use a uth, che, and a bulb on a 40 gallon tank to keep things right.

In the snake room that is heated with a oil heater its uth all the way for the terrestrial snakes.

My gtp uses a rhp and my pacman has a bulb.

Both have different pros and cons and work better in certain situations. My conditions require using many different heating methods to heat my collection correctly so I don't know how to answer the poll.

[SlitherinSisters]

In my opinion it's UTH over bulbs, no questions asked, BUT, that does depend on the enclosure and your house. If you are using a large tank in a cold house, you may have to use a UTH and bulbs to keep the temps up. If you are using a smaller enclosure that holds heat, like a tub, UTH is all you will need. Bulbs kill humidity and give you one more thing to worry about.