When to use a heat lamp

I have a heat lamp with a red bulb. When is the best time to use it?
During the day, during the night or all day?

the best time imho is never.

I have two heat lamps set on top of my cage that are on a different thermostat than the UTH, to keep the ambient temp correct in the cage. My roommate keeps the place at 72 at all times, so I use them to keep them from freezing. It also happens to work out that the lamps don't come on very often, so I hooked my fogger up to the same thermostat and it keeps the humidity at about 65%.

Only time I use heat lamps is when the heat pad is not enough to keep the ambient temps up. For instance, in winter when it gets freezing! Ground may be warm and up to temp, but nothing else is! Including the top of the snake! Then we bring in the ambient temps, and bump up humidity to make up for what is lost through heat lamps

The main reason I want to use the lamp is I feel my humidity is too low. I'm going to buy something to allow me to measure it soon to know for sure.

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Originally Posted by Rusky

The main reason I want to use the lamp is I feel my humidity is too low. I'm going to buy something to allow me to measure it soon to know for sure.

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Your humidity will get worse with a lamp. The lamp will suck your enclosure dry.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Your humidity will get worse with a lamp. The lamp will suck your enclosure dry.

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I read on here that to get the humidity up you can place the lamp above the water bowl, is that not true?

It never worked for me. What worked best was switching mine to a tub. Then I never had to worry about humidity again.

I have to use a heat lamp to keep up my ambient temps, because a uth just doesn't cut it for an enclosure taller than 6". Just get a piece of plexi cut to fit the majority of your screen. I never notice much of an increase with the lamp over the bowl--if you keep the screen-top open then your humidity will always be low.