Red Heat Bulb Exploded

Two weeks ago I bought an ESU Reptile Red Heat Basking Bulb (100w). It's been running day and night since then. I woke up this morning and it was in pieces all over the top of the of the tank. Some pieces had fallen down inside the tank as well. I cleaned up all the pieces and pulled Shikara out to make sure he was okay. Thankfully he was fine.

These heat bulbs, are they supposed to blow up like that? Should I continue to use a red heat bulb or should I just get a CHE? I don't want this to happen one night while Shikara's basking under it. I'm also considering and UTH. Which brand is better for the UTH and CHE? I have a Petco near my house so if anyone knows the better ones that they carry, let me know. My tank is 36"x15"x16" if that matters.

Thanks everyone. You guys are the best and this forum is awesome.

Is the lamp rated for that bulb wattage? Who knows what could have happened, but regardless, ESU/ZooMed/etc., are not good brands and are prone to failure. Try a Cobra heat mat(or Flexwatt and a thermostat) as well as a CHE. That tank cannot be heated by UTH or bulb/CHE alone. They should be used in combination with each other to be able to properly maintain stable temps and humidity in a glass tank. The temp ranges should be 82-84 cool side and 93-95 warm side, and these need to remain consistent 24/7. Humidity can be anywhere between 45%-65%. Under tank heating is necessary for snakes to be able to properly digest/thermoregulate/etc.

Hope you get it all sorted out and let us know how it goes. :)