I need heating help please! :)

Well, I'm really sick of heat-mats-and-stats!
They take forever to set-up, and then tonight my royals thermostat just died.. I changed the fuse but nothing happend :/

I'm really tempted to just put a lamp in there instead, but I have questions about this:
1) Is it okay to use a lamp with a royal "with a protective cage around it of course"
2)
Is it okay to use a lamp in a viv?
3)
does it need to have a certain color?


Thanks

Anyone?

Dont use the lamp IN the enclosure. Use it on top of it.

lamps are fine though, just mist their enclosure once a day and you should be good.

do you know a cheap thermostat?

I don't know of a thermostat that's really under 80.00 but then again I don't use anything as a dimmer for a heat lamp...

Cheap thermostats break and/or are unreliable.
Other members use Johnson, Ranco, Helix and Herpstat. I personally use Helix and Herpstat and have found them to be ultra-reliable :D

Were you using a cheapy one? They aren't dependable and can just suddenly break down. I have to keep a close eye on my cheap ones in use... but a stat is a stat.

I would give it one more try, since BPs really need their heat from below, not above. Save up and get a Johnson($80) or even better a Herpstat($110 but worth it). Those are reliable and if you get them from good sources you have support if something goes wrong.

In the meantime, you can use a lamp but you'll have to monitor the temps constantly to make sure they're steady. Lamps don't usually give the right gradients or numbers. And hang it above the enclosure.
For day, a regular bulb is fine. For night, use Moonlight blue as they're less intense. If you want it on all the time, get a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) but those really sap humidity so you'll have to watch that as well.

It really is better to stick with UTH and t-stat...you just need to get the right stuff. :) Good luck.