Hey I'm just wondering how long I should leave my heat lamp on for, would 7 am - 7pm be good or more hours? I have a horsefield.

12-14 hours is fine

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If you are using a UVB type heat lamp I wouldn't recommend more than 6 hours or so a day. There has been some recent evidence that the UV from some of these lamps can actually be harmful... especially to the eyes although I personally did not run into any problems in about 8 years of use of these bulbs.

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Ed @ not allowed to post a link
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

i thought a heat lamp was infra red light and then you have a uva/uvb (5 or 10 strength) What i do not understand is if you have a powersun type that has all 3, does it get controlled by timer or thermostat ?

If you have a powersun then you adjust the height of the bulb to get the basking temperture of 30-33*C.

You can put it on a timer so that it goes on and off in the morning and at night.

Don't use a thermostat though, it breaks the bulb.

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because the bulb is self ballasted that means you have a ballast and a starter built into the bulb.

If the current surges (power surge or using a rheostat) the bulb cuts out and it will not restart until the starter cools off.

It probably shortens the life of the bulb but the most annoying thing is the cycling of the bulb off and on. That is why I quit using them. When the room heater kicked on it would cause a surge that would turn off the lights... The problem is the idiot who wired the house... wires not big enough.

What this means... you have to have a steady on or off... nothing in between. Heat is adjusted by the wattage or the hight or the enclosure type. (as mentioned)

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Ed @ not allowed to post a link
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care