Self-ballasted mercury vapour lamp for reptiles – UVB, UVA and heat

The mercury vapour lamp for reptiles provides UVB (vitamin D3), UVA (natural behaviour), heat (thermoregulation) and full-spectrum visible light all at once. Its advantage is simplicity: the ballast is built in, so it screws into an E27 ceramic lamp holder and switches on with no further parts. It is an unfiltered model for diurnal species that need plenty of UVB and a very hot basking spot.

Which reptiles is the mercury vapour lamp suitable for?

• Bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps).
• Tortoise (Testudo hermanni, T. graeca, Geochelone sulcata).
• Monitor lizard (Varanus exanthematicus, V. acanthurus and similar).
• Uromastyx.
• Tegu (Salvator merianae), in large vivariums needing intense heat.
• Green iguana (Iguana iguana), in high-volume vivariums.

Which wattage should I choose, 80W or 125W?

The higher the wattage of the mercury vapour lamp, the more heat it gives off and the further its useful UVB reaches. As a guide:

Not sure about your vivarium and your species? Drop us a line and we'll look into it.

How do you install the mercury vapour lamp?

• Lamp holder: always ceramic E27; a plastic one cannot withstand how hot it gets.
• Thermostat: it cannot be used with one. During its first hours of operation, leave it on without interruption.
• Distance from the animal: more than 50 cm, adjusted to the wattage, because its UVB is very intense.

If you are torn between this lamp and an HID with an external ballast, the comparison is on the HID bulb page.