heating bulbs

Question
Hi Diane. How are you today? I was just wondering, in you rpast experience, what is the best type of heating source. I already have an undertank heater. I also don't want a ceramac heater as i think they are unsafe. Any suggestions? Also, what do you think is a better heating source, red infer red bulbs, or the basking bulbs sold in reptile stores? Thanks so much for your time and help. I really appreciate your advice. Thanks

Answer
Hi Mike,
I'm fine and thank you for asking!!  
The type of heat depends much on the reptile actually.
For instance... for a leopard gecko, I like the under tank heater on no more than about 1/3 of the tank..and some sort of low light over head heat for daytime..for night time, if needed for a leo, one of the nocturnal bulbs work nicely, but they don't last long so a good choice is the ceramic heat emitters, which have a life of 5 plus years and can be used on thermostats or rheostats..
I've used ceramic heat emitters for at least 8 years and have never had a problem.  Yes, you must make sure that the reptile cannot get close or touch it...but, they have the advantage of being able to use the thermostat, rheostat or dimmer.
I also use heat emitters from www.reptileuv.com which are made differently that the ceramic heat emitters. They are made to heat as well, but the surface does not get as hot.
For the snakes I like human heating pads and I also use overhead white light which also provides heat.
For the iguanas, I of course use uvb, which I happen to use the mega ray mercury vapor lights which provide uvb and heat. I also use regular halogen outdoor spot and floodlights for their heat, Zoo med halogen bulbs, and the ches or heat emitters..
heating for a bearded dragon can be the same as for an ig.
With the zoo med halogen, they last a long time.  Much longer than the other regular bulbs sold for reptiles, but halogen bulbs may produce too much light for many geckos.
Some reptiles are bothered by the nocturnal or red lights..
For leos, if the room temperature stays in the low 70's at night, the under tank heater is sufficient.
Many times, for supplemental day time heat, a regular household light bulb works fine and I have used them in the past on all the critters here..leos, ball python and igs.
One thing to keep in mind is the following...
heat emitters, ceramic heat emitters, under tank heaters, and human heating pads can be used with a thermostat, rheostat or dimmer.
Mercury Vapor lights cannot be used with anything.
I would not use reptile basking lights, or any halogen on a dimmer or rheostat without lots of research in to it..and they cannot be used on a thermostat.
regular household light bulbs can be used on dimmers/rheostats but not on thermostats.
Basically, what works best is what you need or feel safe using, and of course the reptile. You may have to play with the wattage of what you use, which is one reason why the items that can be used on a thermostat or dimmer(rheostat) are a good choice.
If this isn't what you had in mind, please let me know if you are looking for daytime heat or night time heat...and what reptile.