# What's the difference between a purple and a red light bulb?



## ilovemyfatcat

Today we went to the pet store to get my new hedgie a night time heat lamp as not to disturb her sleeping patterns. I've heard you're supposed to get the red heat light but I got the purple/black one because it was also for nocturnal, night time animals. It's a flat light bulb, not the one that looks like regular light bulbs... Is this okay or do I need to get some money to go and buy a red one?


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## pickles17

Usually red and purple bulbs are used for reptiles, when used for a hedgehog the light emitted from these bulbs tends to disturb hedgehogs and they might not come out at night due to there being a light....most people use a ceramic heat emitter which emits only heat and no light.


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## moxieberry

Like pickles17 said - a "heat lamp" is something that puts off light as well as heat, with different variations (nighttime versions, etc). None of these are great for a hedgehog because any light at all can prevent them from coming out at night and reduce nighttime activity. You don't need a different heat source for day vs. night, look for a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) which should be available in the same area of the store. These are similar to heat lamps, but the bulb is ceramic and doesn't put off any light whatsoever. Here's a thread that goes over it in more detail, including what equipment (clamp lamp, CHE bulb, thermostat) you'll need for that kind of heat setup. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4579


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