A common myth amongst the reptile community is that reptiles cannot see colours! However we now know that their colour receptors can in fact see a variety of colours, some more than humans! 

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Red bulbs were first designed with the intention of providing night time heat with a low light bulb intended to almost be invisible to the reptile's eyes. We now know that reptiles can see many colours including red, because they are tetrachromats! This means that they have at least four types of cone cells (colour receptors) in their eyes! This is also what allows reptiles to see UVA light, which is completely invisible to humans! This is also suspected to be the reason some reptiles get scared going outside. 

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Using a red, or any coloured bulb in a reptile's terrarium will project the unnatural colour in their environment and affect their ability to see properly. This also completely disrupts the reptile's photoperiod when used at night time! This means their sleep patterns, eating patterns, behaviour and overall health will be affected. Remember, husbandry including correct lighting is very important for your reptiles health! 

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Red lights shouldn't be used because they emit a highly unnatural colour of light, in the wild their environment wouldn't be illuminated in completely red, blue, yellow or purple colouring. In a captive environment, its our responsibility to replicate their natural habitat as accurately as we possibly can!

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Since we've learned reptiles can in fact see colours, permanently using coloured bulbs will distort their colour vision, which in return causes unnecessary disorientation and stress!

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Lastly, red bulbs completely disrupt your reptiles photoperiod! A photoperiod is the amount of time between sunrise and sunset, like a day and night cycle!! Having extremely sensitive eyes, diurnal reptiles use the sun rising as a sign to bask and obtain UVB, whereas nocturnal reptiles use the sun setting as a sign its time to be active for hunting, foraging, hydrating, etc!!

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Its YOUR job as an reptile owner to make sure you are doing the correct research to help your reptile not only survive, but completely thrive in your care! We are here to help every step of the way!

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