Reptile Heat Lamps

Since reptiles and amphibians are cold blooded and cannot produce their own body heat like warm blooded pets can, they require external sources of heat to maintain optimum body temperature. If the optimum temperature of your pet?s habitat is not maintained, your reptile or amphibian can suffer from decreased appetite, poor digestion, and high levels of stress that lead to illness and disease. Keeping your pet?s habitat at room temperature will not achieve the proper temperature. Many reptiles and amphibians require a constant temperature of 70?85? Fahrenheit with basking areas reaching over 100? Fahrenheit. To achieve the optimum temperature for your pet, you?ll need to incorporate external heating elements into your habitat, like heating pads, ultraviolet light bulbs, visible light bulbs and infrared lamps. While reptiles require infrared light as well as UV and visible light, infrared light has some wonderful benefits when it comes to keeping them warm.

Infrared lamps can be used for primary heating to maintain habitat temperature or for secondary lighting to create the ideal basking area during the day or night. Unlike other lights used for heating reptile and amphibian?s habitats, infrared light produces no visible light on its own, but the bulbs sometimes have a reddish color. This has the benefit of helping to maintain your pet?s natural sleep patterns. While other lights are good for daytime use or nighttime use, infrared lights are great for using anytime, day or night. And many infrared lights even have reflectors that focus more heat into your pet?s habitat, minimizing nighttime glare.

If you?re in the market for an infrared lamp for your pet?s habitat, there are some great options at Chewy. Both Exo Terra Infrared Basking Reptile Spot Lamp and Zoo Med Nocturnal Infrared Reptile Heat Lamp produce a great amount of heat, with bulbs ranging from 50 to 150 watts. This gives you the ability to choose the correct power output based on your pet and your enclosure size. Whichever infrared light you choose, be sure to level out your pet?s habitat before introducing him to it. One to two weeks should provide enough time to balance the temperature, as well as the humidity level. After introducing your reptile or amphibian to the balanced habitat, it is important that you continuously monitor the temperature to ensure your pet stays healthy and happy.