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Monthly Archives: October 2025
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Posted: October 28, 2025
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Posted: October 21, 2025Read more »
This blog is aimed at newcomers to terraristics. So you decided on an animal and bought or built the terrarium. When planning, the question of the right lighting always comes up at some point. Basking spot, basic lighting, UV lamps, heat lamps, metal vapor, compact lamps, HID, ... it gets complicated.
In principle it depends on the natural habitat of the animals. The simplest distinction is desert animal, steppe, rainforest or Mediterranean. In any case, I recommend studying the specialist literature - there are usually clear indications for hours of sunshine, UV values and temperatures. Accordingly, a sun-hungry reptile (example bearded dragon) requires higher brightness, heat and UV output than a shadow-loving jungle dweller. The essential 2 factors for the correct lamp choice are the wattage and the distance to the animal. For sun-loving animals you use a higher wattage and a closer distance, for shade lovers it is the other way round. That is the basic principle.
If...