Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, my first basking lamp for my 5-inch-long female RES just burned out and I wonder whether I should upgrade to a higher wattage with the next one. I use a Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp, and the old one was 50watts. Should I go 75?

My concern is that the bulb is not that far away from her when she basks because of constraints in my setup (it's about 1/2 foot at most), and the current heat output seems to be sufficient for her needs since she basks enough and hasn't shown any sign of respiratory illness. What do you think?

YOu should get a thermometer and measure the temp at the basking area. That's more important than the distance to the light or wattage.

My basking light is only 40 watts, but it keeps temps right.