Mary Allen
If you want to buy a terrarium, you have to pay attention to the right heat source.
Desert areas are characterized by extreme temperature differences between day and night. Diurnal desert dwellers, such as bearded dragons, therefore need at least eight hours a day in the sun in the terrarium where there is a temperature between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius at certain points – halogen lamps are well suited for this. In addition to different temperature zones, terrariums must also offer UVB radiation, which mimics sunlight. Separate UVB lamps or an HQI UV lamp, which usually offers a mixture of light, UVA, UVB radiation, and heat (heat spots are additionally required if required), are suitable. It comes very close to the solar spectrum. For reptiles that are active at night and at dusk, such as certain species of snakes and geckos, heating mats, heating cables, infrared or ceramic heaters are available. The animals can also warm up well on heating stones. Caution is advised with climbing terrarium inhabitants: Always secure heat sources with a protective cage. Let the specialist department advise you extensively on the entire topic.
Rainforest Dwellers
Tree tarantulas, poison dart frogs, and red-throated anoles feel at home in a rainforest terrarium. Depending on the resident, you must also ensure that there are sunspots and sufficient UVB radiation here. Day geckos, for example, climb high into the treetops to sunbathe in the wild. Animals in the lower rainforest levels also need heat lamps with a daylight spectrum and UVB lamps. For nocturnal rainforest dwellers, it may be necessary to attach additional heating mats or cables – ideally on the back or sidewall, because if they are placed underneath the terrarium there is a risk that the animals will burn themselves when they bury themselves. Heat sources should never cover more than a third of the wall or floor area. Warmth is important for reptiles as radiant heat – not as contact heat. Heat lamps and mixed light lamps should therefore always be preferred to heating mats and the like, if possible.