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Hi all, I'm new to Uros and was wondering what the minimum/best wattage for a basking bulb or heat emitter would be to make sure I'm keeping my temps up in the right range for my enclosure?

That really depends on how big is your enclosure, what material is it made of, how warm is the room its in......

I keep 18 cages in 1 room all desert animals, so the room temp is pretty high, I usually need only a 100W UVB bulb and a 25 to 60 W bulb on the other side of the cage to keep them warm. My cages are all made of wood (wich) isolates better than glass, and dimensions are 150cm x 65cm x 60 cm. But when you have one single glass terrarium with the same dimensions you probably need double those Wattages......

You better buy some different lightbulbs and see what gets you the right temps......

gr. Kamiel

I have a 20 gallon long terrarium (glass - 30in x 12in x 13in) with a metal screen top. The ambient temperature is kept at about 74-76 degrees farenheit. For an enclosure that size (baby uro, less than 6in long), what wattage bulb will help me get the higher temps needed?

It all depends on how far the bulb is from the basking spot. I would think in a 20 gal long tank either a 60W or 75W would get you there. You can always elevate the basking spot some with bricks or rocks to get it closer to the light and use the smaller wattage bulb. If you don't have one already, get yourself a good infrared thermometer. It is vital that you know the temp in various locations and at the exact level/location of the Uro. This is the one we use and have for 4 years or so..... http://www.tempgun.com/order.html, the PE1...... http://www.amazon.com/Racers-Edge-Mini- ... B0009O1G5K. It is well worth the money!!!

For simple heat, a 125 watt clear heat lamp – the kind you use in bathrooms to warm up after a shower. You can get them for around $10 at Home Depot, but be sure you have a light fixture with a ceramic screw-in part that holds the bulbs. The cheaper plastic fixture can melt with the heat required for Uros.

You can angle it onto the basking spot on a far side of the cage, to allow a proper heat gradient. A 20 gallon long really isn't that great for an appropriate gradient, a 40 gallon breeder is better, and you need one for an adult so moving the hatchling up sooner wouldn't be a problem. For larger cages you may need to have more than one bulb, but you need to be sure the basking area gets up to at least 120, the ambient temperature on the warm side should be around 95-100, and the cool side should be around 80-85. Temps can drop into the 70s at night.