The Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot is a purpose-built basking lamp with a tight beam that can be aimed precisely at one spot, and 35% more light and heat in that beam than a standard bulb.

Why a Basking Spot Matters

Reptiles are ectotherms — they cannot generate their own body heat, so they move between warm and cool areas to hold themselves at the right temperature. That process, thermoregulation, is not a comfort behaviour. It drives digestion, immune function and activity. A reptile kept too cool will stop digesting properly and can develop gut impaction with food still sitting inside it.

What an enclosure needs is a temperature gradient: a genuinely hot basking spot at one end and a cool retreat at the other, so the animal can choose. A tight, intense beam creates that far better than a bulb that warms the whole enclosure evenly.

The extra 35% also buys you distance — the bulb can sit further from the basking site and still deliver the required temperature, which matters in a tall terrarium.

Key Features

• 35% increase in light and heat in the beam
• Creates a defined basking area for thermoregulation
• Raises ambient air temperature
• UVA rays stimulate breeding behaviour and support physiological wellbeing
• Combines with a Night Heat Lamp or Infrared Basking Spot for a 24-hour cycle
• Available in 25W, 50W, 100W and 150W

Specifications

Setting It Up

• Aim the beam at a basking branch, rock or platform at one end of the enclosure.
• Measure the basking surface temperature with a thermometer or infrared gun before the animal goes in, and adjust the height until it matches your species' published range. Never estimate it.
• Leave the opposite end unheated so there is a real gradient to move along.
• Choose wattage by enclosure size and how far the bulb sits from the basking site — a 150W bulb in a small terrarium will cook it.
• This bulb produces no UVB. A separate UVB source is still required.

Safety

• For use with reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates only.
• Use in a fixture with a ceramic socket rated for the wattage.
• Fit a guard if your animal can climb to the bulb — direct contact causes serious burns, and reptiles will not always move away from a heat source that is burning them.
• Let the bulb cool completely before handling, and keep it away from water and mist.