About Light My Reptile
Light My Reptile is a free planner for reptile enclosure lighting. It visualizes the near-infrared, UVB and visible light that real lamp products produce inside an enclosure, so you can evaluate a basking arrangement before buying any equipment.
Species recommendations
Different species have evolved to bask in different intensities of sunlight. The recommendations in this planner are built in collaboration with the Reptile Lighting research team, which includes Dr Frances Baines, Roman Muryn, and Quentin Dishman.
Their Reptile Lighting Guide below groups commonly kept species by the sunlight they seek, with UVI, visible light and near-infrared targets for each.
What the planner calls "heat" is really near-infrared intensity, quantified using power density (W/m²). Surface temperature is a proxy measurement; the same light can leave one surface barely warm and make another too hot to touch. Power density measures the light itself.
Lamp data
Real lamps vary, even between similar products at identical wattages, so the planner never relies on manufacturer ratings. Every lamp in the catalog is backed by published measurements from independent testers, including Dr Frances Baines, Thomas Griffiths, Roman Muryn, Chris Hunt and Eric M. Klier.
Hi, I'm Nathan.
I build and maintain Light My Reptile. I'm a data scientist, and sometimes a wildlife photographer whenever I can get outside.
The idea for Light My Reptile came from countless hours helping in bearded dragon communities, where lighting was the thing beginners struggled with most, and animals suffered for it. I learned much of what I know about lighting from the Reptile Lighting group, though my background in photography and science certainly helped. Reptile Lighting is a remarkable resource, but sometimes an intimidating one when everything is new. Across many reptile communities, admins spend their days walking keeper after keeper through the same questions about brands, wattages and distances.
This tool exists to make that easier. It helps beginners understand lighting, gives reasonable estimates to keepers who can't afford expensive meters, and lets experienced keepers help beginners more efficiently.
Contact
Questions, corrections and new lamp measurements are all welcome. Email [email protected], and see the contact page for what to include with bug reports and lamp measurement contributions.