Common Musk Lighting

[char69lie]

i have everything set up ready to buy my musks just wondering about the lighting, i have the recommended basking lamp, ( i no they dont bask much) and i also have a repti glo 10.0 uvb 26w will that be ok?

[Tiliqua]

My stinkpots bask much more than I was expecting but it varies with your set up. It seems that in cooler water they are more inclined to bask. In warmer water they might not do it at all. If you have a warm basking spot at say 85 - 90 F then they will use it if they want to. Do you have a tube or a compact fluorescent? If you don't have anything yet, I would get a compact, and fit in a reflector dome to direct it at the basking area. If you already have a tube, rig it up with a reflector across the top of the tank/basking area. Remember that if the stinks a little, you only need shallow water. I use water which is literally only a couple of inches deep for hatchlings.

[Graham]

The UVB will be fine if they decide to use it, they may not though, my younger ones bask more than the older ones, but even the older ones pop out once in a while and when they do they need the correct lighting, even though it may seem a waste to provide something they rarely use!