Meerkats and Infra-red at the Safari Zoo

Here at the Meerkats at the zoo in Dalton. There's an infra-red lamp to keep them warm. Why does infra-red feel warm? Try Googling that question - it's quite a controversial topic. Perhaps it is because we absorb more at that wavelength. My pale skin is obviously not a classic absorber at visible wavelengths but we don't know what "colour" it would appear at infra-red.