Posted by:
Brock
at Sat Sep 30 00:45:22 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Brock ]
If you want to use UV lights, that's no problem at all.
I use cheap UV lights on a few of my cages for aesthetic qualities. I like the look, basically.
Here in Canada, UVB reptile flourecent bulbs are about 30$ a pop, and are recommended to be replaced every 6 months.
Compared to usual UV lights that are a dollar or less, that's a big difference, and with little to no difference in health and quality in the reptiles.
The point, in my mind, is that no artificial lights can compare to the Sun itself, not even come to a close second. I'd recommend bringing your diurnal reptiles out into the Sun once a week in the hotter months, and supplementing once a week with D3 in the other months. They'll be perfectly fine with half an hour or an hour of exposure once a week.
The best thing you can do, if you want the benefit of the Sun, is make a very cheep and practical screen cage for outdoor use only. All you do is get a desired length of screen, make it into a tube, and cover the top and bottom with screen or wood (on top for shade), add a plant in there and you're set. Make sure not to leave in 100% sun, always provide some shade for thermoregulation.
Other than that, sure, use UV lights at your own discretion. No problem with that at all.
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