I don't disagree with your comment about heat and digestion. But the problem is, iggie folks for the most part, do not understand what heat is. You somehow think air temps and reptiles are important, So you offer air temps.

While air temps and mass temps have a relationship, Its in fact a very loose relationship.

Yesterday and Today I am at a local reptile show. So I get to talk to thousands of people. People from around here where its hot. If you ask them what the surface temps of the ground are comparable to air temps, most are totally lost, and that includes many academics, biologists, and game and fish folks.

Say, the air temp is 100F what is the corresponding surface temps and mass temps? Most add a few degrees, in fact here the surface temps range in the sun range from, 110F to over 150F. Now compare that too say an air temp of 40F, what would the corresponding surface temps be? Of course you would guess, something like 65F or a little more. The reality is, and sir, its a reality, as I get to check these very very often. The surface temps range for the 40's F to 144F. Yes, even with a sixty degree difference in air temps.

Whats important about this is, REPTILES DO NOT UNDERSTAND AIR TEMPS, they understand surface temps, mass temps and their relationship to bright lite.

Don't be fooled, the bright lite is only important in allowing the reptiles to find surface and mass heat. If the temps in bright lite are not suitable, they look elsewhere.

How it effects you iggie folks and your misguided MK, reptiles seek temps far above their actual needs, They try to bask as short a time as possible(inherent dangers of being in the open) They then perfer to maintain their body temps under cover of hard and soft materials, I.E. shade, bark, rock, earth, etc.

That you seem to think lizards are suppose to bask their entire active period, is a gross misunderstanding of reptile behavior and function.

The problem is so very easy to solve, all you have to understand is, reptiles do not carry around any sort of thermostat, they do carry around needs that "have" to be fullfilled. All you have to do is, offer high or low for that matter, until they do not use them at ALL, not rarely, as some needs are more rare then others. The reality is, ITS SO DARN EASY TO DO.
Your UV bulb approach is what I call a bandaid approach. You only fixing problems, without fixing the cause. IF you allow them to attain the heat they need, in THE MANNER THEY UNDERSTAND, you would have no need for UV bulbs.

BUT most humans, would rather do something complicated and dangerous to the animal, and has shown no long term success. Instead of actually understanding the animals you say you love. MAN I would hate to be loved by you folks.

SIR, its not something to brag about to keep a reptile alive in captivity, WE as humans should have no problem with that, we can put a man on the moon, or a hanger in south texas, but cannot keep simple reptiles alive. Wow, how sad is that.

I would think you folks would advance a little past stopping them from dying and on to, allowing normal life functions, Cheers

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