Ok, FR, I agree with what you are saying about gut loading. Earlier I thought that you were saying that you really werent giving the crickets anything, but now that youve made it clear... The gut loading products arent necessary, they just make it a bit easier for the beginner reptile owners that havent found the cheap strategies that weve found.

Now, I dont own monitors, so I will leave that subject alone. But people are bringing up other lizards, and I will tell you... I do not own a huge amount of reptiles. I have a lot, but a small enough number to pay attention to each one individually. Ive noticed from my own experiences, that when I introduce a uv bulb to a reptile that has not had any. Their activity levels increase and they just seem happier and healthier to me.

If peoples lizards are going blind and burning from these things, they do not know proper husbandry. You have to know your bulb and your lizard. Frilleds stay in the trees most of the time so they get small amounts of uv in the wild. So I usually only have the uv bulb on for 3 hours a day for them. Sailfins need more so maybe 6. Beardies, 10 hours. But I have noticed an increase in thier well being. The truth is, mercury vapor bulbs should not be used as basking spots imo. They will cause blindness, and skin damage as well. But knowing where to place it and when to turn it on and off is the key.

I will recall times when I switched from a 5.0 flourescent to a 10.0, and in maybe 2 days period, the activity levels increased, and the lizards looked healthy and happier. I pay a lot of attention to them, so I would know. And you have to keep in mind, its not just the reptile supply industry telling people that these things are benficial- its zoos, zoologists, biologists, ecologists, veterinarians, etc. They dont get anything if those bulbs fly off the shelves. Those people go into those fields because they genuinly care about the animals, and they do research, and they find that the animals do better off.

Just because you do not have uv bulbs does not mean reptiles wont live long lives. Just like a child that doesnt drink 4 glasses of milk a day- he or she wont die at a young age because of that, but will the calcium make the kid stronger and healthie? yes it will. That is what I have found with reptiles. Again, I dont know monitors, but I know a lot about what I keep.

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