like I said, UVB producing bulbs are mainly an insurance policy for me. Supplementation of all food items every other day with mineral indoor supplement is the current schedule I'm on (should I adjust it at all?).



But, like azteclizard said, a lot of people get special lights to make their reptiles' colors better. All the light is doing to make the colors better is exposing the reptile to a different part of the light spectrum. It's not like it's physically changing the reptile's colors. The key to better colors and more activity in desert reptiles is having BRIGHT lights. I'm still searching for the right heat lamp (anyone got suggestions?), because I like the light intensity of the mercury vapor bulbs bot not the price. In my bearded's tank I have a zoomed basking spot, and I think I'm going to try a halogen light next time because it's kind of dim.



That's probably a good explanation to having reptiles outdoors. They get more colorful because they're under the most full spectrum light they can get, and they get riled up easier because of the bright light, and probably instincts imbedded in their brains (have to be alert when they're in the wild).



I still am sticking by the UVB tubes. Even with having to replace them and the heat bulbs twice a year (heat bulbs might last longer) it still usually comes out cheaper than most mercury vapor bulbs (except the one's at bigapppleherp.com). Especially when you know where to get reptisun 5.0 bulbs for only around $16-20, and when you find the right basking bulb at your local hardware store.



-ryan

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