This is in response to an earlier post in which a keeper ask if they should use UV lighting or the method of providing dietary D3 instead. A first response to the post claimed that fluorescent UV lighting is more natural....

I am one of those top Phelsuma breeders who does not expose my day geckos to artificial UV lighting and instead provides dietary D3. I have been successful in this method for more than 11 years. I am not alone in this.

The benefits of this method is more control over the amount of D3 that a day gecko gets. Artificial UV lighting is just that, artificial -- not natural sunlight. The tubes that produce UV light waves do so with an enormous amount of energy and regretfully can begin to loose their effectiveness as early as 6 months. These bulbs are costly -- much more costly than the very high quality, high lumens, high CRI bulbs that I recommend. Alone, a UV fluorescent light is not enough good quality light to provide a day gecko. A keeper will still need to add a better quality light to stimulate color development and natural behavior to keep their day gecko healthy.

Providing better lighting better simulates what a day gecko really needs - daylight. Providing additional vitamin D3 is easier and safer than most people know. The real risk with day geckos is vitamin A overdose, not calcium or D3.

All this boils down to is a day gecko keeper has a choice. But if one chooses to use UV fluorescents, don't forget to add another high quality fluorescent to provide the lumens and CRI to provide a day gecko needs.

Leann Christenson, author
Day Geckos In Captivity
www.daygecko.com

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