do savannah monitors need uvb?
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
savannah light
lrptls
Aug 02, 2003 03:15 PM
Replies (1)
bengalensis
Aug 02, 2003 07:08 PM
There has been much debate over this topic of whether or not monitors (among other primarily carnivorous reptiles) need the properties of sunlight to synthesize calcium and other nutrients. The overwhelmng responce is NO. The get what d3 they need from their prey.
Disclaimer to the following information: None of the following information is backed by anyone but ME, so use at your OWN RISK.
Hers my 2 cents:
To be 100 percent honest, a small part of me does not believe that monitors are fully absorbing what they need withought some light. How else have they evolved, but after billions of years of sunexposure. They dont hide in cracks and caves their entire lives like trolls preying on whatever rat happens to wander in. They are out and about, in the SUNLIGHT. I feel that sooner or latter people are going to realize that they Do benefit from light. My personal experience shows this...
When I first got my pair of Timors I just worried about heat, and they stayed hidden almost All the time. After a few months I decided to experiment and put a metal halide over them. This is a very powerful light, I originally paid about 300. bucks for the set up. well, they emmediately began coming out and showing courtship behaviours.
This month I am going to install it over my Mangroves. I just wanna see if I notice ANY difference with the light.
Again, this is just my humble opinion, and in no way represents any proven body of information.
-Michelle
