Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, my friend has a mangrove monitor in which he uses a uv bulb on him all the time. I am not sure of the bulb type or wattage, but is there anything else he can do to increase its colors? I have seen a mangrove with green dots instead of yellow? Was this just unique or what? All help is great. Thanks
Joe

Proper captive care does all you can do for colors short of painting them. By the way no lightbulb on the planet will effect its colors, regardless of what any sale pitch will tell you. In fact temperatures effect color more than anything from one side of the cage to another.
By the way as they grow the colors fade and they get dark and dull, its just how it goes.

Full spectrum lighting will in fact enhance the color of monitors or any other object for that matter. This does not mean that it in fact changes the color of the animals themselves but rather the way you see them.

Thankyou, and yes i know monitors get duller as they get older. I was just shocked when i saw a huge adult mangrove with awesome green spots everywhere.

That's 99.9% individual variation. If you want a colorful one you have to look and be patient and lucky. But don't forget personality goes a long way, and a lot further in the long run.

Colors, the light is doing what the fake food on commercials and billboards do (you know the plastic, professionally painted burgers etc), it fools your eyes, it does not effect the colors.
In fact as far as that goes place 2 of the same species, one under normal lightbulbs, and one under full spectrum, take them out of their cages in about 6 months, take them into the sun together, the individual that lived under a more useful normal bulb will bee more colorful in reality.

>>Colors, the light is doing what the fake food on commercials and billboards do (you know the plastic, professionally painted burgers etc), it fools your eyes, it does not effect the colors.
>>In fact as far as that goes place 2 of the same species, one under normal lightbulbs, and one under full spectrum, take them out of their cages in about 6 months, take them into the sun together, the individual that lived under a more useful normal bulb will bee more colorful in reality.

That is the point I was trying to make. Maybe I should have worded it differently. Full spectrum lighting brings out (enhances) the colors of any object. I understand that husbandry, ie; diet temps etc, etc effect coloration in monitors.

Produce a full spectrum of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), the animals scales contain some of these colors and are reflective, therefore the scales reflect the colors of the light, giving the illusion of brighter colors.