It IS VERY beneficial for the most part.
When I started with veilds, 10 years ago, you only had two choices with UVB light. The sun or vitalites. In NJ, there was no way I was leaving my animals outside. period. vitalites were worthless. period. So that left me with NO UVB, and NO D3 for my animals.
My first pair of veilds were LTC adults, and the male developed Calcium problems a few months later. Some Ca shots and repcal cured him up quick. I needed to go through this to discover rep-cal, which was fairly new, and only the vet had actually "heard" of it.
SO I began to use rep-cal(this was before it was a fine powder, and didn't stick very well). I used it just about every day on all my chameleons. I raised 3 females from 1-2 month old to adults, and mated them, and incubated the eggs, and hatched the eggs, and raised these babies(some to adulthood and breeding themselves)for 2-4 months before selling them.
All in all, I hatched out and raised several clutches of veilds, without A N Y ultraviolet B light, no unfiltered sun, and absolutly NO artificial UVB--EVER. Only 100W sylvania incandecent bulbs and cheap plant growlights that were 3-5 years old themselves.
They all recived rep-cal every day to every other day when little. They got reptivite(and when it came out, herptivite) once a week.
I NEVER had a single health problem with my animals except for tho instances. A coccidia problem that overran my male eventually(he came with it, and was pretty old when I got him), and females becoming unable to lay all their eggs, from being mated TOO young [this was when the "rumor" was not known to be a rumor(at least by me...no internet at the time), and I mated all my females ASAP].
never any calcium problems, never any other problems.
I raised my deremensis and veild from tiny babies to adults with NO Uvb, just rep-cal or miner-all.
Ironically, the only MBD I have had since that first WC male 10 years ago was a few months ago--in the ONLY baby chameleons I used UVB on !!!
I am under the impression that their fast growth from the start was too fast, and my lowering their intake of food(to what I used to feed my veilds at that size) did not slow them down. instead, they continued to grow at a tremendous rate(and were able to eat adult sized crickets at 2.5 months old), but they did not get the nutrients they needed.
I had them under a new reptisun, LESS than 8 inches away from them, and gave them repcal every 2-3 days.
They turned to mush.
I actually though I would lose one of them.
I put a MV bulb above them, gave them some neocalglucon, then started upping the repcal.
They are both deformed(one more than the other) but they have stronger bones, and are getting big.
It seems that they DID slow down in growth after they went mushy. It only took about a week for them to stp shaking, and become more mobile again.
I was clear that their diet, supplementation a dn lighting were NOT at fault, but neither was their breeder.
I got them from Rob at RK, and I know for a fact that they were top rate, and the others that bought them had no problems.
The problem was that their growth rate was VERY high. Most people are feeding the babies a lot, and they grow like that.
I intentionally feed mine less, so I get slower growth. It's worked in the past perfectly.
The problem was that I wasn't feeding them for their first month or two, and they were eating a lot more than mine would have, and subsequently were on to a much faster start. When they came into my care, they didn't slow down in growth, but I slowed down their intake of food. I 'm pretty sure this is where the problem was. I had never seen such BIG veilds for their age, and I should have taken that fast growth into consideration and fed them more than I did. Additionally, they were raised in full sunlight, and their metabolism may have needed to adjust to the artificial D3 they were getting,as the reptisun was NOT near the sun's intensity. thankfully, they're resilient little girls, and are looking awesome, despite the crooked legs, adn will hopefully be big enough in a few months to start hanging out with my big guy...
BAck on subject...
option #1
UVB to Skin to D3 Ca to bone&muscle operation&nerve function=healthy, strong, chameleons.
This method is the best, because it limits the amount of mistakes you can make, and the less a role we have in the metabolisim of these things, the higher the likelyhood things will play out the way they are designed to.
option#2
Rep-cal to digestive system to blood to muscle&bone& nerve function=healthy chameleon, but TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE D3 can lead to problems witht the digestive system/Ca-D3 absorbtion, and subsequent musce, nerve bone problems.
This method can be done, but leaves MUCH room for error. Blances must be found, and this by-passes the chameleons natural biological processes in D3/Ca synthesis/absorbtion.
I've done it, with excellent results. However, you need to be careful not to overdose or underdose.
Option #3
USe UV lighting, and supplement with D3.
just to be sure
Go EASY on artificial supplements--very easy when using GOOD UV sources(sunlight or MV)
SO, No, UV lighting is NOT absolutly necessary. What will I say when I sell my baby chameleons next time?
"Buy a MV bulb, and save a lot of trouble. If you want to keep it outside, do so, but use MV in the fall/winter."
Chameleons were designed to be in the sun, or at least recieve UVB FROM it through the canopy to some degree. They did not evolve to be recieving it through powdered form. We CANNOT fully replicate nature. Certain things in nature can be copied, other cannot. Things like diet, variation in food, hydration, temperature humidity, light and UV light can be simulated to a fairly high degree. In these cases, I recommend going for it. As much as possible. It;ll be eaiser.
Look at iguanas. How many get broken bones? it;s disgusting. These animals fall from their perch and break their legs. They are getting reptisun 5.0's and still have weak bone density.
In the wild,, they jump from trees 50 feet in the air and hit the ground running. something is wrong there. With sunlight or MV bulbs, iguanas don't break bones. ChameleonsDOn't Break bones. My male veild was in an 8 foot high cage a few years back, and I rmember him falling off the top (upside down on the screen) onto the edge of the 2X12 that was supporting the cage on the ground. I thought he was dead when I saw him hit. Nope. Smacked right onto it, and took off across the ground, up the tree and back to the perch. No injury. These things jump out of tree to avoid danger, they sholdn't be breaking bones.
5% of the suns radiation isn't going to do much, but it'll do some. If you use a 5% bulb, use rep-cal or minerall.
A Mv bulb WILL give them enough UV to build strong bones. I have seen some veidls raised with NO supplements, just a MV bulb, and they are perfect.
That's the way to go.
