Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is it true the iguanas and other herps only need uvb and uva to produce vitamin d3?If so couldnt we just give them vitamin supplements that contain d3 and not have to worry about lights?
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My herps:1.3leopard geckos,1.0 green iguana, 0.0.3 chinese water dragons, 2.2 fire belly toads, 0.0.1 green tree frog, 0.0.1 egyptian toad, many tropical fish, 1.1 purebred German shepherds

I'm not really sure how it all works, but I've read that too much D3 could be lethal to them.

Because we don't know exactly how much they need, there is a risk of either not giving enough or giving too much, in either case it's a potential danger. Also, iguanas in particular don't metabolize oral D3 that well, which is why they need it through UVB rays (not UVA).

Hope this helps!

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Julie Williams
www.baskingwonders.com

My Biology teacher in highschool had an iguana.... Raised it up from a hatchling.. No special UV lights or anything.. just supplementation with vitamins.. and he was a beautiful animal...Healthy... lived for 12 years.. He did everything wrong.. Fed it Iceburg lettuce.. canteloupe and grapes... that was all the variety it got.. and it got the vitamins to go with its food.. Didn't like to be handled at all.. but was well over 5.5ft long. No signs of MBD or any deficiencies at all.. Never even sick in its life. So it is possible if you do things correctly.. However.. keep in mind.. this male Iguana.. never went into breeding colors.. Not sure why.. but he never got more aggressive in any season than he already was... I could pet him.. but picking him up was out of the question... So you can draw your own conclusions from this.... I say its possible to do.. but better if done properly.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
2.2 Leopard geckos (2 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 1 het Blizzard (Lilith) and 1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
5 Gerbils
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Sahara and Hercules)

Just like there are some people that smoke two packs of cigarettes a day and live to be 98 years old... I think this iguana was just naturally resiliant. Most of the time, when an ig doesn't get proper care, it ends up suffering.

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Julie Williams
www.baskingwonders.com

>>My Biology teacher in highschool had an iguana.... Raised it up from a hatchling.. No special UV lights or anything.. just supplementation with vitamins.. and he was a beautiful animal...Healthy... lived for 12 years..

Since iguanas with proper care can live 20 years or more, that means this iguana had its lifespan cut in half.
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Meri Martin
Scales & Tails Exotic Pet Rescue - http://www.scalesandtails.org
NJ Herp. Society - http://www.njhsonline.com