Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know lizards need heat but in my research I have seen where it is recommended that they get UV light. UV light is useful in the production of vitamin D, but that can be supplied by supplements to food (people get their D that way, vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat soluble which means that instead of needing them daily, they can be stored).
Are there more reasons to use UV?

people also get lots of Vitamin D by bein out in the sun. But vitamin D is needed to metabolize calcium and diurnal reptiles are usually out in the sun for the time they are awake.
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

"There are six genes which determine the amount of melanism present in a person's skink"-meretseger

Yes, but the supplements we give them contain all the vitamin D they need. And, despite controversy, artificial vitamins and natural vitamins have been shown to be precisely the same. So, if you powder your crickets with supplements, why would you also need to use UV?

Don't quite agree there.....supplements aren't absorbed and used as readily by the body as the vitamins and minerals found naturally in foods.....and the D3 is synthetic, so synthetic can't be the same as natural....d3 can be toxic if given in large quantities, but your body only synthesizes the vitamin D it needs from UVB....and doctor will tell you to eat a well rounded diet with variety of veggies over taking vitamins anyday....

Technically, with supplementation you don't have to use UVB....but I believe it to be beneficial as I've found in my dragons that with MVB's they seem to eat better and grow better with it.....for me it's a matter of my pets having the optimum environment, so UVB is an absolute for me.
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Tracey
Tracey's Beardies
www.beardiecrazy.com
"Whining is not only graceless, but can be dangerous.
It can alert a brute that a victim is in the neighborhood" ~Maya Angelou

Thank you, that's what I was looking for. Do you have guidelines on how long they need to be under the lights? Do you use fluorescent uv tubes or the incandescent uv bulbs?

Personally I have found the flourescent to last longer. My dragons colors are much more pronounced when spending time under UVB bulbs. They just seem overall happier and more active. I keep mine on a timer with my heat lights for 14 hours each day. (Shorter in the winter)

Mike

Like they would be during the day if outdoors.....for my adults I use this schedule winter 10 on 14 off, spring 12 on 12 off, summer 14 on 10 off, fall 12 on 12 off.....

I personally use self ballasted mercury vapor bulbs by T-Rex.....I used to use Reptisun 5.0 tube bulbs which are good, but found my dragons did better with the mercury vapor bulbs.

The mercury vapor bulbs(MVB's) cost about twice as much but only have to be changed every 10-12 months, the tube bulbs need to be changed every 5-6 months....

I use a spiral floursecant with my MVB's to brighten the tanks without adding hardly any extra heat, they fit in incandescant fixtures like the MVB's.

I hope this helps.....
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Tracey
Tracey's Beardies
www.beardiecrazy.com
"Whining is not only graceless, but can be dangerous.
It can alert a brute that a victim is in the neighborhood" ~Maya Angelou

I have had dragons raised in sunlight, indoor uv and sups only. It is my experience that while supliments may be able to keep many BDs healthy it does not work the same ALL the time and may not be the best thing for all BDs. With well over 100 adult & subadult BDs in my current collection, I have found that SOME BDs benifit from UVB lights. Enough so that I have reptisun 5 lights in all enclosures. It's worth the money for the insurance. It certainly can't hurt. For the average owner, $40 a year is a small investment to make wheather it has an effect or not. I would rather err on the side of caution. By using a UVB meter I can verify what amount of UVB my BDs get.

BTW Tracey, are those ESU coil lights? Have you measured the UVB output?

One more thing for all the people using UV lights, putting mylar behind it can double the UV output.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

not the ESU ones....though I did buy a couple when they first came out and had them tested.....hardly a trace of UVB......I just use spiral flourescants from Sam's club in the multipack...
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Tracey
Tracey's Beardies
www.beardiecrazy.com
"Whining is not only graceless, but can be dangerous.
It can alert a brute that a victim is in the neighborhood" ~Maya Angelou

.
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www.reptilerooms.com

I've owned reptiles but I'm not warring, I'm just curious, hopefully it is OK to ask questions here?

I know he wasn't directing that at you.....we've had some heated discussions here on UVB.....that's what he's joking about.....

Ask away....that's what the forum is all about.....
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Tracey
Tracey's Beardies
www.beardiecrazy.com
"Whining is not only graceless, but can be dangerous.
It can alert a brute that a victim is in the neighborhood" ~Maya Angelou

UV lighting is hottly debated and I don't want to start another one; just wanted to answer your question as best I could. Good questions are always welcome, bad questions are tolerated. (JUST KIDDING) Keep on asking questions, it's the best way to learn.

If you want some more info on UV lights, check out the forum:
UV lighting - YAHOO

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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

Also, do you use the mylar from balloons or where do you get the mylar from? Great to have you back Bennett!
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Stacey

>>Also, do you use the mylar from balloons or where do you get the mylar from? Great to have you back Bennett!
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>>Stacey

Thanks Stacey, good to be back. You can get mylar from hydroponic supply houses like
http://www.insidesun.com/index.php?action=category&id=3&subid=41

simply put it behind the bulb to reflect the UV back down. I have not found it yet, but you can also get it in heavy flexable sheets that can be folded and just slipped behind the light like a real heavy duty foil but more flexable.
mylar

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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

This might be what you are looking for Bennett. I got this link from i company I deal with at work. Unfortunately, we don't extrude sheeting or deal with polyesters.
http://www.4hydroponics.com/grow_room/light_mover2.asp?ItemNo=mylr25

Good luck
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Bill DiFabio
Garden State Herpetoculture...website to follow...
Email Me
"The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense,
not between right and wrong." - Carl Jung

Some UVB tubes already have them on the back side also
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www.reptilerooms.com

Fish liver oil, eggs, etc not a syntheticly produced chemical.
Heres a bit of info on Vit D3 etc.

"Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin. The name is a misnomer from earlier in the century when the original experiments characterizing its functions and chemistry were first described. Now it is generally classified as belonging to the hormone class of biological response modifiers. In fact, the chemistry of vitamin D is not a simple one. It enters our bodies in two primary forms, derived from two very different sources. The most abundant form cholecalciferol or vitamin D3 is obtained primarily through synthesis by ultra-violet light (UVB) in the skin, from where it then translocates into our circulation. Consequently, though many people aren’t aware of it, most of our physiological requirements for vitamin D are provided for by casual exposure to sunlight. Other natural sources for cholecalciferol are few, but include egg yolks, fatty fish such as salmon, and fatty fish oils including cod liver oil. The other form ergocalciferol or vitamin D2 is principally acquired by vegetable dietary intake. However, even when combined, these natural food sources contribute only a fairly small percentage of our nutritional needs. These days, most of the vitamin D from our diets derives from vitamin D supplemented foods including milk, cereals, and breads."

This refers to humans but anyone who knows someone allergic to fish knows that vit D3 supplements are poisonous to them, unless they come from egg yokes or a few other sources (very rare). I have yet to hear of a synthetic vitamin D3 source.