Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is anyone aware of the specific dangers, if any, of too much UV exposure for geckos? I assume that very high exposures to UV could cause "sunburn" similar to what humans experience. Specifically, what I am curious about is, if I use a bulb with too much UV output, wouldn't the gecko likely keep itself instinctively less exposed? In other words, shouldn't I err on the side of too much rather than too little UV? I am speaking here of only diurnal geckos, of course. Also, are there any metabolic issues associated with too much UV?
Any info or insight would be appreciated.

Chris

First you need to know how much UV is really too much. UV is commonly measured in microwatts per cm squared. Tell me the bulb you are using and I will most likely be able to tell you its UV output (we tested many mainstream bulbs). It also depends on the animal in question. Most animals are ok with roughly 20 mW/cm^2 while bearded dragons for example benefit from as much as 60 from my knowledge. Tropical animals I believe prefer 15 while most frogs like it in the 10's.

I plan on getting a trio of Lygodactylus picturatus, and as far as I have been able to determine their care is pretty much the same as Phelsuma, so I'm thinking a 5.0 Reptisun is what I need. Am I correct in thinking that the number of the bulb (5.0, for example), is somehow correlated numerically with UV output in mW/cm^2 so that 5.0 = 50 mW, etc., or are the numbers just for comparative purposes? I've never kept any herps that require UV before, so I'm a little weak on the whole UV thing. I don't know the exact figures for the amount of UV output necessary for this particular gecko, but I figure SE Africa gets a high amount of UV, an 8.0 wouldn't be out of the question. Thanks for the info.

{Too bad this forum doesn't support non-standard character sets, I can't type a mu for microwatts, but you know what I meant...}
Chris

>>First you need to know how much UV is really too much. UV is commonly measured in microwatts per cm squared. Tell me the bulb you are using and I will most likely be able to tell you its UV output (we tested many mainstream bulbs). It also depends on the animal in question. Most animals are ok with roughly 20 mW/cm^2 while bearded dragons for example benefit from as much as 60 from my knowledge. Tropical animals I believe prefer 15 while most frogs like it in the 10's.

The % is very misleading. Out of the bulbs we tested, the 8.0% Bulbs made by Exo Terra (Repti Glows) put out roughly 15-18 mW/cm^2 while the 5.0% Arcadia D3 Lamp put out 22. The % simply refers to the % of the total light ouput devoted to just UVB. Therefore, a better quality bulb (we tested all bulbs at 18W) will have higher output and efficiency and as you can see put out more UVB even though its % is lower. I would use the 5.0 Reptisun for your lygodactylus. If you use a more powerfull bulb, move it further away. Keep in mind, after 12", the UVB output drops below 10 mW/cm^2 (I believe 3 for the 5.0) and is no longer of much benefit to the animal.

That clears things up immensely. I suspected the 5.0 would be the way to go. The lamp will be mounted approximately 6" above the screen top, and the total tank height is 14". That should give me a good gradient for the animals to seek their preffered level. Thanks again.

Chris