Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I am new to the uro world, and just recently aquired one. My question is... I use a MVB blub and was wondering how often I should use supplements with this kind of ubv?

Thanks
Jackie

Hi Jackie!

That's a really tough question to answer. It depends on SO many things: which brand of bulb, how old it is, how far away from the basking spot - these will all change it. And even with all those answers, without a UVB meter, there's still not a definite way to know.

That's not very helpful, is it? Some MVBs are garbage and put out less UVB than a Reptisun. Others are great and last a long time, but there's still decay.

Before I got my UVB meter, I supplemented with a bit of D3 a couple times a week, just to be sure they were getting at least a little. But if you've got a good, solid MVB (or the appropriate number of fluorescents at a good distance), then you shouldn't supplement D3 at all.

I'm sorry this isn't a very helpful post!
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
And several miscellaneous community fish

Hi Torey, thanks for the response! I am using T-Rex MVB bulbs, I have used them for a couple of years with my bearded dragons and they seem to be doing a great job.

Can I ask what type of bulb you are using for your uros?

Oh one more question, when I get the heat up to 120 the rock I have for basking seems way to hot, I have a temp gun and the rock reads 125. If I put my hand on it is really hot and I can not leave it too long. Is this normal or will it cause burns to my uro?

Thanks for the help
Jackie

What type of rock are you using? Some rocks can heat up and stay hot for long periods of time more than others. I use rainbow rock (you should be able to find it in the fish section of a pet store) since it stays warm (not hot) under really hot lights.
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1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra and Isis)

I am just using a big rock that I found outside, bleached and baked it before I put it into his cage.

Thanks for the info, I will check out those rocks tomorrow!

PS.. sorry I hit the wrong button and sent this to you in a PM

I currently have T-Rex SPOT bulbs - they're ok, but variable. For example, the last two I've opened up - one was 120 uw/cm2, the other was less than 70 at the same distance of 18". These were brand new identical bulbs, readings taken after a week's burn in. That's the spot bulbs - the floods aren't supposed to put out much UVB for long (though I haven't used the flood).

As soon as I lose these bulbs, though, I'm switching over to the bulbs from ReptileUV - the MegaRays. They're supposed to be excellent, both for UV production AND reliability. Some of the MVs I've used blew out really quickly.

I also have rocks from outside - they don't get so hot I can't touch them, though.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
And several miscellaneous community fish