Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The folks at Reptile UV (makers of Mega-Ray) suggest two basking areas (where size allows). They suggest one with UVB and one without.

I'm not quite sure I understand this recommendation. I know their 100 watt and 160 watt bulbs produce UVB, so two questions come to mind:

1. What kind of bulb produces heat for basking but doesn't produce UVB?

2. And--what would be the point of a basking spot without UVB? Just for the heat?

The point would be to allow them to maintain their preferred body temperature without forcing UVB exposure. Just like you should provide snug hides in several different temperature zones so they don't have to choose safety over heat, they should have a choice of whether they want to bask in the UVB or not.

Pretty much any sort of incandescent or halogen lamp will provide heat without UVB - in order to GET the UVB you have to buy specialty lamps. You can either go to the pet store and get their basking lamps or you can just go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get a halogen flood lamp (it's a lot cheaper).
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Okay--so the Uro actually knows when he/she needs UVB and when he/she just wants plain old heat? Neat!

There are studies that indicate they might. At least panther chameleons seem to: link

It makes sense to me to allow them the choice if they might be able to make use of the different areas.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Sorry Torey, I missed your post when replying.

The study that I am referring to in my last post is a continuation of the work that you linked to.

"Okay--so the Uro actually knows when he/she needs UVB and when he/she just wants plain old heat? Neat!"

Actually, a study will be released sometime this year that demonstrates that some reptiles do appear to regulate basking in order to maintain D3 homeostasis.

This study supports the belief that in addition to a UVB basking spot, a basking spot without UVB should also be offered. The study demonstrates that providing a non-UVB basking source is especially important if supplementing with an oral D3 product.

Follow-up to my question:

I realize that a halogen flood lamp would produce heat, but no UVB. So, if I use one of these heat producing bulbs on one end of the enclosure and the 160 watt mega ray heat/UVB producing bulb at the other end, what are the recommendations in terms of wattage for the halogen flood lamp? Do they produce the same amount of heat watt-for-watt as the mega rays (i.e. does a 160 watt halogen flood lamp produce the same amount of heat as does a 160 watt mega ray UVB lamp)?

Im not sure how much heat (as far as basking temps) you get out of that wattage bulb - it also depends a lot on ambient room temps, etc etc.

However, the important thing is to provide multiple basking spots without overheating the whole tank. Unless you have a REALLY long tank - a basking spot at each end will leave your uro with no cool spots.

I would probably try putting both the basking spots on the same end of the tank - so a cool side is still available. Just make sure to montior your temps with a temp gun or digital thermometer...if you can achieve two basking spots and still have a cool zone then there is no harm. If you re finding that your tank is not large enough to allow for a cool zone then you are risking harm to your uro.

If you have a long enough tank you may be able to do a basking spot at one end, and one towards the middle, while still having a cool side. Or if they tank is wide enough you could have two basking spots side by side at one end. You would have to play with it, while carefully monitoring your temps to see if you could make it work.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
2.2 Leopard Geckos
1.0 Uromastyx (Mali)
1.1 Corn snakes
0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake
1.0 Rosy Boa
1.1 Green Anoles
1.1 House Geckos
0.0.2 Flying Geckos
0.0.1 Red Eye Tree Frog

The cage is 5 feet long, 16 inches high, so the lamps will be on the outside top of the cage.

I was planning on having one heat lamp at one end, one at the other end, and a fluorescent in the middle. Do you think my cage length of 5 feet will allow for a cool enough spot in the middle, or do you still think I should have a hot end, hot middle, and cool end?

Unfortunately, there's no way for us to give you a yes or no answer. There are simply too many factors - what style of cage, what it's made of, what substrate you use, your room temperature, other lights or heat-producing items in the cage, whether or not there are drafts, etc, etc. The only way to know is to try it and see. My guess would be that one on each end would NOT provide enough of a gradient.

Also, wattages between two different styles of lamps are not equivalent. Usually a halogen will produce more heat per watt than a UVB.

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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)