Bluey in a SE Qld petshop

[notechistiger]

Essentially, yes. Here's a good page on it if you'd like to read more.

Reptile Habitat Lighting: The Importance of UV Lighting for Reptiles

[shell477]

I just love it when somebody insults someone but then they are WRONG. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...

[notechistiger]

We all need warm and fuzzy at winter time!

[shell477]

notechistiger... out of curiosity, could you please explain your username for me

only if you want to though....

[notechistiger]

Of course. Tiger snakes are my favourite snakes (although I don't own them) and the genus for tiger snakes is Notechis. "Notechis" was taken, so I made it this instead.

[shell477]

Thanks that makes perfect sense!

To be perfectly honest, I've wondered for a while, every time I see a post from you it gets me wondering again: I thought I was a mashup of words or something, its certainly kept me thinking hahaha

Now I can finally be at peace...

[K3nny]

back on topic of UVA/UVB requirements, i noticed blue tongues i kept when exposed to natural sunlight seemed more active/displayed more, how do you put this, "natural tendencies/wild behaviour" i suppose? like say slightly agitated/dont touch me if you know whats good for you kinda thing, but this doesnt seem to be the case when artificial bulbs are in use.
or is it possibly because of the environment thing (i usually let them bask in the backyard, more stimuli?)

and on the requirements, there has been some claims they dont because of the scales supposedly relflect UV anyway? but then again i'd rather be safe than sorry, + they seem to like it

[moussaka]

This reminds me of the other week, when we were at a camping store, and they had a beardie displayed. I was appalled, there was no UV (and we know that beardies need it!) and only a very dim heat light at the very top of the very tall enclosure. The water was also filthy, and the poor lizard just looked miserable.

[StimiLove]

I feed him pellets, dog food and vegetables that I dust with powder, I had assumed this would've been providing the nutrition?

dog food should be limited as it can damage the liver and kidneys. Mine only wants to eat dog food so i have to rashion him to once a month. In order for that calcium powder you dust with to be absorbed into its little body, it needs UVA/UVB. UVB help absorbe the calcium (when combined with heat) and the UVA pramotes natural and healthy behavour. Combined, your lizard will eat better, bask more and absorbe all his calcium from his food. And poo more
My shingleback LOVES the canned crix and grasshoppers. He also goes nuts over canned silkworms. I hear silkworms are excellent for their health.

[crocodile_dan]

Might give them a run on the lawn out the front when they get a bit older I think.

Juvenile animals require a greater amount of attention to calcium and vitamin D intake as they are developing at a greater rate (growing) they require provisions that will assist them in healthy bone development. As such it is more important to provide access to natural sunlight (or artificial UV) to developing juveniles (and post lay females), instead of waiting until they are older.

So, just getting it straight in my head...... they need heat (as in warmth not neccessarily anything to do with light) for digestion and metabolism...... and uva & uvb for bone strength and general health and well being? Does that sort of sum it up in simple terms?

I'm just being overly picky (I'm not trying to correct you just provide further detail as you seem to want a deeper understanding) but Bluetongue1 touched on this in his post about diurnal lizards basking and therefore preference is given to overhead heat sources. Some lizard species (including beardies and blueys) have a parietal eye which is a photosensitive organ on the top of their head, which is primarily utilized in the lizards thermoregulatory patterns. The "third eye" can distinguish light and dark, which is why not only an overhead heat source is preferred but one that emits both heat and light so that the lizard's "third eye" is stimulated during thermoregulation. Underneath heat sources like heat rocks/mats whilst the lizard still possesses sensory receptors (it can feel) on the underside of it's body the parietal eye is not experiencing any stimulus so the lizard often isn't receiving all the relevant information necessary to thermoregulate optimally.

[richardsc]

haha,u guys have to much faith in uv lights,they arent miracle lights,wont prevent mbd in a reptile fed a poor diet,dietry intake is of way more importance than even the best of the uv producing lights,no harm in using them,but no need to use them either,alot of
folk who use them have them to far away from the ground dwelling skinks to be of benefit anyways,lol

they dont need uv lighting,feed them right and they do just as well,someonementioned whole food diets for monitors and pythons means they dont need uv lighting,not all monitors devour adult rodents and birds,and on that thinking,do nocturnul geckoes eat adult rodents,birds ect,how the heck do they survive with out uv

to easy to blame lack of uv light as a cause of reptiles doing poorly due to other errors in husbandry,thats the easy way out

oh,hmmmm,i have a few skinks in there 20,s,that have devoured mostly dogfood there whole lives,they are in great shape and producing healthy babies pretty much annually,as are there babies that have grown into adults

i must have miracle lizards,as no uv lighting and the feeding of dogfood is classed as cruelty

seriously people,if u havnt tried it your self over many years,dont write it off

[LizardLady]

Blueys don't need UV.
Heat Rocks are bad though.
At least a basking lamp would have been good.

Umm, I beg to differ here Dihsmaj - Blue-Tongues are a DIURNAL animal... Diurnal animals NEED the UVA/B to convert the calcium in their diet to Vitamin D3....

Not that I mean to hijack your thread CR...

But would UV provided through the sun shining through a window into the room provide enough, if any?

Just curious.

In a word, no! Glass, plastic filters etc will prevent the necessary beneficial UVA/B reaching the captive animal inside...

[Ramsayi]

haha,u guys have to much faith in uv lights,they arent miracle lights,wont prevent mbd in a reptile fed a poor diet,dietry intake is of way more importance than even the best of the uv producing lights,no harm in using them,but no need to use them either,alot of
folk who use them have them to far away from the ground dwelling skinks to be of benefit anyways,lol

they dont need uv lighting,feed them right and they do just as well,someonementioned whole food diets for monitors and pythons means they dont need uv lighting,not all monitors devour adult rodents and birds,and on that thinking,do nocturnul geckoes eat adult rodents,birds ect,how the heck do they survive with out uv

to easy to blame lack of uv light as a cause of reptiles doing poorly due to other errors in husbandry,thats the easy way out

oh,hmmmm,i have a few skinks in there 20,s,that have devoured mostly dogfood there whole lives,they are in great shape and producing healthy babies pretty much annually,as are there babies that have grown into adults

i must have miracle lizards,as no uv lighting and the feeding of dogfood is classed as cruelty

seriously people,if u havnt tried it your self over many years,dont write it off

This x 100.If dietary needs are met along with correct heating then it is not needed.They do however provide a bit of insurance if the animals needs aren't being quite met.Don't forget some of us were keeping healthy reptiles long before there was any UV products available.

[Defective]

i have reported an adelaide petshop before for having a baby beardie that didn't have UV or a basking light....i'm great mates with adelaide fauna unit employees now and they do plain clothes inspections on the shop to make sure they are keeping within the standards....you can notify DERM and if they've had other complaints about the same shop then it will be enough to do an inspection....

[notechistiger]

Diurnal animals NEED the UVA/B to convert the calcium in their diet to Vitamin D3....

Except they don't. I wish people would learn this. Newbies are recommended to use a UV light because the odds of them giving their lizards correct parameters everywhere else isn't very high. I think people should understand why they do things the way they do, instead of just following a guideline and be done with it.