UV Light

[kalo1993]

Is UV Light necessary for lizards or is it simply a gimmick?
Most BTS breeders i have seen don't use it and have nice healthy animals.
Is there any evidence that supports that UV light is an absolute necessity for some species?

 

[dragonlover1]

it is for strong bones in bearded dragons etc.I've seen what MBD can do.
UV is said not to be needed by animals that eat whole prey ( e.g. snakes eat mice ) so if BTS eats snails may be it gets all that's necessary .
Personally I think any diurnal creature needs some UV,nocturnal creatures are a mystery to me

 

[kalo1993]

Is it not possible that the MBD was caused by a poor diet and/or husbandry issues or another underlying problem such as genetics and lack of UV played no part whatsoever?

 

[dragonlover1]

No. UV research is well documented and can be found in many publications,it is not just found in pet shops trying to empty your wallet

 

[pinefamily]

100% agree with Dragonlover1. All dragons need UV if kept indoors. There has been a lot of discussion about blueys, whether they need it or not. Having never kept them, I can't comment.
Monitors don't "need" UV, but it doesn't hurt, especially with the smaller species which don't eat whole prey.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Re skinks, not an expert, but my observation of skinks I see in my yard and when I am in their habitat and observing them elsewhere is that many species of skink (including bluetongues) will spend some time basking in the morning and the afternoon, while they may just be warming up, I think that are also trying to soak up some UV(B). So
I provide UVB for my pet captive breed skinks, in my case from UVB150 compacts.

Best compromise IMO is to provide the UVB in one area of the enclosure, if the skink needs the UVB it will go to where the UVB is the most intense and will leave when it's had enough.

No harm in providing UVB for the skinks, and most likely very beneficial for their health.

 

[kalo1993]

I agree that it should probably be used for most dragons but i think there has been enough keeping and breeding of BTS without UV to prove that its not a necessity for them.
Monitor lizards spend plenty of time basking in the sun yet don't require UV in captivity, if the reason for this is a good diet then cant this same rule be applied to other lizards?

 

[pinefamily]

It is what the monitors eat. Larger monitors eat, or should be fed in captivity, whole prey items such as mice or rats. We feed our Mertens' and flavi's a diet of rats and chicken necks. The smaller monitors probably should have UV, as their diet is largely still insectivorous. Even with calcium and multivitamin supplements, they, and dragons, need UV to avoid MBD. Smaller skinks may fall into this category too, but I am not familiar enough with their care.
As you rightly say, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that blueys do not need UV, but it is not going to harm them IMO. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that they survive on dog food too, but that is something I would not recommend.

 

[Wallo]

I have Pink Tongues and in my experience they do need UV - I have one Pink Tongue that didnt get UV in her early development and has Bone and growth issues in the hind legs and the animals which had the opportunity of UV exposure are perfect
I know it is a very small sample size but from my experiences I always UV with them

 

[Bluetongue1]

UVB is used to make vitamin D (from a chemical found in the skin). Vitamin D is needed by vertebrates to absorb calcium from the gut and to make use of it in the body, such as building bones and regulating nerve impulses. Without vitamin D animals cannot absorb (let alone use) calcium from their diet, no matter how much might be given to them. So they develop the same health issues (such as MBD) as an animal without calcium in its diet.

Vitamin D is fat/oil soluble and in vertebrates is stored mainly in their liver but also in other fat storing organs, with very little in muscle tissue. Many reptile groups that eat whole vertebrates are able to absorb and make use of vitamin D in the offal. That’s why feeding monitors only minced meat with calcium added, or chicken legs, can still result in MBD where UVB is not provided. Vitamin D is known to occur in varying amounts in a range of invertebrates (as D[SUB]2[/SUB]), especially land snails, shrimp and certain spiders. Pet food for dogs is usually fortified with vitamin D.

It is often advised to provide young blueys with some UVB while their bones are in active growth, while older animals seem to get by well without it – probably diet related. If the young are fed an appropriate diet (which probably includes vitamin supplements) then it would seem that they can do without UVB.