UV True or False????

[Morelia_Hunter]

Most diurnal lizards need UVa and UVb. These are 2 different types of wavelenghts. UVb is the one they need for vitamin D3 synthesis. They also need UVa to a certain extent. A little rusty on the topic as Australian reptiles are pretty easy to maintain. I have been using various forms of UV lighting for many ears and find the mercury vapour lamps available on the market especially good. I have also used basic spot globes in conjunction with various forms of reptile fluorescent tubes. For close range I find the compact fluoro globes like the Reptisun 10.0 in conjunction with spot globes to have great results with most dragon lizards. Their use is limited as their light intensity is not that great. There is lots of conflicting information about the need for UV light in monitor lizards. I have personally seen many monitor lizards with metabolic bone disease. So this is just my opinion. There is actually a UV meter form Zoo Med that has been released quite recently and I think you can actually obtain it by special order. Its pricey though but would give you a good indication of the UV levels of the light used in your cage!

 

[herptrader]

You have got to wonder about these so called "experts".

There are however a couple of Australian python species that are thought top benifit from UV. There are a number of very experienced breeders of Diamond pythons who swear that UV is the determining factor in avoiding Diamond Python Syndrome. UV is also considered helpful by some in bringing out the vibrancy of colour in species like the Jungle Carpets.

For all other species of Australian Pythons I would consider the addition of UV, while unlikely to be damaging, to be a complete waste of time and money.

We were told by several reptile selling pet stores that UV's were definitely necessary for pythons.

Apparently CALM taught them that- according to the girl at one of the stores. They put UV lights on all their pythons in the store, when I pointed out it was unnecessary she said 'Well I don't know about you, but I'd rather pay the money than risk my snakes life, and besides did the person who told you that do the CALM course for snake care?'. I just looked at her and walked out.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Of course the pet stores will tell you snakes need UV - they are much more interested in emptying your pockets of spare cash than advising you correctly about the needs of your pets, and if they can sell an extra 150-200 bucks worth of gear to some unsuspecting dude they will. Not all, but most... CALM has let a large number of shonky operaters into the system in WA, and certainly lacks herp technical expertise itself. Ripping off a naive section of the public has become a sport in WA, especially in the southern suburbs. One reason why I left WA, and why I think the way things are here in NSW is far better without "commercial" dealing (pet shops). That is because many of the purchases made by novices are from breeders who can provide all the necessary info on their animals and their care, unlike WA where you are forced to go to a dealer (breeders can't sell their progeny unless CALM pockets $1000 from them for a "farmer's licence", and it is illegal for a keeper to breed more than one clutch of anything - go figure that when we were trying to get as much captive bred stuff into the system!)

 

[solitarydiver]

Okay thank you for the input so far I am reading up other publications and still learning I guess the easiest way to be sure is to put the littlens out in the sun for a while ...

 

[Duke_jensen]

Okay thank you for the input so far I am reading up other publications and still learning I guess the easiest way to be sure is to put the littlens out in the sun for a while ...

that's waht I tell all my customers and I own one of those pet stores that

are much more interested in emptying your pockets of spare cash than advising you correctly about the needs of your pets

only joking pythoninfinite, I like to think I give the best advise I can to my customers, as I was a herper first then a pet shop owner.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Hey Duke, no worries - there are some good guys out there (and you're obviously one of them!)
I've been a herper for 40-odd years, and was a dealer in WA for the first couple of years of the system over there ( I and a group of friends were the prime-movers for CALM to allow keeping in WA) but it's become a dogs breakfast over there now, greed on the part of CALM and the dealers has spoiled it really. CALM is still basically hostile to those who want to keep reptiles, and regards them as little more than criminals waiting to be caught, and as a consequence CALM fees are astronomical and bear no relationship to the miserable "expertise" they input into the system. They have allowed dealers to become takers so that any losses of the wild caught animals (the principal critters on the market over there) by these dealer/takers are just replaced from the wild with nothing recorded to indicate the initial loss. Just one example from the shambles that exists over there. You can't breed and dispose of more than one clutch of ANYTHING as a keeper, without paying CALM an exhorbitant $1000 for a "farmers licence", that is, if a kid hatches a couple of clutches of beardies, maybe 10 animals all-up, theoretically he can GIVE them to a dealer for no money, and the dealer laughs all the way to the bank, or he can pay CALM $1000 and sell them for the going rate, maybe $300 all up. Beats me... But CALM can't see the abject stupidity of this...

 

[Duke_jensen]

sounds like a joke to me. to much greed involved.

 

[JasonL]

I keep and breed many types of lizards with a interest in geckos and inland beardies. Since reading paper done by the Alice Springs Desert Park for the C.A.R.A. Conference at Sydneys Reptile Expo. I have not given any of my lizard's any UV what so ever. The park tested all various types and brands of bulbs with very interesting results. No bulb on the market was even close to what the sun produced. There were a few suprises with dicroic's producing heaps of UVA but no UVB at all, and black fluro's producing much more UV than any "reptile $$$ ones", but none came close to natural sun light. So I decided to raise two beardies in a full glass tank with a Coles brand light globe and a normal fluro outside the glass - they thrived and are now adults, since then no beardies have it and have had no problems, bred 160 odd this year with no problems, raising another nine from this season with no problems. I personally think it is a lack of heat and poor amounts / variety of food to animals that grow fast that causes the problems. I dont use any type of powders on their food but they are all kept very warm (day only) and are fed at least once a day with a variety of bugs and plants and sometimes mice ( but not all eat these). As I have stated: None of my animals have had any problems. If anyone wants a copy of the paper's, PM me a fax No. and I will send you one.

 

[AntaresiaLady]

Pythoninfinite, I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[crackers]

i use uv for the lizard cages to be on the safe side
our pythons dont have any but they get regular excursions outside
i dont let em crawl around on the ground anymore as my black head picked up two tics somewere along the line a while back (could have been through the substrate though)

 

[hugsta]

Here are some results from UVB testing on a variety of globes that NCHERPS and myself did not long ago. It was done with a proper UVB tester, perhaps Neil can put up the brand as I can't remember, but it is the same as the one being used by Dr Peter Harlow at Taronga Zoo and several other people now.

OZBRIGHT 100W - (8 mnths old)
1350UVB @ 25mm
60UVB @ 50mm
54UVB @ 70mm
40UVB @ 100mm
17UVB @ 200mm
10UVB @ 300mm
6UVB @ 400mm

SYLVANIA REPTISTAR 2ft 18w - (Over 4yrs old)
73UVB @ 50mm
38 UVB @ 100mm
22 UVB @ 150mm
15UVB @ 200mm
9 @ 300mm
6 @ 400mm

NEC 6700k tri-phosphor combined with a NEC T10 blacklite (6 mnths old)
72UVB @ 50mm
37 @ 100mm
19 @ 200mm
14 @ 250mm
11 @ 300mm

As you can see from the results, unless your animals can get closer than 50mm, the results are pretty much the same. Only when you are extremely close does the ozbright really make a huge difference. I use the ozbright on my ackies and is only a few inches of the sand with a hotspot around the 55degree mark. At this level they get plenty of UVB.

Anyway, I hope these results can give you some idea of outputs.

Daz