I'm looking for a UVB BULB for my tegu. Anyone know of a bulb that contains uvb, or if not, of any florescent light that is under 15 buck (like a really smaller sized one, all the ones I see are way too long) Also, has anyone seen a Nighttime light source with UVB in it?
no UVB is 15 or under. you can get the compact Repti-Sun UVB lights but they are like 40. and there is no nighttime UVB light.
a replacement would be natural sunlight and dust the prey items with calcium until you get the UVB lights
[[If under active UVB heat lights, research has found they do not need supplement, but we still dust with calcium once a week and with vitamins once a week also 3-4 days apart. We have had blood test and found that the calcium and phosphorus levels are perfect with this routine. If not in natural light or Active UVB, then they need to be under another UVB source and they need to have their crickets dusted with calcium a minimum of 3 times a week and vitamins once a week. As they grow older you can lower this amount to twice a week for the calcium and every other week for the vitamins, until they are adults, then we dust once a week with calcium and every other week with vitamins in place of one of the calcium dustings either on their crickets or salads.]] So this is saying that calcium w/D3 is sufficient enough w/out the use of uvB and if you give it you don't need uvB, and viceversa...?
pretty much that what everyone states for any Diurnal herp. dirunal herps use the sun to get UVB in order to convert food into calcium. if you supplement the food with calcium then there is no need for the UVB.
That's what I thought, I've never had a problem with any of my animals from not having uvB and just calcium. People make it seem like it's a life or death situation if you don't have it.
for herbivorious animals it is, because it is harder for them to break down the calcium supplements, but for carnivorous animals its fine.
yeah, that's what I meant, from what everyone says about monitors/tegus (esp tegus). Like if you have an iguana and your feeding it primarily greens, it's a necessity in that case. But I didn't know why, I thought it just had something to do with them being able to break down the ruffage (lettuce etc) easier, I didn't know it was because it's harder for them to break down the calcium That's cool, I learned somethin knew. Do you know why that is? Is it something to do with just the way their stomachs are designed or something?
it is because of the enzymes in their digestive juices. like monitors get all of the calcium straight from the animals they eat, because their hides are too tough for UVB to penetrate. i do not know if tegu hides are the same, but they are pretty tough too and have the same strong digestive enzymes as monitors do
http://www.reptilerooms.com/index.php?name...t=uvb+necessary here is a post i made on this earlier... I'd recomend a little more thought and research before assuming your animals are fine without it, looks can be decieving. DOnt skimp out on it just because its expensive, its proven to work so why not provide it... I dont like to spend all tha money but I didnt have to buy my animals so It's really my responsibility. What you do with your animals is your business but keep there best interests in mind. I got my reptisun 5.0 for 15 bucks of http://www.petguys.com/reptile-stuff-light...cent-bulbs.html they had repti glo 8.0 for 12 bucks.
So this is saying that calcium w/D3 is sufficient enough w/out the use of uvB and if you give it you don't need uvB, and viceversa...? It is completely false that diurnal herps don't need UVB, even if dusted with a calcium supplement. The UVB is vital to allow the animal to absorb the calcium into their blood stream. Like nomad said, their are some cheap herp bulbs out there if you do some research. The best bulbs are either the repti glo 8.0 or repti sun 5.0, and the prices are reasonable. There are good books out there that describe the necessity for UVB. While some have been successful without, there is by far more information stressing the importance of full spectrum lighting. Good Luck. Morgan
but animals such as monitors and tegus have strong enough enzymes in their digestive systems to break down bones and convert them to calcium. a green iguana is completely different from an Arg B&W. i also read in your first post on that thread, that Robyn had told you the same thing we are stating here. then what CheriS is talking about are herbivorious reptiles, again we are talking an omnivorous reptile here. all the calcium it needs will be gotten when it breaks down the rodent. if you look up i said that herbivorious reptiles do need the uvb light but carnivorous do not
i was referring to the comment ryzard made "I wonder if I should even bother getting a uvb source at all". And I agree that monitors and tegus seem to do fine without UVB compared to iguanas, but whos to say they wont do better without it. They get it in nature so I think its a good idea to provide it in captivity.
There is still some debate about UVB and its role in metabolizing calcium but most "experts" agree that it probably does play a role in the health of heliothermic reptiles. UVB is essential for the synthesis of vitamin D3 which is an essential nutrient for metabolizing calcium. Without vitamin D3, all the calcium in the world isn't going to help your lizard. Thickness of the skin on a reptile is not a determining factor in its UVB requirement. Most lizards have a scaly tough skin more for protection against a harsh environment and to also conserve body moisture. UVB is a high energy wavelength of light that can penetrate deeper than the surface. Not as strong as gamma or x-rays but still considered dangerous if overexposed (can alter DNA and cause skin cancer). Of course the miniscule doses provided by artificial sources are nowhere near the intensity of direct sunlight. Not only does UVB affect D3 production, UVB and UVA also affect seasonal hormonal balances that regulate breeding activity and appetite. I use the UVB-ActiveHEAT self-ballasted mercury vapor bulbs. Unlike the Repti-Sun and other flourescents, they provide both UVB and heat all from one source. No need for a separate basking light and UVB. The bulb will cost between 35-50 bucks each, but considering that it will replace two lights and will last a year, it is not a bad value. George
I like the mega ray eb- at www.reptileuv.com its 75 buck but replacement bulbs are 39 once a year and they have far superior output as compared to other mercury vapor bulbs and they do not produce much heat. I like keeping the basking and UVB areas seperate, so the animals can pick when they want uvb, they arent in all day in the wild.. My iguana goes to the basking spot after it eats and lounges in the uvb area when hes chillin
