Raising beardies without UV?

[Macca]

These downlights, without the cover, can actually produce significant UV-B. In fact it is close to equivalent to many of the commercially available reptile globes. Many of the zoos in the US actually use these as a source of UV-B for their reptiles. Your Beardies Swampie, would be receiving adequate UVB.

Just the downlights Swampie, no UV?



That's really interesting.

 

[Tristis]

reptiles needing uv is a myth

 

[dragon lady]

JasonL.... i agree totally with the feeding as the base of husbandry problems...

i know people who turned lights on with the sun & off at 10:30pm..... they didnt understand the photo period of animals... still trying to give another feed to hatchies before lights off & blamed the the poor health of the reptile on the breeder!

its basic common sense

mine have always eaten well ... from day olds to adults..... not including rescues!

 

[bigpython]

Would sun light coming through a window of a sunroom be ok if working hrs didn't allow time to take beardies out side.

 

[tarzan]

Hi Miss be i have kept beardies with no exposure to uv light in fact i read an article some time back from a bulb manufacturer that it is not possible for fluero lights to produce that light spectrum (uva and uvb) thought that was interesting pet shops make a living out of riping us herpers off.
since then there has been many fluro lights claiming to produce uv maybe technology has moved forwards i wished i could link you to the article it was some time ago as is mentioned. i also use downlights with a hot spot of 50 deg c this is where they spend most of there day. As with humans uva and uvb are absorbrd by the body to produce vitiman D i use multi vitamins and pure vtamin D when feeding my guys. 5 years keeping no ill affects.I am happy to hear any comments about the topic of fluro's producing uva and uvb have spoken to many electricians and some eletrical engineers on this topic and they tended to agree.

 

[Miss B]

Interesting, tarzan. In what form do you provide the pure vitamin D?

 

[cris]

I volunteered at Taronga Zoo in the early nineties when they had recently acquired some fijian banded and crested iguanas. They kept them in quite large and airy indoor enclosures under UV lights and despite their best efforts they could not stimulate any courtship or mating activity. One morning the lizards were place in outdoor sunning cages and within a few minutes the males began displaying courting behaviour and I can't recall but i think this was the beginning of a successful breeding programme. It seems that there really is nothing a lizard likes more than fresh air and sunlight.

IMO it is the air more so than anything it makes a very noticeable differance with larger active lizards. The sun also allows proper basking temperatures which would often not be provided in zoos(from what i have seen).

Its fairly simple just put yourself i a crappy poor ventialted enclosure and you will feel like crap and may even yak.

It would be interesting to see someone do a study on the UV topic.

I have also raised dragons without any effective UV without any problems(all live outside as adults).

 

[meshe1969]

Would sun light coming through a window of a sunroom be ok if working hrs didn't allow time to take beardies out side.

U.V doesn't pass through the glass and you will have no control over the temperature.

 

[hornet]

i have heard of problems with people dusting with calcium when the herps dont get enough UV and having problems with calcium overdose. Jason, do you dust with calcium?

 

[JasonL]

no, not really, maybe every now and then for gravid girls, I haven't heard of any problems though, what were the symptoms of calcium overdose?

 

[hornet]

not sure but i have heard if they get too much calcium and not enough UV it can affect them

 

[JasonL]

mmm, I would doubt that, sounds like a rumor? I don't think there would be a link between the UV and calcium overdose, might just have been a calcium overdose to start with. I have never heard or seen first hand a dragon with a calcium overdose, I'm sure it could happen, esp when using Sandose ect, but it would be hard to confirm anyway, I think it would probably cause renal failure?

 

[hornet]

Cheers, also last year i have a tawny dragon juvie die, shortly after the uv tube past its use by date it got the paralasis in the rear legs and then degraded and died, any ideas on how to prevent that without using uv?

 

[GraftonChic]

Can I ask whats the optimum time to turn on Beardie lights and turn them off again for their benefit?

 

[JasonL]

Cheers, also last year i have a tawny dragon juvie die, shortly after the uv tube past its use by date it got the paralasis in the rear legs and then degraded and died, any ideas on how to prevent that without using uv?

Was it a male, being kept with a female?

 

[JasonL]

O' sorry, Juvie..... how old was it?

 

[hornet]

about 9 months old

 

[JasonL]

mmm odd, I have never had it happen at that age, was it eating really well, and you sure it wasn't impacted? I would have been putting it in the sun and giving it some Sandose at first sign of any rear leg weakness though. How long did you have them before the problem?

 

[hornet]

9 months, i bred them, its the only one i lost apart from a few hatchies from incubation problems. I keep them on sand so possibly its ingested sand?

 

[JasonL]

Was it eating well, like really well, as things like sand in their guts, or stress from other dragons may be enough to stop them from eating as well as they should, causing calcium problems as the heat keeps driving their metabolisms hard. If it wasn't eating well a while before it died, I would be looking at these.