D3 Question

[KidBluey]

I'll be getting my new BTS next month so I figured I should go ahead and get everything I will need. I got down most of the material items I will need (food and water bowls, aspen, hides, etc) but I am stuck when it comes to lighting and D3. I really don't want to supplement my skinks' diet with D3 and I'd much rather use fluorescent tube lights or a MVB bulb. I really fear Metabolic Bone Disease and I know it can be avoided if you provide a good varied diet with some D3 supplements but I want to be on the safe side and just use a UV Bulb. Here are my questions:

1. Which UV Bulb should I get for my BTS? Reptisun 5.0 or Reptisun 10.0? These are the two best fluorescent lights on the market for reptiles but I'm not sure which to use. It seems like if I use the 5.0, my skink may not be getting enough D3 and with the 10.0, it could be getting too much D3.

2. Does the Reptisun lights have to span the entire length of the enclosure like with bearded dragons? My enclosure will be a 36x18 exo terra terrarium. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get the 48x24 enclosure right away.

[MissMeg]

I use a Mercury Vapor bullb. I belive it calld sunglo. I cant rember which brand It is though. IT comes in a black box and is the proffesional series.
I prefure these because they give off uva, uvb and heat. And the nice thing about them, is once the uv dies off, so does the light. That way you dont have to worry about weather or not the light still has uv in it.
I find that Ruckus usally layes under his heat light, but once or so a day hell move over to his MVB and bask there for an hour or so. I dont know if he knows thats where the uv is or not, but it seems like he know.
This is just my opinion. Other people will have better info on the other lights (I dont use them so I dont know much about them lol)

[Bird_Brain]

And the nice thing about them, is once the uv dies off, so does the light. That way you dont have to worry about weather or not the light still has uv in it.

Can you please cite that information? I thought the amount of UV a mercury vapor bulb puts out will gradually decrease with age, just like fluorescent bulbs. Atleast that is what I understood when reading up on them. So MV, just like fluorescents need to be replaced every so often even if they are still producing light.

[Bird_Brain]

IMO, i feel that using fluorescent bulbs for UV, you might as well just be throwing away your money. The evidence I have seen pretty much shows they are an inadequate source of UV.

www.reptileuv.com and www.reptileuvinfo.com are great sources of information.

[dsteamn]

I use the spot feature basking lights. It directs the heat to a more specific area rather than eminating it throughout your tank. Also, you don't want your heat light to be everywhere. They need to have a warmer and cooler side so they can regulate their body temperature as they need to. I keep my warmer side around 95 and my cooler side @ 75 degrees.

[MissMeg]

And the nice thing about them, is once the uv dies off, so does the light. That way you dont have to worry about weather or not the light still has uv in it.

Can you please cite that information? I thought the amount of UV a mercury vapor bulb puts out will gradually decrease with age, just like fluorescent bulbs. Atleast that is what I understood when reading up on them. So MV, just like fluorescents need to be replaced every so often even if they are still producing light.

Ill have to find the info. In my past experiences with them, all of them, they have died on me anywhere from 6 months to 8 months. I know that You have to replace your Uv lights ever 6 - 12 months because of the UV dying off. But ill try to find the info for you.

[MissMeg]

"UVB radiation has always been the safest, most effective way to ensure proper levels of vitamin D3 in captive reptiles and the PowerSun UV will continue to emit significant levels of UVB for all of its 10,000-hour average life (over 2 years with normal use.)"

http://www.petsandponds.com/en/reptile- ... index.html

This isnt exact what I said, but I made a mistake. What I should have said was that the UV lasts until the light dies..

I also dont use this light., But I use the Exo terra solar glo Professional series.

Most lights I find dont last the two years, but It all depends on how people use them. Meaning, some people dont hang them completely verical, some people touch the bulb, or turn it upside down, ect. Sometimes even the light got moved around too much at the pet store. weve had to return many lights because they eithor didnt work, or they exploded on us when we put it in the light fixture (outside of the cage ofcourse).

I will continue to use these lights until they eithor make something better, or stop making them anymore lol

**Edit - this isnt where I got my info originaly. I cant find where I found it before, on a forum somewhere