no uvb, D3 supliments?

[Solid Snake]

I droped my light bulb and it broke :( i dont want to spend another 30$ on it and i was wondering are those vitamine suppliments better to use then UVB lighting? Since those suppliments have D3 in it.

[bob_thesnowman]

hmm...good question,to tell you the truth i am not 100% positive,but i have heard that the d3 in the calcium powder is practically useless...but you'd better let someone else help you with this one..

[V.hb]

Depends on what animal its for?


Some need that light to actually digest the vitamin supp's. An iguana needs both supps and lighting. No matter what, i would be using supplements on any insect or veggie fed.

[Solid Snake]

oh sorry, its for my Savannah Monitor

[eyespy]

Some animals get very sick from overdoses of vitamin D3, green iguanas sometimes need parts of their livers surgically removed to keep the buildup from poisoning them. In the long run the bulbs tend to be cheaper than dealing with hypervitaminosis D. I don't give D3 at all to herbivores such as green igs, they don't have the biochemistry to process dietary sources of the fat-soluble vitamins, they are geared to make their own from sunlight. Omnivores and carnivores are better equipped to handle supplements but if your animal is an herbivore it really shouldn't have much if any D3 through supplements.

[Solid Snake]

so u think i should use it?

[eyespy]

There's some debate as to whether savs even need UVB. They can get plenty of vitamin D from eating the livers of animals that make vitamin D. So if your sav is eating whole rodents or birds you might be able to get away without specialty bulbs and just weekly D3 supplements. But some folks think that juvenile savs absolutely do need UVB since they are still mostly on bugs and pinkies which are poor vitamin D sources. If the "experts" can't agree I'm not about to hazard a guess.

[V.hb]

Dont bother, ive never used any special lighting on any of my varanids and they all grow extremely fast. good luck.

[Solid Snake]

so are you saying my Sav doesn't need the supp's either??

[Brock]

I'd say they need the light more than the supplement.

Here's what you should do (I hate spending money too), take him outside once or twice a week for at least half an hour. He will get all the sun he needs. If you live in a cold spot, have a window open and make sure the sun comes through the screen, not the window.

-Brock

[Solid Snake]

Originally posted by Brock
If you live in a cold spot, have a window open and make sure the sun comes through the screen, not the window.

-Brock

lol if i open the window and i live in a cold spot (canada) that would freeze my herps up...

[Tim and Julie B]

Be responsible and buy a new light. Not to sound mean, but if you care about your reptile you must be considerate of its needs. Besides, $30 worth of vitamins for a Sav will last about 4 months, a $30 light is going to last between 6 and 8 months. What's the better choice? Just giving you something to consider, no ill intent meant.:D
JB

[Solid Snake]

well i didn't know how they were compaired to the light, thats why i asked. If i knew, obviously i would get it and not ask about the suppliments.

not because im new means i don't care about my sav's health, i care plenty.

[Tim and Julie B]

Okay:
I made it very clear that I had NO intent in putting you down. I also NEVER said you didn't care, nor did I imply that your "newness" was an issue, in fact that never matters. What I did intend was for you to have a comparison on the cost in the long run. I was HELPING. That's what this> :D is for. To let others know what you are feeling while they cannot see you in person.

Julie

[ReptiZone]

a special light is not even neede for savs..Well that is what my impresions were and I ask alot of ppl if I would need lights for varaninds in general. And they all said no. And I dont powder my monitors food. I just feed full prey items and I also feed well fed crikets.

I might be wrong but is a light realy That important for varanids if so tell me now I will get it all set up for my nile but I dont think it is such a big deal. maby I am wrong thinking that way but I did ask some of the best and they all said that they just use flood bulbs or any kind of linght as long as it is hot enugh so the animal has the right temps for basking.

[V.hb]

All you need for a savannah iam assuming its a juvinile are the following:
A suitable sized tank, that will hold 6-10 inches of earth (this is for a juvi, definatly need more for an adult)
Lots of hide spots
a 5$ lamp from a hardware store.. Wattage varies on size of the enclosure.. You want to achieve an ambient of 85 degrees, a cool end of about 78 and a hot spot of around 125 for a juvi.
Insects : Crickets, mealworms, superworms, roaches, snails everything you can think of.. All of these need to be dusted with the proper calcium.

The UV lights do not rule out the powdered supplements. Just because you have a light does not mean you dont have to supplement. Savs DO need to have their diet supplemented while young, or at the very least their prey should be gutloaded. Once they hit adult size and can take small rats, adult mice etc their diet is rich enough that you no longer need to use supplements, unless of course you plan on breeding and then it may be nessecary.. Hope this helps