UVA/UVB FLourescents

[tHeGiNo]

I have been doing a lot of studying, and have noticed that some say you should use a uva/uvb light, yet some say it is unnecessary. What are your opinions? If not using one, what veggie can replace the vitamins gained through the light?

[Kyle Barker]

Those lights are mostly used for calcium absorbtion. When the animal is in the light, they produce vitamin D, wich is used to absorb calcium (the dairy companies put in our milk). You can buy vitamins that have calcium and D (usually D3). I would still recommend UV lighting and/or sunlight (when taking them outside their colours are amazing). Hope this helps.

Kyle

[eyespy]

There are some folks who have successfully raised beardies without UVB, using calcium with D3 supplements. But I'm not a believer in that. Nobody knows for sure how well beardies process dietary vitamin D. In some species, like iguanas, it's downright harmful and is a prime cause of liver disease. Most of the folks I know who raise their beardies without D3 are breeders who keep their adults under IV bulbs so there's no easy way for me to see how well the ones without UVB do longterm.

I'd rather pay my 17.99 per bulb every 6 months than risk liver disease myself. I use calcium without D3 6 days a week, but do give it with D3 one day a week just to round out any they may be lacking from living too far north to give sunlight regularly.

[eyespy]

oops, that's UV bulbs, not IV. That would be downright painful. ;)

[tHeGiNo]

LOL, alright thanks for the information. Is there a possibility of giving them too much calcium/vitamin d3

[damzookeeper]

dang! 17.99 for a uv. I wish I could pay that. lol, around my parts (near Ottawa, Ontario) I have a hard time finding one for $45.00. And lately I have been investing in Mercury bulbs as well. Ouch, nearly $100/bulb. I just hope they don't burn out in a couple months. :(

[eyespy]

Originally posted by tHeGiNo
LOL, alright thanks for the information. Is there a possibility of giving them too much calcium/vitamin d3

The possibility is slight. It's more of a balance thing. Beardies need calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium and some other trace minerals in order to make healthy bone tissue and use calcium effectively for muscle movement. If they are getting too little of the other things, they will end up with surplus calcium which can calcify internal organs. Or if they are fed too many oxalates (spinach, carrots, broccoli, etc.) it can bind calcium and again calcify internal organs or cause kidney stones. Both are rare in beardies.

Calcified internal organs are unfortunately NOT common, it's the leading cause of death in necropsies, but that is from obesity and/or too much animal protein, not an overabundance of calcium. Feeding a good salad daily and cutting back on feeder insects for adults is the best way to avoid this problem. Also, don't feed pinkies regularly! If you do, only feed breeding females one pinkie per breeding session at most.

If you are giving a nice varied salad, and using a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement at least twice monthly the odds are very small that your dragon will get too much calcium.

Nobody knows for sure in beardies whether there is such a thing as too much vitamin D. I wish somebody would do a study. I've suggested it to a few of my vet friends but they say they are too busy. :(

[eyespy]

Geez, again with the typos. Calcified organs are not UNcommon. Somewhere between one third to one half of beardies necropsied annually show calcified organs, also known as visceral gout.

[tHeGiNo]

Alright wonderful! You were very helpful and informative, thank you very much.