Quote:
Originally Posted by Roman
Insectivore lizards on the other hand need an outside source for vitamin D3, because insects don’t contain enough D3 to provide an adequate source. So in order to provide enough vitamin D3 you have to either supplement the feeder insects with some multivitamin powder or provide a source of UV-B light so that the monitor can build enough D3.
I found some statement in my literature that it might be enough to just add the supplementation without UV-B, but they also stated that it might be tricky to get the right amount without under-supplying the monitor or to poison it with an overdose. So the general recommendation is to use UV-B lighting as one light-, heat- and UV-B-source.
There is no obvious need to provide UV-B light for most snakes (with the exception of the Diamond pythons Shaun mentioned.
Roman
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Hi, there are no Varanid species that are strictly insectivorous as far as I know (either in the wild or captivity), so I`m not sure which species you feel actually need supplementary UVB to remain healthy in captivity?
There is now overwhelming evidence that fully supported captive Varanids do NOT need exposure to real or artificial UVB in order to remain in good health, long lived and productive.
My own thoughts are that Varanids in the wild may benefit from UVB exposure more especially during the harsher periods when food may perhaps be in relatively short supply (so the ability to absorb the UVB rays is a sort of "back up" system).
I`m not sure that Diamond and Carpet snakes actually require UVB to remain healthy either (though there`s absolutely no harm in providing it), as they certainly do bask in unfiltered natural sunlight in the wild (personal experience).
In that respect, I don`t quite understand why the other member (Shaun) only uses a 2-0 UVB tube for this subspecies (I`m not suggesting a 2-0 is harmful at all).
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