The UVB Varanid debate !

[mdfmonitor]

Not keen on cfl bulbs, had a day light one set high in the roof of an old cage & the heat damaged the casing!! fell apart, also i've had at least 3 mercury vapours go ping because they couldn't hack the humidity.

There's some heat generated when you start putting a number of bulbs together, that's why you need a sealed viv it creates it's own exchange of air from hot to cooler temps, which reduces you humidity around the basking bulbs.

As for vitd, i was always told give them 130f plus (depending on size) & this will allow them to digest the food & process the vit d, you can control the vitd using uvb light but you still need high basking spot floods to digest the food.

When the monitor starts getting larger you need some bulbs & wattage to cover snout to vent, ad in other lights your just upping the burn off of humidity.

160f is a good basking spot flood to aim for & if Krusty & Frank & other long term keepers say you don't need it but use it if you want to,that will do me!!

[formica]

Originally Posted by mdfmonitor

Not keen on cfl bulbs, had a day light one set high in the roof of an old cage & the heat damaged the casing!! fell apart, also i've had at least 3 mercury vapours go ping because they couldn't hack the humidity.

There's some heat generated when you start putting a number of bulbs together, that's why you need a sealed viv it creates it's own exchange of air from hot to cooler temps, which reduces you humidity around the basking bulbs.

As for vitd, i was always told give them 130f plus (depending on size) & this will allow them to digest the food & process the vit d, you can control the vitd using uvb light but you still need high basking spot floods to digest the food.

When the monitor starts getting larger you need some bulbs & wattage to cover snout to vent, ad in other lights your just upping the burn off of humidity.

160f is a good basking spot flood to aim for & if Krusty & Frank & other long term keepers say you don't need it but use it if you want to,that will do me!!

Yep, Kidneys process D3 into Calcitriol, its a vital process, and going by the apparent connection between low basking temps and kidney failure (and calcification? bilateral tumours? i wonder what results have come up on mojo), temps are clearly an important factor, but it requires Vitamin D3 to be in the system first, either via diet, or UV, or possibly both


it has been quite a long time since I came across a heat damaged CFL casing, some years ago it was common to find burnt/brittle/cracked casings, even from their own heat, unsuitable plastic in early designs i think, not come across the issue recently

Originally Posted by smy_749

I would like to keep this conversation going, some good info in here so far. Anyways, as for my experiment, I think I've ruined it. I changed all furnishings and design of the enclosure, and tomorrow I'm introducing a new female. So I don't exactly have a control anymore :/

still some observations to be had tho!