UVB lighting??

[Herpvet]

Hi all!
I looked through the forum and tried the search tool before deciding to post about this, just to make sure I wasn't asking something that had been answered a hundred times already
SO I am wondering if UVB lighting is *really* necessary for white's. We have dragons so we know how the whole UVB thing works and the risks of MBD. If my Dumpy needs it, he'll definitely get one but I'm kind of confused because there are some sites I'm finding that say they must have it, and others either say it's not necessary or don't mention them at all. For example, the book I'd read at the pet store before I got my Dumpy said they don't need them, and the care sheet on here doesn't say anything about it.

Some of the sites I saw mentioned that the UVB is only needed if you suspect that the frog might have MBD, otherwise supplements alone should be okay. Does anyone have white's that do not have UVB lighting?

Speaking of supplements - does anyone have a favorite kind? My reptiles get their crickets dusted and I was using that for my Dumpy but I was thinking maybe I should get something more specific for a frog? I got him more crickets today and that store didn't have any supplements for frogs though. I'm gonna look at a few other places and see what I can find but figured I'd ask for opinions on that too.
Thanks!
Emily

Hello,

Just a dissenting view here : ). I believe the jury is still out on the need for uv lighting for amphibians. There is a similar discussion at caudata.org (UV lights in the care of caudates - Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Forum) which it might be worth taking a look at, although no firm conclusions were reached.

Certainly it is true that excessive uv B has been shown to be harmful to tadpoles of certain species, and I would always advocate that in amphibian enclosure uv lighting should never be too pervasive - they should always be able to get away from it fully if they wish, as well as partially hide from it.

I think there is enough doubt about requirements - particularly for species such as white's tree frogs, where there is a suggestion of diurnal activity and even basking - that some should be available in most amphibian enclosures (I'm not advocating it for olms, for example : )). Perhaps the best apporach would be as with temperature - provide a reasonably wide range of uv illumination initially, then adjust according to the animal's behaviour. Under such circumstance it is very unlikely to do any harm.

Not saying they definitely require it, just saying there's insufficient data at the moment in most cases, in which case supplying a low level, easily avoided source to the animals seems most sensible.

Just another view : ).

Bruce.