uvb

[bboyz frog]

do they need it

[GrifTheGreat]

do they need it

They can benefit from 4 to 6 hours a day of low UVB.

[Lija]

when thinking if they need it or not i suggest we look at how they live in a wild. Big ponds under he sun = uvb exposure, thus they do need it and that is why I have it for my guy.
They would definitely be benefiting from it.

[Quijibo]

I wasnt using UVB at first with my first ABF. Then started noticing other ABF owner’s frogs had much brighter colored frogs. Tried UVB out for some time and I find it does bring out healthier looking skin color. Maybe it’s just me but I think Lija hit it on the head.

[bboyz frog]

thanks guys can i leave it on all night or will that disturb him/her

[purpleturtle89]

thanks guys can i leave it on all night or will that disturb him/her

NO DO NOT LEAVE IT ON ALL NIGHT! You will stress your frog out it needs proper daylight and nighttime cycles also I use UVB mainly for planting, but I suggest you give your frog plenty of places to hide from it just in case it doesn't feel secure in the light

[Quijibo]

thanks guys can i leave it on all night or will that disturb him/her

God no. All animals need a Day/night schedule or else they might get stressed and pass away. Try one of these,

Amazon.com: Zilla 11893 24/7 Digital Timer Power Center, 1875-Watt: Pet Supplies

They work great so you can set up a time for your lights to switch on/off. So you can be lazy and the lights change on there own(my excuse). Plus they also have stead power for your heat elements. A must IMO.

[DeeDub]

They don't need UVB and there is no reason to leave it on all night. Even if you did, your frog would not "stress out and pass away"....lol

-----------------
Thanks
DW

[guilletto]

so...after reading all the post.. i dont know if uvb is good or doesn't do anything...

[purpleturtle89]

Can be good and needed if you have plants in there,it's entirely up to you.i wouldn't say any harm would come of it, the colors in my frogs seem to better with it. Just don't leave on all night

[bboyz frog]

ok thanks everyone

[guilletto]

im gonna put a daytime neodymium and night glo. but if people say is better putting repti glo 5.0, im doing it!

[Eridu Serpent]

It is good, in fact more than good.
Anything you do to make the animals environment more natural is good.
There are two options:

1. You can buy a heat bulb for reptiles which ALSO provides UV light, these range in price from very high to low.
Make sure you choose a 35 or a 40 wt bulb, no higher.
OR
2. You can use a normal 40 wt halogen bulb for heat and buy a separate UV bulb.
A rating of 5.0 should be sufficient.


I have found the most economical way is option 2, mainly because the conjoined ones cost more money and blow faster.
If you use option 1, the halogen bulb blows long before the more expensive UV bulb, and you can just spend a few dollars replacing that.
UV Bulbs normally work for a very long time.

In autumn/winter I use a heat mat, the halogen for heat and a UV bulb.
In spring/summer I only use the halogen for heat and a UV bulb.

I try to keep it as natural as I can.
This means NO UV on a night, keep it on a day/night timer.
At night to keep heat up add a low wattage red bulb (20 to 30wt), reptiles etc are said to not be able to see red light.
You will also be able to view them with out bothering them with bright lights.

There is definitely a difference in the animal when you use UV lighting.
When I had my monitors I could not get a UV bulb for several weeks because I live away from the city and have no car.
So I had to wait for when I could get a lift.
When I did put one in within a few days I noticed my sav was eating more, moving around more and his colours were extra bright.
So this confirmed for me that they needed UV...same with my other reptiles, frogs and toads.

I also have a friend named Bobby who is a large breeder of Tegus in the USA, he said that just giving animals Calcium & D3 is no good for animals
as they need the sun/UV to metabolise the D3 and vitamins. He says that most tegus he sees have bone problems/growth problems when not provided with
the right lighting and vitamins.

Just as we benefit from the sun, animals do also.
To say they do not need UV light is just old fashioned thinking.

So UVB is good and it does an enormous amount of good for all animals

[Lija]

your friend Bobby is right!
for UVB my preference is 5.0 exo terra reptiglo, either full spectrum or tropical.
there is another lamp bulb by exo terra that seems interesting to try based on a description, but I haven't seen it for sale yet. Exo Terra : Natural Light Ion / Deodorizing Bulb

[Eridu Serpent]

your friend Bobby is right!
for UVB my preference is 5.0 exo terra reptiglo, either full spectrum or tropical.
there is another lamp bulb by exo terra that seems interesting to try based on a description, but I haven't seen it for sale yet. Exo Terra : Natural Light Ion / Deodorizing Bulb

Lija, this is the bulb I buy costs me about 28 euros but they do last a long time.

I used to get the all in one bulbs but they fail quite rapidly, specially the 100w/125w I used for my reptiles.
I think it is better to buy separate ones.

[Eridu Serpent]

If they do not need it why would they sit in the sun in the wild?
To assume they do not is not wise at all, nocturnal animals do not require it but all day animals would.
We humans benefit from sunlight, we suffer without it.
It helps animals digest food, it helps with Calcium D3 digestion...and with other vitamins.
A night time bulb such as a moon bulb is suitable if you want to view your animal.
Or a red infrared bulb will provide heat and will not stress out the animal...these are used for reptiles and all manner of animals.

I think that many who do not use UV lighting do it to save money, there is proof that UV benefit animals.
As Soldierwillis and Lija said the animals colours brighten and so it means that it must help their health.
I know when I had my sav monitor I noticed the same.

I think the advice people are giving concerning UV lighting and animals should be rewritten, specially with animals which sit in the sunlight.

[Lija]

Eridu, didn't quite get what did you mean that advice should be rewritten.
i never specified that UVB in African Bullfrogs are to be used for better coloring, it is needed for their metabolism.
here there is a study on UVB usage for frogs.
https://aark.portal.isis.org/researc...tamin%20d3.pdf

summary:
Amphibians vary very highly in their exposure to UV
-B. Amphibians include nocturnal, fossorial, or aquatic
species with large variations in UV-B exposure.
These vary from almost no exposure for fossorial
amphibians or those that live in water more than 10
cm deep, to very high amounts for species that sun
bask in during summer in temperate or tropical regions. The requirement for metabolic Vitamin D
3
and the
ability of UV-B to promote the production of Vitamin D
3
in amphibians probably positively corresponds to
their exposure to UV-B. Consequently, some species
may have very low or no requirement for UV-B and
low requirements for Vitamin D
3
from their diet. Others may have ve
ry high requirements. Knowing the
patters and the amounts in the requirement for Vitamin D
3
and UV-B exposure

between species from
similar micro-habitats could help prevent hypervitaminosos

[Eridu Serpent]

Eridu, didn't quite get what did you mean that advice should be rewritten.
i never specified that UVB in African Bullfrogs are to be used for better coloring, it is needed for their metabolism.
here there is a study on UVB usage for frogs.
https://aark.portal.isis.org/researc...tamin%20d3.pdf

summary:
Amphibians vary very highly in their exposure to UV
-B. Amphibians include nocturnal, fossorial, or aquatic
species with large variations in UV-B exposure.
These vary from almost no exposure for fossorial
amphibians or those that live in water more than 10
cm deep, to very high amounts for species that sun
bask in during summer in temperate or tropical regions. The requirement for metabolic Vitamin D
3
and the
ability of UV-B to promote the production of Vitamin D
3
in amphibians probably positively corresponds to
their exposure to UV-B. Consequently, some species
may have very low or no requirement for UV-B and
low requirements for Vitamin D
3
from their diet. Others may have ve
ry high requirements. Knowing the
patters and the amounts in the requirement for Vitamin D
3
and UV-B exposure

between species from
similar micro-habitats could help prevent hypervitaminosos

Lija what I meant is everywhere I read on the internet it says Bullies do not need UV lighting...lots of places say it, same as they do for most reptiles.
They are just telling people to add calcium D3 to their food and that will be all right, D3 cannot be metabolised by most reptiles and they need UV light.
Your info is what we need to be shown on care sheets etc, not the basic "old" information.



Most of the wrong info is given by shops, they have no idea what their animals needs are in most cases.
I hear lots of people saying their frog does not need UV bulbs, heard many people say it about their monitors too...it is codswallop!!
ALL animals need the sun or a substitute unless they are strictly night animals.

I´d like to see more people giving out the right information, this is what I meant Lija

[Lija]

Eridu, you're right, we need more info that is proven. Mimicking their natural environment as close as possible in captivity is a key to have a happy long living frog.