Quote Originally Posted by deranged chipmunk View Post
Uv lights are not required for frogs due to the supplementation of calcium in their diet by the keeper and the fact that most don't receive natural UV in their natural habitat. There have been many studies done on this and they have all come to the same outcome: inconclusive. Couple that with the fact that most keepers who do use UV lighting, use it incorrectly by placing it above glass, which filters out roughly 99% of UVB and about 90% of UVA.

This has been a debate for a long time. I would suggest that if your vet says it's a requirement, to ask him to provide you with some current data that has come to the conclusion that it is a requirement.

Please keep in mind that while yes, vets are trained to treat animals, but the most current care techniques are developed and shared by hobbyists, such as those on this forum. Unfortunately, most vets do not have the time, and some just don't have the inclination to keep up on the most current care requirements/techniques.
Somewhat true, but bear in mind that the care techniques described on this or other forums are (almost exclusively) anecdotal. They are not backed up by hard data, because the hard data doesn't exist. Such experience is of course valuable, but it's often based on a very few cases - what works for one keeper, or even all experienced keepers, may not work for others, or for less experienced keepers. We're only beginning to scratch the surface of providing scientific evidence to back up (or not) common husbandry practices in herps, both in terms of wild microhabitat data logging efforts and specific studies in captive animals.

With regards to UV, my way of looking at it is simple; we don't know whether or not it is beneficial in most cases, so why not provide the opportunity for (low levels in most cases) of it? It is of course essential to also provide the opportunity to avoid it. If provided, I've seen some supposedly secretive species seeming to actively "bask" in it. Certainly one recent study in fire-bellied toads suggested uv had benefits beyond supplemented diets.

If nothing else, appropriate diurnal variation (day, dawn/dusk and night) is almost certainly beneficial to the animals in most cases, and uv-A may be an important part of that.