Low UVB bulb recommendation?

[Diver]

Elly, if you have the light canopy on your Exo Terra, you're looking for a 'compact flourescent E27' style of bulb. Companies like Exo Terra, Arcadia etc all do them in a range of wattage and UVB output. Something around 20w and 5% UVB would be ideal for that cage size in addition to your LED. Smallest are around 13w and 2%.

http://arcadia-reptile.com/fluorescent-compact-lamps/

If the bulb or tube doesn't specifically say 'UVB' and the percentage, than it doesn't output ANY. They are a specialist item made with special glass etc.

As far as the provision of UVB for frogs is concerned, I made a thread in the tree frog section here:

http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=35252

Now are now many scientific studies in addition to the one Terry mentions that demonstrate that UVB should be provided for frogs (especially nocturnal species!) unless they literally never see the sun in the wild And of course that D3 dietary supplementation is both ineffective and potentially dangerous.

It's a hugely important subject that sadly many are unaware of, feel free to contribute to the thread!

[privet01]

Elly, if you have the light canopy on your Exo Terra,............

Definitely "kudos" for the most direct answer to the OP's question. Have not gone through all the material you linked in the other thread. I'm wondering though how much of the UV-B studies were on developing frogs/toads as opposed to what I think most of us consider an adult frog/toad.

For instance, metabolic bone disease as I've understood it in the past is a result of poor nutrition and vitamin D production while in the developmental stages and is difficult for your average person to notice until it's too late and usually this is after adulthood is achieved. So if the frog/toad is already an adult with no metabolic bone disease or other vitD deficiancy, does the UV-B matter that much. Certainly we all want them to be as healthy as possible, but to what point do we over think this and ignore other issues?

[Diver]

It's certainly a valid point that calcium deficiencies are a bigger problem in growing frogs and it's fair to say that adult frogs who have had the correct exposure while growing up may be a lot healthier having laid down the correct foundation (which could be at least part of the reason that some people are convinced that UVB isn't necessary - they haven't had wide enough experience with raising frogs). However, as Dr Ivan Alfonso explains in this thread it is also important for adults for varying reasons including egg production:

http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=24225

I would suggest that calcium deficiencies therefore are less noticeable in adult frogs, but they can be deficient nevertheless. In addition though, the benefits of UVB are not of course just limited to the production of D3, the general health and well-being of pretty much every creature on the planet is improved by exposure to sunlight or at least as close as we can artificially re-create it.

[privet01]

Diver and tgampper...... you both have given quite a lot of material for me to digest. I never ran across anything so informative in my casual searches on the subject. I see I might have to re-adjust my thinking somewhat.