Lighting debate to uvb or not to uvb that's my question.

[dptydog]

So about a week ago me and princess Lil went to the veterinarian. During are visit there the doctor stressed to me numerous times that Ihad to have uvb bulbs for my lleopard gecko's.
After a costly trip to the pet store and several 5.0 bulbs, I did in fact follow his advice. I mean he is the doctor right. I have to admit I'm noticing the activity level of all 3of my baby's.
So here is my question several care sheets suggest it'snot needed and bbasically a waste of money. Wichita makes since considering they are mainly hiding in there caves and such. I'm curios if there are any studies done long term on leopard geckos health benefits to exposure to uvb bulbs. Or if anyone else on the forums here started off without uvb, then later began to use uvb and found positive effects.

I personally found a slight increase in activity, eating and better coloration of my leopard geckos. The oranges and reds are becoming more prominent in them.

I would like to see some healthy positive debate on this subject with personal experiences and maybe even links to literature.

Thanks again for everyone's time on this in advance

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I've tried with and without for my leo, and it didn't seem to make much difference in activity or coloring. I did, however, notice that she would sometimes bask in the light, which I found curious. Many people freak out at the idea of using UVB for leos because they're afraid of D3 overdose, which seems to be a common fear. I admit to being a little skeptical of the idea because I don't think it's ever been documented happening, though theoretically it's certainly possible. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry, though, and removed it.

You don't "need" a UVB for leos though. UVB helps produce vitamin d3, which allows them to use calcium. Most people use supplements that include D3, making UVB unnecessary. Of course, if you don't have any supplements with D3, then you'd need a UVB.

~Maggot

 

[Mardy]

Vets will always recommend UVB, it's like all family doctors tell you to exercise and eat vegetables. I have nothing against people wanting to provide UVB to their geckos, but my problem is with people's lack of knowledge about UVB and its effects. Add to that, vets that recommend UVB never ask you what kind of geckos you have, how large your tanks are, nor do they go over your supplement routines. This can be dangerous as someone using UVB may also be supplementing with D3, and that's recipe for overdose.

The biggest problem with UVB is that most leopard gecko hobbyists do not house their geckos in large enough tanks, with enough shades and covering for the geckos to properly hide away from UVB. Do vets that recommend UVB ever tell people about proper husbandry and to use large enough of a tank with plenty of shades & hides? No. They just blindly recommend it like it's out of a text book.

Prolonged UVB exposure can be harmful to leopard geckos, especially so if you have albinos. This is yet another thing where people that recommend UVB never tell you. Albinos are more light sensitive, they lack pigments that naturally block light. Their eyes are also more sensitive than regular geckos. I read a study somewhere that showed eye damages to albinos with prolonged exposure to light. Seeing that leopard geckos can't put sunscreen on themselves every day, nor do they have sunglasses to wear to protect their eyes, think about what you are exposing them to.

Add to the fact that leopard geckos are a crepuscular specie, which means they're more close to nocturnal species than they are to diurnal species. Diurnal species are active during the day, they love basking in the sun, those are like iguanas and bearded dragons. Crepuscular species are more active during dawn & dusk, they don't much enjoy the sun as much as diurnal species. It's true in nature leopard geckos do bask out of necessity at times for D3 and proper calcium absorption, but they do it for extremely limited amount of time. Not to mention you won't find any albinos and all those designer morphs we have in nature. Sunglows and super raptors wouldn't last a day in the wild.

So, my feeling is that using UVB is fine, but it must be used in extreme caution. You should have a large terrarium setup (something along the lines of 40-50 gallons at least), and have lots of plants for shades & cover, and lots of hides. The light should be on for very limited amount of time each day, and you must not use D3 when dusting your feeders. Also I would highly recommend against using light if you have any sort of albinos.

The main reason I recommend against UV is because majority of the hobbyists do not know enough about proper care and husbandry when using UV, nor are they explained by vets and store associates when they recommend UV. Most do not provide large enough of a habitat for their geckos, and most are confused about how to properly supplement feeders. For the overwhelming majority, it's much easier to explain how to control gecko's D3 intake by telling them to purchase multivitamins with D3 and do the shake & bake dusting method a few times a week. This way you know exactly how much D3 your gecko is taking in, since you are in control of it. Why risk it?

It's like sand, people are always out there saying "but I've done this forever and my pet is fine". Yeah, unfortunately for every successful case, there's a tragic case. The risk isn't worth it, leopard geckos do just fine without added UV as long as you properly supplement their feeders with a good dusting routine.