Unique Cages for Unique Pets
Posts tagged Lighting
Bearded Dragons Cage – Controlling the Temperature
May 23rd
by Florian Ross
Beardies require a temperature gradient in their enclosures because they can’t regulate their body temperatures like. They have to thermo regulate, which means that they have to move between areas of differing temperatures in order to regulate their internal temperature.
To produce heat and a basking spot in your enclosure, you can use either a ceramic heat emitter, a reptile basking light (red, blue or white) or just a plain old household light bulb.
The best fixture for any of these choices is a porcelain dome light fixture. This type of fixture is a must with a ceramic heat emitter due to the amount of heat they produce. The temperature for this basking spot you created should be around 110 degrees Fahrenheit for juveniles and can be around 95 degrees for adults.
Your Beardie will also need an area to cool down if he gets too warm. At the opposite end of the tank, you should try to keep the temp around 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. A few degrees within this temperature are just fine. Night time temps shouldn’t be allowed to drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit is more comfortable for them. Don’t guess on temps – you could cook or freeze your Beardie! Use a good thermometer, one on the cool side and another near the basking site.
A thermometer on the hot part and another on the cool part of the enclosure will make sure that your temps are in the range they should be in. Do not use hot rocks as they are potentially dangerous! Dragons don’t sense heat well with their tummies, and can be lethally scorched without realizing.
A good heat source for night time is a ceramic heating element (CHE). CHE’s are non-light emitting heating units. They get very hot but disperse heat over a very narrow (15″ in diameter) and shallow area. The range for a 60 watt CHE is 8″ down, the range for a 100 watt CHE is 10″ down, the range for a 150 watt CHE is 12″ down, and the range for 250 watts is 14″ down.
CHE’s are not effective in heating large enclosures and a rheostat or dimmer switch may be used for small enclosures so it doesn’t get too hot. It is very important that CHE’s only be used in porcelain/ceramic light sockets as the amount of heat that they produce is enough to melt regular plastic light sockets.
Florian Ross is a small lizard expert and a freelancer who developed comprehensive guides to help people succeed with their bearded dragon pet and have your bearded dragon lizard live two times longer. His guides on Bearded Dragons are considered the definitive guides on raising Bearded Dragons.
Find out more tips on raising Bearded Dragons Lizards and having them live 2 times longer, with his popular ebook about Bearded Dragons or get a free sample of Florian’s bearded dragons caresheet
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Florian_Ross
Iguana Metabolic Bone Disease
Apr 30th
Please check out the rest of NSHP’s website here.
Introduction
The most common reptile brought to our hospital is the green iguana. The primary reason owners bring in their ill green iguana’s is because they have developed a disease called metabolic bone disease (MBD), also known as nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSHP). The cause of this disease is poor husbandry, especially an inadequate diet. Unfortunately, the literature abounds with erroneous information on the precise needs of these creatures. This outdated an incorrect information continues to be propagated by individuals and organizations with good intentions but limited knowledge.
Iguanas are not the only reptile that encounters this problem. We find it in many types of lizards, turtles, and tortoises. It does not occur in carnivorous reptiles like snakes and monitor lizards very often because the whole prey they consume provides a proper diet.
We have a short Quicktime movie on an Iguana with twitching muscles. You need Quicktime from www.apple.com to view it.
Cause
This disease has many factors that work together in causing this condition. The primary reason iguanas develop this disease is due to a diet too low in calcium. More specifically, the ratio of calcium to phosphorous (usually the phosphorous is too high) in their diets is inadequate to promote growth and sustain normal physiological functions. As a result, they become very ill, and can even succumb to the disease.
Other factors that exacerbate the poor diet problem are common in most households that have iguanas. Inadequate exposure to direct sunlight (not through glass), not keeping the humidity at 90% and not keeping the temperature at 90 degrees F all add to the problem:
*
Sunlight of a specific ultraviolet frequency is needed to produce vitamin D3 by the iguana’s skin. This vitamin is needed for the absorption and utilization of calcium in the diet. No matter how much calcium there is in the diet, without this vitamin the calcium would not be be absorbed or utilized . This is why milk that we drink is fortified with vitamin D. Black Lights and other artificial ultraviolet lights are helpful, but they can not replace sunshine.
*
In order to maintain normal bodily functions (ability to digest food, fight infections, etc.) an iguana needs to maintain a high body temperature. Since they are reptiles, they maintain this temperature by absorbing the heat from their environment. They can not produce enough internal body heat like birds and mammals can when placed in a cold environment. also, the precursor to vitamin D needs to be at the proper temperature to be converted to the active form of the vitamin.
In the semi arid environment in some parts of the country, or the heat needed to warm homes in the winter, many iguanas live in a perpetual state of dehydration. This dramatically interferes with their physiology and predisposes them to many problems.
This is a typical Iguana cage that is inadequate. There is no branch with leaves to bask on, no access to any sun, let alone through the glass, and inadequate humidity. The bowl of water does not give enough moisture, and the heat lamp that is present in the corner does not supply proper ambient heat. Putting dirt in the bottom of the cage is a good idea.
Symptoms
Iguanas with this disease have many problems. The bones might be swollen, soft, or even fractured. In severe cases the blood calcium level becomes so low that tremors occur. The jaw might be swollen (called lumpy jaw by some people) because nature is trying to bring in supporting tissue to make up for the lack of strength to the bones of the jaw. The same thing happens to the bones of the legs, and when the problem is severe enough, or has gone on long enough, the bones of the arms and legs can fracture (called a pathologic fracture) all by themselves. Some of these iguanas will be unable to walk properly due to spinal cord damage, and many of them will be more susceptible to common infections because they are too weak to develop a proper immune response. As the bones of the jaw become weaker it becomes impossible to eat, further exacerbating the problem. They may have distended abdomens and bones leading their owners to the erroneous conclusion that their pet is fat and sassy, and receiving an adequate diet. Growing iguanas and females laying eggs have a greater need for calcium and might me more prone to this problem. Females with eggs might not have the strength to lay them, and sometimes even require surgery if they become egg bound.
Lumpy jaw occurs when the body brings fibrous tissue to the area to stabilize the weak bones. A lump at the jaw can also be caused by an abscess.
The fold of skin on the side of this iguana is evidence of dehydration.
This Iguana has such a low calcium level that the muscles are twitching. Double click the movie once it downloads and you can see the arm muscles and hands twitching. This is called tetany, and is a serious sign. The two most common causes of tetany in an Iguana are MBD and Kidney failure.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis of NSHP is made based on history, physical exam findings, and radiography. The history might indicate a diet of iceberg lettuce, dog or cat food, or packaged iguana meal. Swelling of the jaw and legs, low body weight, weakness, dehydration, poor appetite, and lethargy all might be noted on physical exam. X-rays are very diagnostic. Even though this is a problem of low calcium level, blood samples show normal calcium levels commonly.
This is the femur (thigh) bone of a healthy iguana. Compare it to the diseased one below.
This is the thinning (arrow) that occurs in this disease. In addition to poor bone strength, this iguana has an infection.
This iguana has a severe form of the disease. The spine is deformed which has interfered with the nervous system, so it is unable to walk or eat well. This creature is gravely ill. To let a creature deteriorate to this point is a crime.
An x-ray reveals the extent of the curvature problem to the spine.
Treatment
Iguanas that are diagnosed with NSHP are usually very ill and often need to be hospitalized. During hospitalization they are given fluids to correct dehydration, a special liquid diet, injections of vitamin D3, injections of calcium, oral calcium, and antibiotics if they have an infection. Those that have pathologic fractures are splinted.
After they are stabilized in the hospital they are sent home with calcium supplements, antibiotics if needed, and their dietary deficiency is corrected. They need to return weekly for at least several weeks for vitamin D3 injections and calcitonin injections.
A typical splint applied when both rear legs have pathological fractures.
An x-ray of this splint shows the padded paper clips that are used for support.
This different case was referred to us. The splints on these front legs are inadequate, as evidenced by the displacement of the fractured ends.
We performed surgery in order to correct this problem. These pins will be removed in 1-2 months.
This disease occurs in other lizards, like this young chameleon with numerous pathological fractures. There are differences in why this species gets this problem as opposed to the green iguana, but the main problem of inadequate husbandry stays consistent.
This little guy has fractures on all 4 legs due to inadequate husbandry.
In some cases the bones that allow the tongue to move normally are permanently injured and the tongue is rendered useless.
This disease also occurs in tortoises.The shell is soft due to inadequate nutrition.
Prevention
It must be fully understood that iguanas are ectothermic animals. This means they are highly dependent on their environment for their normal physiological functions, much more so than birds and mammals. They come from Central america where the temperature and humidity are consistent- 90% humidity and 90 degrees F. In addition, they bask in the direct sun many hours each day. If these conditions can not be replicated then these animals should not be kept in captivity. Ignorance of their needs is no excuse.
Their diet should consist heavily of dark green leafy vegetables in order to have the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorous. Contrary to what you may read elsewhere, these animals are not omnivores, they are strictly vegetarians, even when they are young. Therefore, high protein diets (dog food, cat food, protein supplements) are not to be fed to them. These high protein diets will cause them to grow bigger and faster, but will also cause their kidneys to fail. Vitamin supplements that contain calcium should be given weekly.
The following list describes would should and should not be fed. A combination of several items from the “Should Be Fed List” need to be fed, not just one or two items. For small iguana’s it is helpful to dice up your vegetables into very small pieces so that they don’t eat only a few items.
Foods That Should Be Fed
Collared GreensMustard GreensGreen LeafRed LeafButter leafDandelion GreensMango and PapayaBroccoliNon toxic flowers
Foods That Should Not Be Fed
Dog FoodCat FoodRodentsEggsIceberg LettucePizzaMeatInsects
Prognosis
This disease is correctable and preventable. If a pet iguana is brought to us in an advanced state of the disease then the prognosis is not good. Otherwise, we are able to return a large percent of them to relative normalcy if our full treatment regimen is followed. After the immediate problem is corrected it is mandatory to provide the optimum environment for their proper quality of life.
UVB and Lizards
Mar 5th
Another one from Brandon Cornett. Basics of UBV and Lizards
Here’s what you, as a reptile keeper, should know about lizard lights and UVB exposure:
- In the wild, lizards spend a lot of their time basking in the sun.
- The sun emits different kinds of rays, including UVB rays.
- Lizards (and other types of reptiles) benefit from the UVB rays of the sun. These rays help them produce vitamin D within their bodies.
- Vitamin D is essential for proper bone density and development.
- When a lizard is unable to synthesize vitamin D, its bones will not develop properly.
- So, by extension, a lizard that lacks sufficient UVB exposure will suffer from bone-develop problems. Metabolic bone disorder is the most common of these problems.
- Lizards that are kept as pets usually do not get enough natural sun exposure, if any.
- If your lizard is not exposed to the sun on a daily basis, you must provide an alternate source of UVB light for the animal. There are many excellent products on the market today that can help you accomplish this.
Sadly, many people who keep lizards as pets do not understand the connection between UVB light rays, vitamin D, and bone development. This is why metabolic bone disorder (MBD) is the number-one ailment in lizards, as reported by veterinarians.
Lizard Lights to the Rescue
When I refer to lizard lights in this article, I’m talking about fluorescent bulbs that are designed specifically for lizards and other reptiles with high UV requirements. You can buy these bulbs in the tube form you’re probably familiar with, or as spiral-shaped compact fluorescent lights (CFL). The important thing is that you get a light that provides enough UVB for the lizard species you are keeping.
How much UVB is enough? Zoo Med Laboratories (a company that sells lizard lights and other reptile products) has conducted some extensive research over the last few years. Here is what they recommend:
- Tropical lizards, such as chameleons and green iguanas, should be exposed to UVB levels of 13 to 30 W/cm2 (microwatts per square centimeter). They should have access to such lighting for 10 – 12 hours a day.
- Desert lizards such as bearded dragons will generally do well with the same level mentioned above, or slightly higher UVB levels.
Source: “Reptiles and UVB,” Zoo Med Laboratories.
Most UVB lights that are sold today are clearly labeled with these specifications. So purchasing the right kind of bulb is pretty straightforward.
UVB light should be used in conjunction with proper heat levels. If you create a habitat for your lizard that offers proper temperature and UVB levels, you will have a healthier animal. It’s that simple. Of course, you need to provide the right kind of diet for your lizard species as well, but that’s another lesson entirely.
Reptile Lighting
Feb 17th
Article taken from Reptile Lighting ©1996 Melissa Kaplan
You may not be getting what you think you are buying…
Any incandescent bulb is fine for heat (for night time, you want dark light, such as the Nocturnal light by Energy Savers Unlimited or a ceramic heating element). The technology (tungsten filament vs. the gases and coatings used in fluorescents) doesn’t produce UVB, and only marginal UVA (which is the wavelengths in between UVB and visible light).
“Full spectrum” is a term now used rather loosely. It can mean “produces UVB, UVA, visible light and infrared [the wavelengths longer than those in the spectrum we can see (visible light) but the reality is that manufacturers of incandescents are calling their bulbs 'full spectrum' to lull people into thinking they are getting UVB (and thus buying their product) when they are not. UVB lighting manufacturers are calling their UVB-producing fluorescents "full spectrum" because they produce the full spectrum of visible light (Gehrmann, Reptile Lighting: a current perspective, 1997).
Incandescents are fine to use alone for heat for herps that don't require UVB, such as snakes; nocturnal lizards; diurnal lizards from more northerly or temperate climes who do well with minimal UVB obtained from occasional exposure to natural sun when handled outside the enclosure; some chelonians, such as mud-dwelling common musk turtles [Sternotherus odoratus]; and amphibians. UVB-producing fluorescents emitting sufficient UVB for the species must be used in conjunction with incandescent and other heat sources for all other diurnal lizards and all chelonians who require UVB exposure.
What’s the difference between a WIDE Spectrum and a FULL Spectrum light?
Ahhhh….welcome to the Madison Avenue and the non-regulated pet product industry where accuracy never gets in the way of making product claims! Because there are no truth-in-advertising regulations covering pet products, manufacturers can be as misleading as they like. Like the ‘iguana approved’ reptile bark and litter products: keep your iguana on them and your iguana will be facing impactions, surgery, even death. Manufacturers and pet stores don’t care: by the time that happens, they’ve already made their money off you.
It used to be that ‘full spectrum’ lighting meant lights which produced both ultraviolet B, ultraviolet A and the full visible spectrum as well infrared heat. Once incandescent manufacturers figured out that people were being told to look for ‘full spectrum’ lighting, they started to market their wide spectrum incandescent lights (producing some, but not all of the visible wavelengths and no ultraviolet wavelengths) with the words ‘full spectrum’ in the ads and on packaging. Thus people who buy Chromalux, NeoWhite and Reptile incandescent lights think, incorrectly, that they are providing UVB and UVA as well as the full visible wavelengths and heat to their reptiles. In fact, incandescents are just producing, if they are putting out bright white light, only the visible spectrum; some types of lights (such as the Chromalux) are not necessarily even producing the full visible spectrum, being corrected to increase or reduce certain parts of the visible spectrum.
Fluorescent light manufacturers weren’t slow to get on this bandwagon, either – unfortunately, not all fluorescents produce UVB wavelengths, either… They are shielded to reduce the dangers to humans (and their fabrics) or permit so little UVB to pass through that it isn’t sufficient to promote adequate previtamin D formation, resulting in a reptile with metabolic bone disease.
When is 6% more than 10%?
The problems with truth in advertising goes beyond the misleading use of the term “full-spectrum”. When it comes to UVB-producing fluorescents, the percentages given are not particularly useful as the manufacturers rarely tell you what that is a percentage of. If you have a light producing, for example, 20% of its total wavelengths in the UV range, and of that 10% is in the needed UVB range, while another light produces 40% of its wavelengths in the UV range, with 6 percent of that in the UVB needed range, the product with 6% of the 40% is going to produce more UVB in the needed UVB range than the other product. The product with “10%” on the package may look like the better light than the one that says “6%”, but it isn’t if that “10%” isn’t providing enough UVB for your reptile.
Quick Index to Tables
The following tables are based on tables by lighting specialist William H. Gehrmann, in Evaluation of Artificial Lighting (in Reptile Medicine and Surgery, 1996, edited by Douglas Mader DVM):
1. Table of UV and Visible Light
2. Table of UV Transmission through Typical Caging Materials
3. Fluorescents Producing UVB
1. REPRESENTATIVE LIGHT SOURCES AND THEIR PRINCIPAL TYPES OF RADIATION
Note: Wavelengths responsible for conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to cholecalciferol: 280-315nm
SOURCE
RADIATION
Sun
UVB 290-320 nm, UVA 320-400 NM, Visible 400-700 NM, Infrared >700 NM
Incandescents (frosted, reflector floods, spots, halogen lamps
UVA 320-400 NM (low levels), Visible 400-700 NM, Infrared >700 NM
Fluorescents:
Chroma 50, Colortone 50, Design50, Cool White, Warm White
Visible 400-700 NM
UVB 280-320 NM (low levels), UVA 320-400 NM (low levels)
Plant lights
Emphasize red and blue spectrums within Visible 400-700 NM
Blacklights (BL)
UVB 290-320 NM (low levels similar to Vita-Lite), UVA 320-400 NM
Blacklight Blue (BLB)
Same as BL but with less blue light emitted; reported harmful to eyes
Sun lamps, Germicidal Lamps, Phototherapy lamps
High levels of UVB causes skin cancer, cataracts, etc.
Other UV Sources:
High Intensity Discharge Mercury, Metal Halide
Visible 400-700 NM, Infrared >700 NM; UVA and UVB are shielded due to extensive damage to skin and eyes caused by such high intensity
Mercury vapor combo heat/UV product
Extremely high output of UVA and UVB posing health hazards to humans and reptiles in typical home setting
2. TRANSMISSION OF UV RADIATION THROUGH VARIOUS MATERIALS
MATERIAL
% UVA
% UVB
Window glass, single thick
78
5
Acrylite GP acrylic, 0.635 cm
6
0
Acrylite OP-4 acrylic, .318 cm
89
79
UV-T Plexiglas, .635 cm
89
64
Cellulose triacetate
67
30
Galvanized mesh, .318 cm (0.13″)
67
71
Galvanized mesh 1.270 cm (0.5″)
82
83
3. So, what lights do produce UVB?
(Please be sure to read the comments on the indicated lights.) The following are in alphabetical order only; those underlined are your best choices:
*
Blacklights( BL Blacklights; not blue or black incandescent light bulbs*)
* DayCycle (TetraTerrafaun)
* Iguana Light and Reptile Light (Zoo Med)ƒ
* Lumichrome 1XX Full Spectrum Fluorescent Plus
* Repti-Glo, Sun-Glo (Hagen)
* Repti-Sun (Zoo Med; replaced by their newer Iguana and Reptile Lights)ƒ
* Reptile Daylight (Fluorescent; by ESU)#
* Reptile-D Light (National Biological)+
* Ott Light (available in Europe – Vita-Lite makes a comparable product)
* Vita-Lite (Fluorescent tubes, not compacts; made by Durotest)
# Iguana owners have been reporting onset of MBD within ~6 months of using the early version of ESU’s UVB tube despite proper diet and vitamin and calcium supplementation, and who had not before exhibited any signs of metabolic bone disease. In the past couple of years, they have come out with a higher output (“7%”) light; I have not heard of any problems reported with the new “7%” tube.
* BLB lights have been reported to cause eye diseases and should be avoided.
+ Lights producing more than 5% UVB carry warnings on them relating to damage to human eyes. I’ve been unable to track down my reference on this (supposedly from OSHA regs, but folks I’ve talked to at OSHA can’t find it) and the more I dig into UV lighting “specs” the more murk I find. According to an “independent” analysis Zoo Med had done, the Reptile-D light does not in fact produce 5% UVB, it produces slightly less than the Zoo Med 5.0 light (4.84 vs 5.02). What is interesting is Zoo Med’s fact sheet that states “It is Zoo Med’s opinion that UVB bulbs that exceed 5% total energy output should not be sold [to] the general public (emphasis theirs).” So, on the one hand, they “prove” that their lights are better than the Reptile-D light because they produce more UVB than the Reptile-D, but at the same time theirs exceeds (true, by a very slight amount) their own safety recommendations. They also go on to say that, “just as you would not stare at the sun, never stare for any length of time directly within 12″ of a UVB bulb.” To date, no pet manufacturer has made goggles for lizards to protect their eyes from staring at high UV output sources…which is why UV-tubes made for the tanning industry should never be used.
ƒ Zoo Med periodically changes the names and packaging on their lights. Their “Iguana” light is identical to their “Reptile” light, other than the packaging. Some pet stores sell the Iguana or the Reptile tubes for more than the other, even though Zoo Med’s wholesale price is the same for the two products. The Reptile and Iguana tubes are interchangeable and can be used for any species that needs such a product.
Observations in studies on vitamin D3 indicate that very high output (VHO) bulbs may cause a form metabolic bone disease, the very condition one is trying to avoid through the use of UVB lighting, by causing a sort of overdose of systemic D3. If you are going to use these high output bulbs, including mercury vapor products such as ActiveUV and Zoo Med’s new PowerSUN, have your reptile’s blood and eyes checked regularly. Remember that, in the wild, iguanas aren’t in direct sunlight all day long, but thermoregulate by moving frequently into the shade. So, just because a UVB-producing fluorescent doesn’t provide the same amount of UVB as the sun does at the equator or elsewhere in the iguana range, the iguanas don’t need the amount that pours down on the forests and ground in the tropics. Given that they do quite well in captivity with properly positioned and annually replaced Zoo Med’s reptile or iguana, and Durotest’s Vita-Lite tubes, fluorescents, the fact that these products produce less than the sun at the equator is a moot point. It simply doesn’t matter in terms of your being able to provide adequate UVB in captivity.
I also suggest you read Anne Marsden’s new article which summarizes the research into UVB and D3, Sunlight and Reptile UVB Tubes: The Value of UVB Exposure.
Related Articles
Neodymium Lights
Musings on UV and D3…
Comparison of the UV-B [Lights] With Natural Sunlight
UV Lighting – General Information
ZooMeds Claims (note that the charts are too small to accurately read how much UVB produced at each nm)
UV-lamps for terrariums: Their spectral characteristics and efficiency in promoting vitamin D3 synthesis by UVB irradiation