Choose The Correct Lighting For Your Reptile
Before choosing lighting for you vivarium you must decide what exactly you want to achieve and what sort of lighting is suitable for your reptile.
Questions to ask:
- Is your reptile nocturnal, desert or tropical and will it benefit from UVA, UVB?
- Will you be using the light as a heat source, either to heat the vivarium or create a basking area?
| ![]() |
UVA & UVB
Nocturnal animals such as Leopard Geckos will not benefit from UVB or UVA as they are not generally exposed to them in their natural habitat. We use Infra Red Lighting for these as it also acts as a suitable heat source.
Sun Worshippers including uromastyx, bearded dragons, chuckwallas, and many species of tortoise will benefit from high levels of UVA and UVB which can be provided in lighting such as fluorescent tubes which can be found in our 10.0 UVB Section and compact fluorescent lamps which can be found at Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Tropical/Rainforest Species such as some types of chameleon naturally avoid any such high exposure. They need UVB, but at much lower levels. You can find suitable lighting at 5.0 UVB Section and compact fluorescent lamps which can be found at Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Iguanas appear to have requirements - and behaviour patterns somewhere between the two. We sell a range of fluorescent lighting designed for the specific needs of Iguanas which can be found at Iguana Lighting
Few snakes are thought to require ultraviolet lighting, at present, since vitamin D3 from the diet is almost certainly adequate for most species. Snakes are sensitive to excessively bright artificial light, however, and this must be avoided.
UVA (320-400nm) is an important component of sunlight, and is10.0 UVB Section supplied in small amounts by "ordinary" household bulbs (incandescent lights) and by lighting often described as "full spectrum" light. Larger amounts are supplied by all specialist ultraviolet lamps.
UVA is part of the visible spectrum for reptiles; they see colours and patterns differently to us because of this extra dimension to their vision. Some reptiles rely upon UVA light to identify individuals of their own species by their UVA-reflective markings; many plants and insects also have distinctive UVA reflectance and "patterns" which enable reptiles to recognise them.
Reptiles exposed to UVA light show increased social behaviour and activity levels, are more inclined to bask and feed and are also more likely to reproduce as UVA light has a positive effect on the pineal gland, a light-sensitive structure just below the brain which responds to the increase and decrease of daylight with the changing seasons.
UVB (280-320nm*) is found in natural sunlight. The atmosphere blocks wavelengths below 290nm so on the earth's surface, the UVB range is from 290 - 320nm. UVB is blocked almost completely by ordinary glass and by most plastics, so it does not pass through windows or the sides of glass vivaria.
It is not provided by normal household lighting or most so-called "full spectrum" lights, but nowadays there is an ever improving and expanding range of lights that can supply UVB in the vivarium.
There is growing evidence that reptiles can actually detect UVB, although whether it is actually visible to them is uncertain.
Many species of reptiles, in particular diurnal lizards which bask in sunlight, utilise UVB radiation, in the region of 290 to 315 nm, to facilitate the photo-biosynthesis of pre-vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) in the skin. If such reptiles are deprived of this particular wavelength of ultraviolet radiation, they are at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency, which may be manifested as metabolic bone disorder, a crippling and often fatal disease seen all too often in larger lizards such as iguanas and bearded dragons.
UVB may have other beneficial effects. It has been shown to stimulate the production of beta-endorphins in human skin, resulting in a sense of well-being. There is no reason to suppose this process occurs solely in humans. | ![]() |
Combing Heating & Lighting Can Be Cost Effective
New advances have greatly improved the range of lighting which can be used as either a secondary or complete heat source. Mant reptile like to bask and some of our basking lamps found at Basking Spot Lamps also produce UVB/UVA although we would recommend the use of a fluorescent light source as well.
Mercury Vapour and Metal Halide lamps offer great advances in technology which can greatly benefit the health of reptiles.
| ![]() |
|
|
|
|
