UVB question?

Boas
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Back with another real quick inquiry.

I know they don’t ‘need’ uvb, but I’d still like to provide. I currently have a shadedweller 7% that 22 inches long in my 4x2x2. The absolute max output my measurer reads is 3.0 at one point under my basking spot. Is this okay UVB output for a boa? Specifically a baby caulker cay? Thanks!

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That is probably fine, but I don’t recommend offering it for the full daytime cycle. I would run it for a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours in the evening or something along those lines. It’s not that the animals won’t Benefit from having UVB, It’s just that we don’t have a lot of species specific science that’s been done across-the-board with snakes. We also don’t know exactly how much the animals would even be out getting exposed to it, let alone the exposure amount.

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I will double down on this statement

The hobby as a whole loves to leap first and think fiftieth. There is absolutely research that animals benefit from UV, but the hobby took that to mean that we need to flood the cage with UV for every second the normal lights are on.

Realistically, animals are not out exposed to full UV all the time. They hide under leaf litter or a rock or whatever other cover they feel secure in/under/behind. They may come out and bask for a bit, but it is not all the time. Why then does the hobby treat them as if they are getting blasted with UV all the time?

For all my cages, I scale down a level on whatever UV has been claimed as “the best” and I have it set to a smart plug that randomly turns it on/off between what would be peak UV hours (generally 11a-4p). Some days there will be more UV and some days there will be less and every day is not constant bombardment. Animals will sense when the bulb is on and bask, but they will also seek cover while the bulb is still on once they have gotten the dose they want.

To me, this is so very much safer than overcooking my animals and giving them premature cataracts and such

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Thank you very much for this post Travis. It seems to be the first thing that goes on the top of the tank, full blown uvb. Sometimes I think there’s a marketing strategy to push uvb. I am the dreaded tub keeper so I suppose I am at the opposite end of the spectrum………

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Oh no I understand. I like giving UVB but only a little, and I plan to have it on from like 10 to 6. Usually I don’t like listening to online stuff because there is always infighting, so I just look up where they live/general care and mimic it. its just that it’s also the only light in there :') otherwise its pitch black in there. Do you suppose it would be safer to just invest in a UVB that is lower/smaller, that leaves the cage much dimmer? I have a blackbox enclosure. I was always quite afraid of cataracts from it being too bright. Would a 2.5% be better than 7%? The bulb itself is in a cage, about 10 inches from the basking surface of my branch at which it reaches 3.0 output. He however will have another branch, the exact same, on the cooler dark side where the uvb doesn’t reach, as well as a hammock. Thank you for any help! I still have a few months before i can hopefully grab the snake so i want to get it right until then

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So I did some more research, and decided that next month, I’ll get the ShadeDweller Max. :slight_smile: It should only reach a max of 1.0 output instead of 3.0 at my current spot, and I’ll feel a lot safer about it. It’s (apparently) made specifically for snakes, while the one I currently have is more for crepuscular species, like a leopard gecko.

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Go with two bulbs. Get an LED “daylight” type for regular lighting and then a UV bulb to supplement as necessary. My cages have Arcadia LED bars and VivTech UV bulbs because I like LED for everything

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@t_h_wyman What is your opinion on the Reptisun “coil bulbs in general?

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Coil bulbs are really only good if there are no other options. There are a ton of engineering problems with them

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So could you briefly elaborate on the engineering problems? I tried to do a bit of research on my own but to no avail. What is your recommendation for use with a 40 gallon tank with a screen lid.

TIA

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Those were covered in the other UVB thread you were participating in :+1:t4:

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Thank you Travis

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