Types of Light
Natural light comes from the sun and is composed of visual light, UVA, UVB, and infrared light. UVA is important for reptile activity levels and it also enhances their colour. UVB is essential to calcium absorption. Infrared light is not visible to reptiles and it provides heat.
Why Light is Important to Reptiles
All animals including reptiles use visible light from the sun to regulate their body clocks. It is important to provide your pet reptiles with a day night cycle, this will allow them to know when to wake up and when to go to sleep. The day night cycle is also an important factor in getting some reptiles to breed successfully in captivity. A good day night cycle would be 12 hours – 14 hours of light and 10-12 hours of darkness. Day active lizards such as Bearded Dragons and Iguanas require high quality bright light in order to thrive in captivity. These lizards bask for long periods in bright sunlight and can also see into the UVA spectrum. Many Bearded Dragons will become inactive when provided with inadequate lighting such as a low wattage household bulb. It is very important to provide all day active lizards with a good quality reptile basking lamp. Day active reptiles also get the majority of their heat from basking in sunlight and require a basking lamp to regulate their body temperature. Snakes and nocturnal geckos such as Leopard Geckos are not fussy when it comes to lighting and can be kept successfully with no extra lighting. UVB is important for Bearded Dragons, Iguanas, Chameleons, Monitor Lizards, Tortoises, Turtles and all other day active reptiles. UVB light enables these reptiles to metabolize calcium, without natural sunlight or a UVB lamp these reptiles will develop calcium deficiencies. Snakes and nocturnal lizards such as Leopard Geckos do not require UVB light.
Natural Sunlight vs Basking Lamps
There is no perfect replacement for natural sunlight and many reptiles do great when they have access to natural sunlight. Unfortunately it is often not possible to provide your pet Bearded Dragon or Iguana with natural sunlight, therefore you must provide your lizards with quality reptile lights. A good basking lamp which gives of visible light, heat and UVA and a good quality reptile UVB lamp are the best alternatives to natural sunlight.
Types of Basking Lamps
Day Light Basking Lamps
A good daylight basking lamp combines visible light, UVA and heat. Normal household light bulbs do not give off UVA light and do not provide the same intensity of visible light that a specialist reptile lamp provides. Basking lamps do not give of UVB light and a separate UVB light is required. Purchase your reptile’s daylight basking lamp on this website
Night Time Basking Lamps
Night time basking lamps give off a dull blue glow which will not disturb your reptiles sleep. The intensity of light given off by a reptile night time basking lamp is equivalent to the light given off by the moon. Use night time basking lamps to heat your Bearded Dragon, Iguana, Monitor Lizard and other day active reptiles during the night to allow them to sleep properly. You can also use night time basking lamps to heat Leopard Geckos and snakes. Purchase your reptiles night lamp on this website
UVB Lamps
UVB lamps are florescent lights which give of visual light and UVB light. UVB lamps give off virtually no heat and cannot be used to heat your reptiles. Normal household florescent lights do not give off UVB light. You will have to purchase a quality reptile UVB lamp in order to provide your Bearded Dragons, Iguanas, Monitor Lizards and other day active lizards with the UVB light they require to metabolize calcium properly.Purchase your reptiles UVB light on this website.