Hi
>For UVB lighting, they are the next best thing to the sun. Now I hate to argue, but I don't agree with the argument that this is such a good thing. It's true that these lamps do create more UV than others, but reptiles in the wild are not exposed to the UV from the sun constantly. They spend time in and out of the shade, and some diurnal reptiles spend the hottest part of the day (which is when the UV output is the greatest) hidden away from the sun. Secondly, usually the figures that are used to compare UV output from a lamp to the sun is numbers taken at noon when the UV radiation from the sun would be the greatest. It's not noon all day, so the UV numbers from the sun can be misleading. The effects of increased UV radiation without the shade that reptiles can escape to in the wild, may include the same problems as excessive UV exposure in humans. These UV bulbs are probably very effective in large, zoo-type exhibits, but in my oppinion, to strong for the average reptile enclosure. >chuckwallas which have had a remarkable response to these bulbs. They >had >an increased appetite and started breeding like crazy. The 5% UVB > >fluorescents did not even compare to these. This sounds more like a benefit from added UVA, not UVB... >One should avoid eye contact with these bulbs. This can be done >by a proper set up. But they are ok for a reptile's eyes??? Magnus _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. ########################################################################### THE GLOBAL GECKO ASSOCIATION LISTSERV WebSite: www.gekkota.com Archive: [EMAIL PROTECTED]/ The GGA takes no responsibility for the contents of these postings. ###########################################################################
