One of the essentials to taking care of a reptile pet is making sure it gets adequate lighting. In nature, reptiles follow sleep-wake cycles that give them exactly what they need from the sun. However, when they live in captivity (like in a terrarium in your house) they do not get enough daily sunlight to stay warm and healthy. And that’s where UV lighting comes in. But how much UV light does your reptile really need? The short answer is that it varies by species. Read on to find out the light requirements for the most popular reptile pets.
UVA & UVB
There are two main types of UV light—UVA and UVB. Which kind does your reptile need? For most reptiles, the answer is both. And regular light bulbs cannot provide either of these. That is why you need special lighting for your exotic pet’s terrarium.
Reptiles are able to see parts of the light spectrum that humans cannot. They have color receptors in their eyes that pick up ultraviolet light. Specifically, UVA light allows them to see things normally for a reptile. That means a bulb that provides UVA is necessary for your reptile to see food or cage mates properly. Providing enough UVA light at the right times of day helps your reptile to behave in a manner more natural to its species, including proper digestion, reproductive cycles, social behavior, and activity levels.
UVB light is the kind that helps your reptile to produce vitamin D. As with humans, this is an essential vitamin that your reptile needs to get from the sun or from full spectrum artificial lighting. Most herps need calcium powder applied to their food, but without UVB light to help them manufacture vitamin D, calcium is not well absorbed. Both types of UV light are needed for your reptile to remain healthy.
What does your exotic pet need?
The thing to remember is that each reptile has an ideal range for UV lighting. You need to make sure they are getting enough, but you don’t want to overdo it and get the maximum UV output available. Here are tips on lighting needs for some of the most popular reptile pets:
- Bearded dragon—requires two separate light sources, one to provide heat and UVA light and another to provide UVB light. Bearded dragons require some of the highest amounts of UVB of all reptile pets. Your beardy will do best with a mercury vapor bulb like PowerSun (which can be used both as a basking light and UVB source) or a fluorescent tube. Compact fluorescents do not give off enough UVB for bearded dragons.
- Veiled chameleon—also requires separate heat/UVA and UVB lights. Unlike chameleon species that live on the rainforest floor, the veiled chameleon needs moderately high amounts of UVB exposure, and compact fluorescents are not sufficient.
- Green iguana—requires separate bulbs for heat/UVA and UVB. Because green iguanas are larger reptiles that need big enclosures, you will likely need two UVB bulbs that cover a large area, such as fluorescent tube bulbs.
- Corn snakes—only require one light source that provides heat and UVA. Most snakes do not require separate UVB lighting.
- Ball python—requires only heat/UVA lighting.
When selecting an exotic pet, you should always do your research first to make sure you can properly care for it. A good first step is to talk to the people at your local exotic pet store. They handle and take care of various reptile species every day. Ask a staff member at The Tye-Dyed Iguana about lighting and other requirements if you are considering a reptile pet.