This educational handout on ultraviolet lighting in reptiles is a shorter version of the complete article authored by Dr. Frances M. Baines. This handout is supplemented by two appendices as well as sections that list further reading and online resources that can be included or excluded to best meet individual client needs.
Full-spectrum lighting is essential for reptile health. Sunlight – whether natural or simulated in a vivarium – is a vital resource. For decades, the focus has been upon provision of the correct spectrum and intensity of ultraviolet-B (UVB), primarily to enable vitamin D3 synthesis in the skin. More recently, the importance of all wavelengths found in daylight – from full sunlight to dim light filtering through deep shade – is increasingly recognized. UVB, ultraviolet-A (UVA), visible light and short-wavelength infrared (IR-A) all play important roles. This article reviews the relationship between vitamin D and lighting before exploring general guidelines on UV lights as well as specific advice on choosing bulbs, including recommendations on lamps to avoid.
Dr. Frances Baines is a recently retired veterinarian who spent the last 19 years researching the use of specialist lighting, including ultraviolet lighting, in the husbandry of reptiles, amphibians and more recently, mammals, birds and invertebrates. Until her retirement, Frances was an appointed Advisor to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums who awarded her Honorary Membership in 2019, and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Animal Welfare Working Group. Frances has led training workshops in many zoos and she has given numerous lectures to herpetological and zoological societies…
