# Best reptiles that don't need UV light?



## mrbonzai211

I want to get a new reptile but my mom isn't cool with having the lights on all day because she thinks my cat will knock it over and start a fire.... so.... what all reptiles are out there that can survive with only a UTH heater and no basking UVA/B lights?


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## dtknow

Nocturnal geckos.


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## pitbulllady

Snakes do not need UV lighting.  I know there'll be know-it-alls with a couple of years experience who'll want to argue that point, but I've kept snakes of many species, successfully, for well over 30 years without UV lighting.  I've currently got one, a Bull Snake, who is pushing 18 years of age, and is healthy as can be.  I have had Rat Snake live 19 years without auxilliary lighting, at room temperature.  When you said "reptile" you didn't specify how many legs, after all, and in my experience, most Colubrid snakes are the easiest reptiles to keep, followed by the nocturnal Geckoes and some the Australian python species.

pitbulllady

Reactions: Like 1


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## burmish101

Whoa I never knew colubrids lived that long, being that old they must be huge, well big for the species anyways how big would you estimate that bull to be?

Leopard geckoes are pretty rediculously easy to keep as well. Ive had a trio that died on me due to a strange cause. A 7 year old CB male pueblan milksnake escaped and the exact moment I got home from work, he was swallowing the last bit of gecko #3 lol. Strange it was on mice since birth and seemingly got a taste for lizard;P


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## pitbulllady

burmish101 said:


> Whoa I never knew colubrids lived that long, being that old they must be huge, well big for the species anyways how big would you estimate that bull to be?
> 
> Leopard geckoes are pretty rediculously easy to keep as well. Ive had a trio that died on me due to a strange cause. A 7 year old CB male pueblan milksnake escaped and the exact moment I got home from work, he was swallowing the last bit of gecko #3 lol. Strange it was on mice since birth and seemingly got a taste for lizard;P


I have a queen-sized bed, and he's longer than the bed is, from its head to foot.  He can have his head inside the shelves at the head of the bed and his tail touching the floor at the foot.  He's a good two feet longer than my adult female Colombian Boa.  The Greenish Rat was right at seven feet when he died.

pitbulllady


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## GiantVinegaroon

Most kingsnakes can be kept that way.  They pack a ton of personality!


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## EightLeggedFrea

Too bad my mom lets me keep dangerous scorpions, but won't let me keep any snakes .

But what about Chinese tree dragons (Japalura slpendida)? According to care sheets I've read they only need about 5% UV a day because they live in rainforests, where they would be covered by leaves.


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## dtknow

Heavy rainforest species could work also but would still need UV. A Reptisun 2.0 or older 5.0 bulb would do. In fact you could get away with using it every other day since the animals can store vit D3(used in some zoos to rotate animals between display and behind the scenes enclosures).

If this person is willing to bring his outdoors frequently for supervised basking it would work.


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## LeilaNami

Snakes and nocturnals do not absolutely need UV to survive.  However, I've been told by my herp vet that there have been more recent studies that a few hours of low exposure has its benefits in the form of melatonin and vitamin E production.  Has anyone else heard of these studies?  I've yet to get my hand on the articles.  

Back on the main topic:  Snakes and nocturnal animals are the easiest, particularly leopard geckos.


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## dtknow

Source would be interesting.

To solve that problem occasionally taking your animal out for a supervised outdoor playtime would do. If it is something small an hour or so outdoors in a rubbermaid tub in the early morning hours while being observed...perhaps once every few months?


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## LeilaNami

dtknow said:


> Source would be interesting.
> 
> To solve that problem occasionally taking your animal out for a supervised outdoor playtime would do. If it is something small an hour or so outdoors in a rubbermaid tub in the early morning hours while being observed...perhaps once every few months?


I think my vet was implying daily exposure.  Next time I see her though I'm going to see if I could snag that article if she has it still or at least get the source.


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## dtknow

Interesting. But again even species that need lots of UV light in captivity(baby torts, for example), have been maintained on a every other day UV light schedule, and even being deprived for longer periods during winter etc. I doubt daily exposure is needed.


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## LeilaNami

dtknow said:


> Interesting. But again even species that need lots of UV light in captivity(baby torts, for example), have been maintained on a every other day UV light schedule, and even being deprived for longer periods during winter etc. I doubt daily exposure is needed.


That's true.  Like I said, I wasn't sure on how much exposure.


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## loxoscelesfear

garter snakes and water snakes love to bask.  whether they need UV to maintain good health is an issue i am no expert on.  but like the others said, rat snakes, kings, milks, bulls, etc are good to go w/out UV.


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## Craig

dtknow said:


> Interesting. But again even species that need lots of UV light in captivity(baby torts, for example), have been maintained on a every other day UV light schedule, and even being deprived for longer periods during winter etc. I doubt daily exposure is needed.


All torts and turtles etc. Need DAILY exposure to UV light. If not they develop horrendous deformities, really bad nutritional deficiencies, and a large amount of other really bad problems. Trust me I see it every day. You would not believe how twisted a box turtle with no UV light and a poor diet look. They look like they came out of some strange comic book or something. 

Also, it should be noted that animals that do not usually need UV light that have one that is too powerful blasting on them end up having eye problems or becoming blind. 

Technically a little bit of UV light is good for snakes etc. It has good psychological benefits and it also makes their colors look a bit nicer. That is why zoos do it if you notice. I personally have never used UV light for any of my snakes. They always got handled a lot and I took them outside when it was warm. They did fine...


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## dtknow

Hello Craig:

What say you about hibernating animals? They certainly aren't getting UV light daily.

I rechecked my source and I should actually say that the baby torts(which were kept at a zoo) were rotated more or less daily to a low enclosure equipped with a basking light(this allowed the babies to be displayed in a high topped enclosure). Animals could be placed in such an enclosure for a few hours daily.

So while I agree that turtles and torts need UVB I think saying they need daily exposure is not 100% accurate. The cases you talk of were gross neglect and do not apply here.  

I have read of the problems with certain brands of lights using incorrect phosphors and thus outputting huge amounts of harmful UV rays. I'd stick to the tried and true reptisun bulbs or anything else a breeder has had long term success with.


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## Craig

When I was your age I did not really think UV was that important. And I'm only mentioning this because what you are writing looks like something I would have written at that time. After working with reptiles in a clinical setting for the past almost decade I have a very different opinion. Actually that is what changed my opinion. I really can't stress how important it is.


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## dtknow

Hello Craig,

I agree, you are definetly the more knowledgeable one here especially with your experience. I definetly agree UV is important and should be provided(actually, I think that nothing beats allowing your animals to go outside frequently, or better yet an outdoor enclosure! Esp. for desert or otherwise heliophilic species). However, their are cases of animals generally thought of as needing UV(anolis lizards) doing fine as long as vit D3 was supplemented appropriately.

Heres another interesting article.
http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatr...maintain-excellent-health-and-reproduce-with/


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## burmish101

Do aquatic turtles need uv lighting also? I have a baby alligator snapper and rediculously tiny musk turtle. I think I might have to go get a bulb for them. Their cage is by a window though.


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## dtknow

Yes you need UV light. Baby turtles are very suspectible to the problems Craig described...please do that ASAP. Your 2 species, luckily, are not as UV dependent as other turtles. Musks/snappers do not bask as much as, say, cooters.

Window light is not appropriate as glass/plastic filters out almost all the UV rays. 

I'd reccomend taking them outdoors daily for some time in the sun. Make sure they have a way to escape the light and stay cool.

Also, make sure you are supplementing correctly. If they are getting adequate sunlight exposure calcium without D3 should be used.


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## Mushroom Spore

burmish101 said:


> baby alligator snapper and rediculously tiny musk turtle...Their cage


I'm not sure these two should be living together.


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## Fluke

Rubber boa!


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## dtknow

Mushroom Spore said:


> I'm not sure these two should be living together.


LOL I did not see that! Yeah I'd seperate them ASAP(and consider longterm housing seriously for the Ally if you haven't already since it will get so large).


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## LeilaNami

dtknow said:


> LOL I did not see that! Yeah I'd seperate them ASAP(and consider longterm housing seriously for the Ally if you haven't already since it will get so large).


I didn't notice that either.


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## Galapoheros

They are illegal to catch now in Texas but I don't "think" the Texas Alligator Lizard needs much but probably needs some UV.  That's a real neat native lizard.  Before they were illegal to sell in the stores, I saw them going for around $50 and it's a local lizard.  I'm kind of assuming they don't need much UV because I would usually find them in the shade around treed creek beds, but I have seen them sunning on a rock or road too.


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## dtknow

Indeed, probably not as sun loving as Sceloporus or similar. I think they do still need UV, however as a diurnal species that occasionally basks. Now, perhaps they could be kept with only D3 supplementation but I think with a large tame lizard such as that taking it outside is no problemo.Their are many similar lizards available in the hobby from other places with no legal issues.


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## Reptile Kid

Does anyone know of any lizard that needs no 24/7 UVA/B and heat lamps. (my mom doesn’t want any snake)


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## AverageTy

I think gargoyles, crested geckos and the other new Caledonian geckos don't. Some can be fed just a prepared food as well making them even easier to keep.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Teal

Crested Gecko was going to be my suggestion, as well. They like cooler temps and don't need any supplemental light.


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## gerryfkno

I've also kept king and milk snakes with and without UV light and didn't see any difference in health either way. Wasn't providing any vitamins either just a steady diet of mice plus an occasional lizard.

Seems to be much more important to lizards though especially Chinese water dragons and several others. Nowadays I give UV light plus calcium with D3 and occasionally a multivitamin. While it may not be vital to some it certainly doesn't hurt. I try to do everything I can to give them the best life/health as possible.

They have compact fluorescent bulbs that provide UV light now. Very little chance of one starting a fire but they don't provide any heat either. For heat I started using zilla compact mini halogen fixtures and bulbs which come with a spring clamp that hooks them to a screen top for safety. Also get as much heat out of a 50w bulb as you get out of a 100-150w infrared/incandescent bulbs and lifespan is much longer. Really digging them so far


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## gerryfkno

https://express.google.com/u/0/prod...0XVagcF0E2qm0L7EtLPZhCydDTNr1nxwaArllEALw_wcB

The one pic shows it clamped to a screen top which will prevent what your mom is afraid might happen. Also a fear of mine since my 95lb dog is home alone quite often. Afraid he might knock a light off with his tail or nose while checking out the critters not on stands


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## GRosea

I agree with a lot of people- snakes are really one of the best ways to go. My current snake doesn't have any UV lights, just a heat mat, and she's healthy as can be. Mind you, it's always good to have at least one clear side on an enclosure for a snake, after all having no light isn't exactly good! Snakes do fine with or without a light- I'd assume that a light is best if the room it is housed in is poorly lit. 
So, yeah- I'd advise a snake.


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