Direct Sunlight vs indirect Sunlight

[SpartyTessy]

Ok I saw another thread by Miss Lilly in regards to Her Jackson being outside how much UV light does it still need. This brings me to another question. My two Jackson's stay outside as I live here in Hawaii . Where I have them they get about 2 hours of half cage direct sunlight a day(never the whole cage). One hour in the morning and one hour in the late after noon. Other than that they are in the shade. So 2 hours of possible direct sunlight and the rest shade but still outside.

How different are the levels of UVB from being outside in shade compared to direct sunlight and compared to say a Reptisun 5.0 bulb?? I know no bulb can compare to the benefits of direct sunlight but how much actual UVB are they getting while being in the shade? I am sure that it depends on the intensity of the sun which here in Hawaii its pretty high. So I am wondering are they getting more indirect UVB by being in the shade than compared to a Reptisun 5.0 UVB bulb? And if they are outside even though they get just 2 hours of direct sunlight a day and the other 10 shade do they still need a UVB light? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[SpartyTessy]

bump for nighttime experts.

 

[SpartyTessy]

Is there another thread that I can at least get referred to if this has been discussed before?

 

[xanthoman]

direct sunlight is good (shade provided), but imo, as long as they are getting several hrs a week of unfiltered daylight (meaning shade, overcast whatever)
then they are getting enough natural uvb to dispense with d3 altogether.

i know that 2hrs of daylight a week (assuming it includes a fair amount of direct sunlight and is supplemented with 5.0 the rest of the time, and assuming the animal is otherwise healthy and on a reasonably diverse and balanced diet) . imo, the more natural daylight the better, but i know that level is enough to dispense with d3 altogether. now if for some reason we were talking predominately shade or overcast, imo i would probably add an hr or 2 to that just to be safe.

imo, if your animals get more than a few hrs a week, i would withhold d3 altogether. excess preformed d3, stays in the liver for a really long time and can be really hard to flush out. excess d3 causes calcification of the organs. add excess calcium into the mix and it can cause calcification of the blood vessels, impaction and loss of appetite.
http://www.uvma.org/chameleon/vitamind3.htm

if its actual uv levels you are looking for, i think both Dave Weldon and uvguide.net have done previous posts on that subject. but i dont have the links handy,. jmo

 

[Hoj]

With regards to the ammount of uvb in the direct sun vs shade vs reptisun

These are just general numbers I have found using my solarmeter.

Direct sun on a clear day 250-350
Average shade or heavy cloud cover 75-150
Reptisun 5.0 at about 8" through screen 55-75

That said I have found some interesting things with the shade. If the object providing the shade is close to the animal the uvb that recollects behind it will be much less even when the ambient light seems to be the same. At about 10" and less directly behind an object there will be little to no uvb.

 

[SpartyTessy]

direct sunlight is good (shade provided), but imo, as long as they are getting several hrs a week of unfiltered daylight (meaning shade, overcast whatever)
then they are getting enough natural uvb to dispense with d3 altogether.

i know that 2hrs of daylight a week (assuming it includes a fair amount of direct sunlight and is supplemented with 5.0 the rest of the time, and assuming the animal is otherwise healthy and on a reasonably diverse and balanced diet) . imo, the more natural daylight the better, but i know that level is enough to dispense with d3 altogether. now if for some reason we were talking predominately shade or overcast, imo i would probably add an hr or 2 to that just to be safe.

imo, if your animals get more than a few hrs a week, i would withhold d3 altogether. excess preformed d3, stays in the liver for a really long time and can be really hard to flush out. excess d3 causes calcification of the organs. add excess calcium into the mix and it can cause calcification of the blood vessels, impaction and loss of appetite.
http://www.uvma.org/chameleon/vitamind3.htm

if its actual uv levels you are looking for, i think both Dave Weldon and uvguide.net have done previous posts on that subject. but i dont have the links handy,. jmo

Thank you very much for the information you have provided. That is the reason I was wondering about the UVB is to figure out the actual levels of D3 sup that they needed. I have two Jackson's, a female and a male. They are getting anywhere between 4-8 hours of actual sunlight a week give or take a little depending on overcast. I was giving them D3 sup every 6 weeks and I know depending on the conditions some do once ever 4 weeks, some 6 and some every 2 months. I know Jackson's are very sensitive to over supplementing which is why I wanted to get a good idea of how much D3 mine should actually be getting according to natural sunlight. Thanks for the link and what I have gotten from it(head spinning from all the scientific words) is that regardless they will only be able to process a certain amount of calcium and that level that they can process is dependent upon how much Vitamin D they are getting and excess calcium can and will build up coming from over supplementing causing problems. I will hold out on giving my two Chams D3 at all.

 

[SpartyTessy]

With regards to the ammount of uvb in the direct sun vs shade vs reptisun

These are just general numbers I have found using my solarmeter.

Direct sun on a clear day 250-350
Average shade or heavy cloud cover 75-150
Reptisun 5.0 at about 8" through screen 55-75

That said I have found some interesting things with the shade. If the object providing the shade is close to the animal the uvb that recollects behind it will be much less even when the ambient light seems to be the same. At about 10" and less directly behind an object there will be little to no uvb.

Wow thank you very much for the numbers. That is very interesting that just by them being outside in the shade they are still getting more UVB than a 5.0 inside. I have a question with regards to the level you are getting. Is it true the closer to the equator the higher that number would be? Thank you very much Hoj your blog and all of your info has helped me so much. I am always re-reading your blog on the proper care of Jacksons.

 

[Hoj]

Wow thank you very much for the numbers. That is very interesting that just by them being outside in the shade they are still getting more UVB than a 5.0 inside. I have a question with regards to the level you are getting. Is it true the closer to the equator the higher that number would be? Thank you very much Hoj your blog and all of your info has helped me so much. I am always re-reading your blog on the proper care of Jacksons.

Thx alot. I have not been able to get much closer to the equator with my meter but I do believe you are correct.

 

[Calypso]

WOW, I had no idea they get so little from their bulbs. Is there a way I can find out the same type of stats for my PowersunUV? Now that I'm reading this it's stated getting me all concerned. Taking my little lady out this afternoon as soon as these storm clouds pass. THANKS, and great question