This changed my understanding of Vitamin D3 synthesis

Newbie here with the lighting, but trying to figure out some issues with my little guy (eye blinking... he is a 6 month nosy be and was just moved to a bigger cage. He's itty bitty for his age). Should I read this as the heat lamp and T5H0 are not enough because it doesn't provide him with UVA? I am not a scientist by any stretch but I grow lots of house plants, so I know a bit about broad spectrum lamps for that purpose. Neptune is stuck inside with no natural sunlight for many months of the year because he lives in Wisconsin! Thanks
 
Tarzanfam said:
Newbie here with the lighting, but trying to figure out some issues with my little guy (eye blinking... he is a 6 month nosy be and was just moved to a bigger cage. He's itty bitty for his age). Should I read this as the heat lamp and T5H0 are not enough because it doesn't provide him with UVA? I am not a scientist by any stretch but I grow lots of house plants, so I know a bit about broad spectrum lamps for that purpose. Neptune is stuck inside with no natural sunlight for many months of the year because he lives in Wisconsin! Thanks
Click to expand...
This is from uvguide.co.uk (cool site). It shows the full spectrum along with a blow up of uv portion from an Arcadia bulb. They are 6% UVB, but also 30% UVA bulbs, so they should be producing wavelengths that allow for photo-isomerization to occur. The article about the zoo med UVB LED suggests these do not do this. Hope that helps put your mind at ease that you’re supplying adequate lighting

crap my pictures won’t upload. Go here and scroll down a bit, I’ll try to find other examples http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-ArcadiaD3T5.htm
 
DocZ said:
This is from uvguide.co.uk (cool site). It shows the full spectrum along with a blow up of uv portion from an Arcadia bulb. They are 6% UVB, but also 30% UVA bulbs, so they should be producing wavelengths that allow for photo-isomerization to occur. The article about the zoo med UVB LED suggests these do not do this. Hope that helps put your mind at ease that you’re supplying adequate lighting

crap my pictures won’t upload. Go here and scroll down a bit, I’ll try to find other examples http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-ArcadiaD3T5.htm
Click to expand...
8DA3D0DE-DB93-4095-B68C-03099A7B6F21.png

Here’s the full spectrum of the Arcadia 6%. All the way to the left is the UV portion and you can see how it extends from below 300 nm (UVB) to nearly 400 nm (that includes the UVA wavelengths responsible for the light mediated reactions in the skin)
 
Tarzanfam said:
Newbie here with the lighting, but trying to figure out some issues with my little guy (eye blinking... he is a 6 month nosy be and was just moved to a bigger cage. He's itty bitty for his age). Should I read this as the heat lamp and T5H0 are not enough because it doesn't provide him with UVA? I am not a scientist by any stretch but I grow lots of house plants, so I know a bit about broad spectrum lamps for that purpose. Neptune is stuck inside with no natural sunlight for many months of the year because he lives in Wisconsin! Thanks
Click to expand...
Eye blinking could be indicative of something in his eye. Normally, this is not serious; he'll wash it away on his own. It's only if it doesn't clear within a couple/few days or becomes infected that vet care might become necessary.

Basking lamp & UVB are for him; you may also need plant lights for the plants.
This one is somewhat popular here (and has recently come down in price).
https://www.sansiled.com/collections/led-grow-lights/products/70w-led-grow-light
and is currently on sale...
https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Daylight-Lights-Indoor-Plants/dp/B07TKKG8Q3
though there are also usually coupons & discounts (either/or) for first-time purchases.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=sansi+coupons
 
DocZ said:
This is from uvguide.co.uk (cool site). It shows the full spectrum along with a blow up of uv portion from an Arcadia bulb. They are 6% UVB, but also 30% UVA bulbs, so they should be producing wavelengths that allow for photo-isomerization to occur. The article about the zoo med UVB LED suggests these do not do this. Hope that helps put your mind at ease that you’re supplying adequate lighting

crap my pictures won’t upload. Go here and scroll down a bit, I’ll try to find other examples http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-ArcadiaD3T5.htm
Click to expand...
Oh thank you so much! Just switched him into a larger cage with a new Arcadia bulb, 6% at the proper distance according to Chameleon Academy for his species. Sounds like he should be ok. So glad to have your help and these links also! Thanks again
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
Eye blinking could be indicative of something in his eye. Normally, this is not serious; he'll wash it away on his own. It's only if it doesn't clear within a couple/few days or becomes infected that vet care might become necessary.

Basking lamp & UVB are for him; you may also need plant lights for the plants.
This one is somewhat popular here (and has recently come down in price).
https://www.sansiled.com/collections/led-grow-lights/products/70w-led-grow-light
and is currently on sale...
https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Daylight-Lights-Indoor-Plants/dp/B07TKKG8Q3
though there are also usually coupons & discounts (either/or) for first-time purchases.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=sansi+coupons
Click to expand...
Thanks. He has had his eye flushed twice at the vets and has had one shed. Unfortunately, we don't have a super well trained vet in our area, but our breeder thinks the new cage set up will help a lot as he was a bit too close to the UVB in the smaller cage. Panthers are pickier than veileds! I didn't realize just how much, but we're in it now!!!! Haha. Thanks for the links. I appreciate it a lot!
 
Do you have an automated misting system (e.g. MistKing)?

My panther loves his. He'll often come out from the foliage into the mist (which leaves him glistening afterward). It likely helps him keep his eyes clean.
 
I don't yet. I just have a bottle that I mist with a few times a day and a fogger that runs at night. We have put so much money into his care and the illnesses our last one came to us with (our last one was a rescue in really bad shape) that a mistking is out of our budget right now unfortunately, but that would be GREAT! I learned about them recently and appreciate you bringing it to my attention. It's a long term goal!
 
DocZ said:
This is from uvguide.co.uk (cool site). It shows the full spectrum along with a blow up of uv portion from an Arcadia bulb. They are 6% UVB, but also 30% UVA bulbs, so they should be producing wavelengths that allow for photo-isomerization to occur. The article about the zoo med UVB LED suggests these do not do this. Hope that helps put your mind at ease that you’re supplying adequate lighting

crap my pictures won’t upload. Go here and scroll down a bit, I’ll try to find other examples http://www.uvguide.co.uk/UVTool-ArcadiaD3T5.htm
Click to expand...
Sorry to budge in! Doc, here the reference for that literature I was blabbering on about

1) Webb, A., DeCosta, B., & Holick, M. (1989). Sunlight regulates the cutaneous production of D3 by causing its photodegredation. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM, 68, 882-887.

2) Baines, F., Goetz, M., & Chattell, J. (2016). How much UV-B does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. JOURNAL OF ZOO AND AQUARIUM RESEARCH, 4(1), 42-63.
 
Kaizen said:
Sorry to budge in! Doc, here the reference for that literature I was blabbering on about

1) Webb, A., DeCosta, B., & Holick, M. (1989). Sunlight regulates the cutaneous production of D3 by causing its photodegredation. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM, 68, 882-887.

2) Baines, F., Goetz, M., & Chattell, J. (2016). How much UV-B does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. JOURNAL OF ZOO AND AQUARIUM RESEARCH, 4(1), 42-63.
Click to expand...
@Kaizen you are always welcome! Thanks. I’ve read the second article, but I haven’t read the first although I think Dr Baines references it in her recent review
 
Tarzanfam said:
I don't yet. I just have a bottle that I mist with a few times a day and a fogger that runs at night. We have put so much money into his care and the illnesses our last one came to us with (our last one was a rescue in really bad shape) that a mistking is out of our budget right now unfortunately, but that would be GREAT! I learned about them recently and appreciate you bringing it to my attention. It's a long term goal!
Click to expand...
OK. I think you can still help him with that. When you mist, aim high so it doesn't spray him directly, but falls on him like gentle rain. Hopefully, he'll do the rest. ;)
 
Honestly since running a T5, I've cut D3 supplementation entirely after being recommended as such by my vet after my cham developed some signs of having too much D3. He's fine now, but I got him just as T5s were becoming more common for UV lights. In the past year or two, I've just been able to source them locally.
 
Jevin said:
Honestly since running a T5, I've cut D3 supplementation entirely after being recommended as such by my vet after my cham developed some signs of having too much D3. He's fine now, but I got him just as T5s were becoming more common for UV lights. In the past year or two, I've just been able to source them locally.
Click to expand...
You aren’t the only one phasing out D3 in your supplements.
what is your supplementation schedule?
And what were the signs of having too much D3 that you and your vet noted?
 
I'm still not so sure phasing out the D3 is necessary or a good idea. When only used lightly, twice a month, it at least gives the chameleons some D3 in case the UVB light isn't right or not in a position to be useful to the chameleon's or is old and should have been replaced, etc. I feel it is especially important for newbies who might not yet know how to get the lighting right at first. It gives them a cushion I think. For keepers who have been keeping chameleons for quite a while, I could see them trying to phase it out...but I wouldn't bother.

More later.
 
kinyonga said:
I'm still not so sure phasing out the D3 is necessary or a good idea. When only used lightly, twice a month, it at least gives the chameleons some D3 in case the UVB light isn't right or not in a position to be useful to the chameleon's or is old and should have been replaced, etc. I feel it is especially important for newbies who might not yet know how to get the lighting right at first. It gives them a cushion I think. For keepers who have been keeping chameleons for quite a while, I could see them trying to phase it out...but I wouldn't bother.

More later.
Click to expand...
I definitely agree with this
 
@DocZ ...you've likely seen this very long video already.....it's more about the light than the vitamin D3 but does talk about the D3 at the end...hope some of you who haven't seen it enjoy it...
 
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