Welcome to the website
of a small team of reptile keepers
researching the use of ultraviolet light in reptile
husbandry
Important
News: 18 March 2010
ReptileUV
MegaRay, T-Rex Active UV Heat Flood and Komodo
UV-Sun
mercury vapour lamps
ReptileUV,
T-Rex and Komodo have advised that there has
been a problem with certain batches of these
lamps, all produced by Westron of Canada, since
October 2009.
If
you have purchased ANY lamp from the ReptileUV
MegaRay Series, T-Rex Active UV Heat Series
or Komodo UV-Sun since October 2009
please
read this
Read
our
introduction to
find out why many reptiles need ultraviolet light
Please
read our
report first published in 2007, but still
relevant, concerning hazardous UVB output from
several brands of high-output UVB fluorescent
lamps. This can cause eye problems (photo-kerato-conjunctivitis)
and ill health in some pet reptiles.
If your reptile has recently had a new lamp fitted,
and now seems unwilling to open its eyes then
this information could be vital - some "problem"
lamps may still be out there..
It
is nearly five years since we first launched UV
Guide UK. We never expected it to be so popular
- since our launch we have had over 137,000 visitors,
and now we get up to 100 a day, from an astonishing
103 countries worldwide!
Since
2005, however, there have been some fascinating
advances in our knowledge and we have tested many
new lamps.
We
also have important new information about the UV
Index and how using a UV Index meter can help identify
lamps which may have a UVB output not as "sunlike"
as those we've been used to..
A
full update of all our test results is now essential.
It
will take a while to complete the update, page by
page. Please bear with us if things are a bit chaotic
while the work takes place....
Disclaimer
We
wish to make it clear that it is not
our intention to promote or "recommend" any
of the products that we have tested.
Nor
do we intend to compare any of the products we
have tested, one with another. We
do not, and will not, recommend any one product over
another, nor will we declare any product
"the best". We are merely reporting the results
of our tests, so that you, the reptile keeper, may learn
more about the wide range of products now available.
Although
we have done our best to research, and report upon,
the UV requirements of different species we
are not able to make specific recommendations about
which type or brand of lamp would be most suitable
for a particular set-up. We hope that you will find
our reports useful in deciding for yourself which
product seems most suitable for your reptile and your
vivarium.
All
the recordings reported here were made by the authors
themselves unless specified otherwise. We would encourage
UVB meter owners to repeat our tests on their own lamps
and confirm our results.
Please
understand that we are hobbyists. We are NOT experts.
We present our information in good faith; our conclusions
are based upon our own observations and our understanding
of the work of others. Like everyone else, we do make
mistakes. Although our information is correct to the
best of our knowledge, we would be grateful to have
your feedback if you believe any details on our website
to be incorrect or misleading.
Copyright
details
All
the text, graphics, photographs, graphs and charts on
this website are the property of the authors, and are
fully copyrighted.
All rights reserved. Apart from any
fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research,
criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright
Act 1956, no part of this work may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or be transmitted in any form
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without our prior written permission
as copyright owners.
You
are welcome to link to this site. Please contact us
with details of your website link.
If
you wish to copy and upload any material from this site
onto another website, or print it in any format (ie.,
a magazine, journal or handout) you must contact
us and obtain written permission. Copyright infringement
is a criminal offence; but asking for permission isn't
terribly difficult and we'll most likely say "yes"...