Hello everyone,
I was just wondering if too much UV from a standard 5 foot double tube fluorescent light is bad for anoles. My concern is that my anoles like to sit directly on the tubes and bask in the light. The lights are not very hot to the touch but extremely bright. Can it make them blind?
The image I uploaded is filtered to reduce the glow and doesn't show the real intensity.
Any thoughts on this lighting and possible harm to my lizards is appreciated.

Attached Images

SANY1473.jpg (11.3 KB, 19 views)

Nah. If the light was too bright, they'd likely be hiding under a rock. Besides, they probably are never looking directly at the light. They just want the benefits of sitting under it.

Real sunlight has much more UVB than is in those little lights, I believe. It's not going to hurt them.

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What type of bulbs are those? If they are standard flourescents they do not generate UVB light.

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Merlin,
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I had the same question as Merlin. If you didn't buy those as UVB tubes, they're not UVB. Fluorescent lights don't give off UVB normally, you have to buy special ones for that. Also, UV, basking light, full-spectrum, sun light, reptile light, etc don't usually equate to UVB. If it doesn't say UVB, it's not UVB. Fluorescent UVB's also go bad after about 6 months, so if they're older than that they're not doing their job.

But that said, they won't likely go blind. Still, I would reposition the light so that it's above them, if it's not. I think it is, but it's hard to tell. Be sure they're not too hot either. The bulbs don't project much heat, but actually touching the bulb itself can sometimes be a bit hot.

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Wow I didn't know there was so many different types of lighting. I guess even my full spectrum gro-lites would be an inadequate source of uvb. I have a light setup with generic fluorescent lights and full spectrum lights mixed with incandescent lights so I can grow tropical plants but I guess anoles are even more exact in their requirements. I only want the best for the lizards and will get them the right lighting. I thought I would ask you guys first instead of the Petsmart kid. Actually I wouldn't even dare ask him that question.

good to ask. If you want GREAT UVB light (lasting at least a year) check out Welcome To ReptileUV - Mega-Ray® UVB lamps for reptile lighting worldwide for their mega-ray lights. animals LOVE basking under them.

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My name is Liz
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Plants are more reliant on UVA than UVB. UVB serves little purpose for anyone that doesn't keep reptiles, so most lights don't come with it. Many pet store lights that say "full spectrum" are just taking advantage of the customer. "Full spectrum" doesn't really mean anything. It could be the full visible spectrum, which doesn't include UVB. It could be the full spectrum of light, but that would include some really dangerous wavelengths, so it's really just a name. If it doesn't say UVB, it's not UVB.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

No it is not to bright. I could not tell from the picture but it looked like you did not have a screen top, it is not good to let them touch the bulb, I suggest having a screen top in between them and the light.

Bear in mind that a screen top with holes smaller than a 1/4 inch will greatly reduce the amount on UVB getting to the lizards.

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That regular fluorescent light is set up vertically against the wall for my plants since they are too tall to light them from above. I did get a 24" repti-glo 5.0 uvb light yesterday for my anoles. I just have to find a good place to put it. My anoles are free roaming and have a big jungle to play in so placing the light where they will actually use it will be a challenge. I guess I could cut down the uva lights for my plants to force them to bask underneath the uvb light. Time to experiment today.