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Kriminaal - this is very true.. there is a disorder called SAD or seasonal affective disorder, where the weather and changing seasons cause a serious effect on our moods. Most people suffer from SAD to a small degree - ever noticed that when the sun is shining you feel much happier in general? That's the UV rays working their magic! So, of course it is only natural that it should do the same for other animals..
As humans we are a strange race .. if you observe other animals, they wake up when the sun comes up and go to sleep when the sun goes down (or vice versa for nocturnal creatures), they go to sleep when it is too cold and food is scarce and breed when the sun starts shining and conditions are right for growth and good health. We try to defy this natural logic, and are often affected by it, and then try to put it onto our animals - our uros are quite sleepy at the moment and are not eating masses of food, however, temps are still a few degrees lower and photoperiod is still short, despite our upping the artificial lights - our animals are not stupid. They know when it's right to wake up.
Having said that, some time in the natural sunlight can be hugely beneficial if you can provide it - despite how good some artificial UV bulbs may be, they can never really substitute for the real thing.
Regarding vit supplements - we powdered some finch seed and put it in a bowl for our uros and they seem to really enjoy it, so there goes my worry about them not getting calcium and vitamins. The calcium powder is particularly good as it sticks to the seed much better than the vitamins. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to put in a lid of calcium powder like we do with the geckos too.
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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004
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