English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

I bought a new UVB 10 light for my turtles. I am afraid it might cause skin cancer, so can I switch it on when I'm sleeping at night time. I know the maximum to switch on for a day is 12 hrs.

2007-03-16 03:44:43 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets Reptiles

7 answers

No, no , no. Your turtle has natural rhythms that should not be disturbed. Are you sitting under this UV light for 12 hours? If not, don't worry about skin cancer.

2007-03-16 12:32:33 · answer #1 · answered by Susan M 3 · 0 0

I'm pretty sure you're not gonna get skin cancer from your turtles' UVB light... I must have 1,000 forms of skin cancer now since I'm around those lights so much. If you really want to turn it on at night, I don't see a problem with that. It's not like your turtles are going to know that it's actually dark outside when their light is on.

2007-03-16 10:55:44 · answer #2 · answered by Garnet 2 · 0 0

Absolutely! Actually, they need night time darker to rest just like any one else. I turn the light out at night. Think about it, in the wild it gets dark at night, even the temp. drops over night. I would strive to create a more natural environment. If you have a safe place or a cage of some kind, set them in it outside during the day whenever you can, and when it's warm enough. Just make sure they have access of water and a shadey place to hide and get out of the sun if they want to. They'll love it. The sun 's UV's are really good for their shells. If you can't during the week, a couple of hours or so on the weekends, is better than none at all. If you don't have a cage for outside, just sit out there with them and let them feel the dirt and grass under their feet. Otherwise, if it worries you, move it into another room.. That lights not gonna hurt you! You would have to sit directly over it on your skin all day long, every day. (i.e. like tanning beds) Enjoy life! Worry and stress are more harmful, and cause more sicknesses, than anything else.

2007-03-16 22:14:42 · answer #3 · answered by cas1025 4 · 0 0

No, do not use UV lighing at night. UVB lamps also radiate UVA, which will stimulate their activity and confuse them in regards to their diurnal cycle.

Fact is...your use of a 10.0 indicates that you are using a fluorescent tube light, which truth be told, is inferior in UV radiation output compared to a mercury vapor lamp, and the sun. It is nowhere near enough to give you skin cancer. I doubt it would give you even a freckle if you were to sleep under it yourself. That's why I don't use them for herps. I only use mercury vapors, or natural sunlight. The way I see it, if it is not strong enough to potentially give you skin cancer, then it's not doing your herps any good. That's the facts.

UV is a form of "radiation", and with significant exposure, in intensity or time, it can have negative health effects. But you will get more exposure from the sun, just walking past a window, or out to your car than you will get from putting your hand under that 10.0 for a longer length of time. At a distance of a foot or more, you can get nothing from that fluorescent light. That is why they must be so close if you are going to use them instead of buying a "good" light.

Brand new most fluorescent lamps transmit between 3-13 microwatts cm/2 UVB. The sun on the other hand can put out 220 microwatts cm/2 at noontime in the summer here in Texas. Further south toward the equator, like in the Arizona desert or Mexico, it can be closer to 250 mW. A decent mercury vapor UVB spot/flood lamp will produce 150-250 mW when new, then degrade over the months. But after 6-9 months, it may still be producing 50 mW or so. Even in the morning and afternoon, when turtles are basking and hunting for food, the UVB output of the sun is higher than what a fluorescent can put out. A worn in mercury vapor comes a lot closer.

So you see, your 10.0 fluorescent tube has no chance of providing anywhere near the UV that a turtle would get in the wild...so why even use it? A mercury vapor lamp does have more risks, particularly to the eyes, because it produces stronger radiation. But the way you solve that; is to not have it in a room your will frequent all the time ( living room, bed room, etc. ), or so that you will not be within 3 ft. of the light for extended periods of time.

Most mercury vapor's only have a useable cone of radiation that extends to 3 ft. from the face of the glass, and at that distance, the UV is low. This is why I use the best mercury vapors on the market for the money, the Westron / Reptile UV "Mega-Ray" brand. They also manufacture the Active UV Heat for T-Rex, but the original Mega Ray is higher quality and can be bought from the internet cheaper than buying a T-Rex Active UV Heat at Petco.

Also, figures like "5.0" "8.0" "10.0", or "10%" etc. really say nothing about the UV output of the lamp. That just means that it may produce 10% of it's total output in UVB. But what is the total output? In what part of the spectrum specifically? I could have a lamp that produces only 1% UVB that is better than your 10%, depending on how big the total output is. I prefer to use the industry term "microwatts" instead. It is more precise, and you know just what you are getting when you buy a lamp that is rated in microwatts instead of "10.0". I don't know what "10.0" means. That doesn't tell me how many microwatts of UVB your herp is getting does it?

http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/uvb_output_of_bulbs.htm
http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-160-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
http://www.reptileuvinfo.com/document-list.php
http://www.reptileuvinfo.com/html/mega-ray-narrow-flood-report.htm
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/links.htm
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/zoolamps.htm

2007-03-16 17:44:24 · answer #4 · answered by Fireside3/Phrynosoma-Texas 4 · 0 0

A properly set-up UVB light will not cause skin cancer in reptiles. Also, a properly set-up light should not be casting enough light at you to cause any risk in your skin.

If you are concerned about this anyway, just cut back on the exposure to about 4-6 hours a day around noon or early afternoon.

Having lights on at night is stressful to the turtles and should be avoided.

2007-03-16 13:24:49 · answer #5 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1 0

These lights will not harm you. Besides that; the uvb amount that is in them is only good from so far away; so you won't be absorbing any rays unless you are withing 26 inches from the bulb. (the same goes for your turtle). It is not recommended to have it on at night; because they are diurnal and need day/night cycles. If you have them on only at night; you will mess with the cycle and it can cause problems.

2007-03-16 13:52:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

No, it will disrupt their sleep pattern. It wont cause you to have skin cancer, it is totally safe.

2007-03-16 11:53:18 · answer #7 · answered by allyalexmch 6 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers