Lecture in Munich on LED lighting

Lecture in Munich on LED lighting

Live lectures

Anyone involved in chameleon husbandry will increasingly come across LED lighting. Although their use has been rather limited so far, LEDs now offer many possibilities, but also some dangers. Physicist Sarina Wunderlich from www.licht-im-terrarium.de has studied the subject in depth and bundled everything important into an informative lecture. The lecture “UV-B-LEDS: New developments and tried and tested methods for supplying vitamin D3 to terrarium inhabitants” will take place on Thursday, 18.08.2022, at 7 pm at the Munich State Zoological Collection. If you would like to attend, please send an email to Kathrin Glaw. A contribution towards expenses of € 10 will be charged, and drinks and pretzels will be organised.

Sarina Wunderlich UV-B-LEDS: New developments and tried and tested for supplying vitamin D3 to terrarium inhabitants

Lecture room of the Zoologische Staatssammlung München
Münchhausenstraße 1
81247 München
Start of lecture: 7 pm

Influence of UV-B on growth

Influence of UV-B on growth

Short messages Science

An interesting husbandry experience from the USA was presented in a short note in the Herpetological Review. Twelve carpet chameleon hatchlings (Furcifer lateralis) from the same clutch were divided into four groups of three animals each. During the first ten weeks after hatching, two groups were provided with a daily UV index of up to 3 for 12 h, the other two groups with a UV index of up to 7. Reptisun 5.0 was used to achieve the different UV indices. Measurements were taken with the Solarmeter 6.5. The chameleons were allowed to avoid UVI up to 0. After six, eight and ten weeks, the carpet chameleons were measured and weighed. It was noticed that in weeks 6 and 10, the groups with the lower UV index were up to 25% heavier than the comparison groups.

The two authors conclude that higher UV indices during rearing in the first weeks could lead to slower growth rates in carpet chameleons. This would correspond to the observation in nature that young animals “sunbathe” rather rarely and stay more hidden in the bushes. Due to the small group of test subjects and mixed groups instead of individual keeping, you must still be cautious with conclusions here. In addition, it is unfortunately still largely unexplored whether and how chameleons can regulate their vitamin D3 regulation in artificial light compared to natural sunlight. Nevertheless, it is a very interesting approach that is certainly worth pursuing.

Furcifer lateralis (carpet chameleon): Impact of Ultraviolet Light on growth
Michael J. Nash, Christopher V. Anderson
Herpetological Review 52 (2), 2022