I intend to provide uvb

[ConcinusMan]

Totally unnecessary to provide UV but I've also used reptisun 18'' bulbs (never expose albinos to UV including sunlight). It does seem to have some behavioral influence such as more activity, increased appetite, etc. They just seem more lively. However, I get the same result from any bulb that provides a naturalistic color balance and intensity, even if it doesn't put out UV. The more closely you can approximate natural daylight spectrum the better I think, but it doesn't necessarily have to put out UV. Snakes can get all the vitamin D they need from their food, unlike many lizards which can only synthesize it.

Most, if not all snakes are like humans in that a little UV exposure does sythesize vitamin D, (about 10 minutes of direct sun per week will synthesize all the D we need) but as long as we get some from our food, we can live without explosure to UV. Many lizards cannot live without UV but that's not the case with snakes.

On a side note, I noticed that in the longest days of the year, garters here tend to avoid the midday sun when the UV index is highest, even if it's a very cool day. From about 11:30am to 5pm they just vanish. Doesn't seem to be tied to the temperature since we often have the highest temperatures after 5pm and they still come out to bask. Seems they're really just avoiding the high UV. Of course, in fall, winter, or early spring, they don't avoid midday sun and I think that's because the UV index is much lower.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

"I get the same result from any bulb that provides a naturalistic color balance and intensity"
The light may look natural to you but probably doesn't to the snake.

[ConcinusMan]

I'm not talking about just how it looks necessarily. I'm talking about actual colors it puts out and many bulbs I can buy actually compare it's output on the label, to the natural spectrum of sunlight. One that approximates the colors of the rainbow rather than being mostly red, (a bulb like that will put out visually yellowish light) or mostly blue, (like many "bright white" florescents and white LED's) is better for snakes, and plant growth. Indecently, one that does put out a more natural spectrum will appear more like natural daylight. Not too yellow, (sometimes called "warm") and not too blue (sometimes called "cold").

If you have any doubts, you can always set a digital camera's white balance to "daylight" or "outdoor" shooting. Then take photos of something using only the bulb in question to illuminate your subject. If the resulting picture looks too blueish, or too yellow under the outdoor setting, you'll know it's not a very balanced spectrum. I know that with the reptisun bulbs, I can set camera white balance to "outdoor" or "daylight" and the pictures still have a fairly natural looking white balance. If I do that with the bright white florescent in my kitchen, the pictures come out looking cold/bluish.


You can buy cheaper bulbs that do the same thing, (a balanced spectrum) but lack the UV output. Just go for a bulb that advertises it's proximity to natural daylight (grow lights are pretty good) and that's good enough. Also, a blueish "bright white" florescent combined with a yellowish incandescent balances things out pretty nicely too. Whatever you do just see to it that your lighting isn't too white/cold or too yellow/warm and that's good enough.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

The snakes can see UV radiation so will be able to tell the difference. I just think it's best for the snake to give it the option of using it as they know what they want better than we ever could.