Vitamin D3 with no uv lights?!?!

I was reading around online and saw some places saying that if you supplement with a vitamin supplement with D3 that no uv bulb is needed. That just doesn't seem right to me, can anyone shed some light on this, or any opinions/experience? All of my dragons are under 10.0 bulbs, I'm just curious about this! Thanks

NOOOO. They need UV bulbs and supplements to thrive. I don't know where you saw that, but it is wrong. That's why there are so many sick dragons and people needing help, because some sites/people spread these false facts. But in all seriousness, no. Dragons absolutely need all the UV they can get, and even with the lights, its not a lot.

Andy

It was actually on daichu's website, that's why I thought it was weird...

http://www.dachiu.com/care/bbeard.html

third paragraph down, weird huh?

Very. Hmm I've never heard that, and I wouldn't expect it from dachiu.

Andy

Exactly what I was thinking, specially coming from them... That's what got me wonderng... As for me, I'll stick with the good ol' uv bulbs and supplements haha

My thoughts exactly haha. Maybe its outdated info, idk. It does say for hatchlings, but I would think they especially need it. It doesn't mater lol.

Andy

Some keepers here in OZ don't believe in the whole UV lighting. Many have successfully kept and bred dragons to old age without ever using UV lighting just supplements of Ca with D3.

What do you mean "don't believe in"? Its science! lol. I think that they can be kept and survive without UV lighting, but it helps them thrive. Do they get natural sunlight, or just the powder?

Andy

Actually the whole not believe in UVB lights thing def happened to me. When I was first getting everything set up for my beardie I went to a locally known reptile store in my area and the guy there told me that they never used UVB lights and even went so far to say that they leave their basking lights on all day/night long. He actually told me that UVB lighting was a joke and that people started publishing false information in books about it during the 70's and it's been happening ever since. Luckily I found this website and did some research on my own because I thought he was crazy when he told me that, and it didn't sound right. When I walked around the store they had like 10 adult beardies in one 20 gallon viv too. It was really sad.

Makes me wonder though how many people out there arn't using UVB lights for their beardie because of that guy.

I've never heard of not using UVB at all if you supplement with D3. What I have heard is that, if you are using MVBs you should not supplement with D3 and instead find plain calcium powder. But if you are using a fluorescent tube, you should supplement with calcium + D3.

As for people claiming that they've had beardies live to old age without UVB, that might be true. Some beardies might be able to survive that. Hell, I read about one beardie that was 4 years old, had never had UVB, and was only fed cat food! So, some beardies are just hardy and can survive pretty horrible conditions. But I've also seen beardies less than a year old with horrible MBD due to lack of calcium and UVB. So, I'd obviously rather err on the side of caution and do everything I can to keep my beardie happy and healthy.

The process of turning Ca to usable Vit D3 is not dependant on UVB lights it is dependant on methabolism. You can give a dragon as much UVB and Ca with D3 as you like if the body is not processing it its useless. It is not a question that UVB promotes the production of D3 in dragons from calcium intake, that is fact.
What I am trying to get at is if there is already "inactive" D3 in the diet then there is no need for UVB, just add heat for methabolism and the dragon will use the consumed Ca with D3 for nutrients.

This is what some people down under do and have done so with success for decades. Before the whole mass production of the reptile husbandry industry. People here use to use ground cuttle fish bone for calcium, that is pure natural calcium supplement. Think of its as the canned stuff you get being "mass produced" and the cuttle fish bone as "organic" lol.