The lack of sun this summer

[chrisd]

Hi,

Has the lack of sun affected anyone else this summer ? Yesterday has been the first day in at least 6 weeks that the sun has been out. (East Yorkshire) And then it rained at 4 O'clock ! All my Lacertas live in a greenhouse which has provided the warmth when the windows are closed but obviously not the full benefits of the sun. This summer I haven't been able to take out the poly windows leaving grills as this cools the inside of the greenhouse too much and the lizards just try to keep warm and won't eat. Inside of the greenhouse I have a cold frame where I keep the young. The are looking very skinny. If they loose anymore weight I might decide to put them inside and fatten them up. I really don't want to put an electricity supply in there for lighting but its looking as if I might have too. Does anyone know of a full spectrum bulb that might emit enough benificial light to cover the area within a greenhouse ? Also has anyone tried to construct a wind turbine or solar pannels that can run a bulb ?

How has other people got on with just open topped vivariums with this weather ?

[barb1]

Hi Chris,

I guess up North you have had more rain. I don't think it's been really good anywhere. I have had 2 weeks hol. in Cornwall and we only had one day without rain!

My Lacerta's have done well and look very fat. It has been very dry in Sth. East Kent up until Tues.

Sounds as if you do need to do something. Unless they have a constant heat they are going to get ready for hibernation i.e. stop eating. Maybe you do need to take them in and give them more UV to make their day longer. I should be very interested if anyone else knows of an outdoor heat bulb that could be used safely in a cold frame.

All the best with whatever you do, better to be safe inside than loose them I would say.

[robv]

Hi Chris,

It has been the same here in the southwest; today it has rained all morning and then the briefest of sunny spells and all my animals were out. Fortunately I am working from home today and so I can feed animals as soon as it stops raining!

In terms of the greenhouse I have three vivs that have UV bulbs fixed into them. These are standard 7% UVB as the greenhouse glass blocks this particular wavelength. The bulbs are roughly 3" above the surface of the vivs so as the lizards can get close enough. The animals seem to know when they need a 'boost' of UVB and sit under the bulbs and then move away.

I have an electrical feed into a waterproof junction box - and then the three bulbs are wired into the cages. I am very careful when watering the cages and any plants are some distance from the bulbs.

I don't know of any 'outdoor' lights that would be suitable as they would generally be encased in perspex - which blocks out the required UVB.

Long range weather forecasty is suggesting that things may brighten up next week!

[chrisd]

Thanks Guys for your suggestions, I'll take them on board and rethink things, especially about the UV lights.

When you say that your animals are "very fat" and "that you are going to feed them," can you clarify this ? How do you get them so well fed and how do you feed them ?

Mine seem only seem to tick over. The adults usually eat once every few days. A lot less than when they were kept in vivariums. I throw crickets near them and leave a few bowls of giant meal worms permanently out near where they bask for them to help themselves. There is usually plenty of locusts, crickets crawling around as well as anything else I find especially moths, caterpillars, spiders and butterflies.

What I'm trying to say is that I am doing everything right ? Can I do anything else to ensure that my lizards are at their best ?

[barb1]

Chris,

Sounds as if you are doing everything right. I am sure the lizards know they have to get ready for hibernation, so with the bad weather everything has kicked in earlier. My lizards have gone off their food this week, so they must be slowing down.

You certainly need some heat for them, to get them feeding again if they have lost a lot of weight. To keep my tortoises feeding up to November, I bring them in under a lamp and as it gets colder at night, I would have the bulbs on a thermastat to click in if the temp drops too low. That way it does not take them so long to warm up the next day. They are then ready to eat early and have a good temp. to digest their food.

[Killian]

Some zoos use lights in their meerkat enclosures. I have always thought that it would be a great idea for an outdoor vivarium.

[chrisd]

Sorry about going on about the weather but we had the first blue sky and sun today in 8 weeks ! I caught my

Can anyone answer this question for me ? When I take out the window on one side of my greenhouse leaving a grill, do the lizards need to bask in the direct sunlight directly behind the grill to gain the full benefit of the sunlight ? If they bask to one side in the corner of the greehouse away from the grill and sun do they still get the full benefit ? Does sunlight radiate out from a source and bounce around within a greenhouse ?

Thanks.

[Iowarth]

Hi Chris
Sorry for the delay in replying - I haven't been able to visit the forum for some time. Certainly if UV is getting into the greenhouse at all then it will "bounce around" and give a degree of UV radiation beyond the direct sunshine. Whether or not that is sufficient is very debatable as the grid itself will reduce the UV. To get a better idea of how this might work you could visit www.uvguide.co.uk/ which has stacks of information on UV levels, requirements, lighting etc. If you follow the link there to "UV Light in Nature" you will find some useful information and includes tests carried out in some of my vivaria.
So far as artificial UV lighting is concerned, the best bet is Mega-Ray MV bulbs suspended within a metal reflector - I use this sort of fitting within very wet jungle vivaria with no problems and these bulbs are simply the best you can get if used properly.

Chris