How much UV-B does my reptile need?

Guidance is almost non-existent as to suitable levels of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians, or
how to achieve satisfactory UV gradients using artificial lighting. The UV-Tool is a working document
that seeks to address this problem, by considering the range of UV experienced by each species in the
wild. The UV-Tool contains an editable and expanding database of the microhabitat requirements and
basking behaviour of reptile and amphibian species, as derived from field studies, or inferred from
observed behaviour in captivity. Since an animal’s UV-B exposure is determined by its behaviour within
its native microhabitat, estimation of its natural range of daily UV-B exposure is then possible. The
current version of the UV-Tool assigns 254 species to each of four ‘zones’ of UV-B exposure (Ferguson
zones) based upon UV-index measurements. Once the likely UV requirement of any species of reptile
or amphibian is ascertained, the next step is to plan safe but effective UV gradients within the captive
environment. To do this requires knowledge of the UV spectrum and output of the lamps to be used.
The UV-Tool therefore includes test reports and UV-index gradient maps for commercially available
UV-B lighting products, and a guide to selection of appropriate lamps for use in vivaria and in larger
zoo enclosures. There are reports on 24 different products in the current version of the UV-Tool. This
document has been compiled by members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria
(BIAZA) Reptile and Amphibian Working Group (RAWG) with contributions from zookeepers and
herpetologists from the UK and abroad. Further input is welcome and encouraged.