Q&A Please give me your thoughts about whether I should provide ultra violet (UV) lighting for my Bosc’s monitor. The advice that I’ve received to date has differed dramatically!
It’s true that Bosc’s monitors (Varanus exanthematicus) have not been kept under high strength UVB lighting in the past. The thinking behind this approach was that these omnivorous lizards would obtain all the Vitamin D3 they needed from their food and the use of supplements.
A wild diet of invertebrates, including hard-shelled species, small mammals caught mainly by raiding nests, plus birds, birds’ eggs, carrion and some vegetation offers plentiful variety. But this is not reflected in most diets for captive animals, where the focus is based on just one or two commercially-bred species. The corresponding lack of nutritional variety can cause a serious shortfall, in terms of the monitor’s vitamin and mineral intake, leading to the need for supplementation.