Our Specialized Items
Pro T5 UVB Kit
HO T5 UV-B Lighting Kit
ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5
UV-B lamp.
ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long lamp life. Each bar has inbuilt over-voltage, over current, over heating and short circuit protection. ProT5 is Teflon free and free from any reflector coatings that absorb UV.
Heating
Our specialist lamps have been created to mostly emit Infra-Red energy (mostly IR-A). These are the wavelengths that allow reptiles to thrive.
These lamps are not designed to emit visible light and must not be used to illuminate buildings. For use with Reptiles, Amphibians, inverts and Plants only.
EarthPro
If an animal obtains everything it needs to thrive from its environment, it would only be right to mimic this in a natural way. We needed to ensure that any ingredients were safe, powerful and ethical. It is vital that we view the feeding of captive exotics at a multi-level approach. We believe in Wild Re-Creation and its positive effects upon captive animals.
We also know that a whole food for life simply cannot exist. No, we take cues for biological provision from nature and replicate that in a safe and in a measured way.
This theory is called ‘Wild-RecreationTM’ and within its parameters, are hidden all the secrets of fantastic animal care.
Available Books
The Light and Shade Method
🌡️ The Light and Shade Method
Reptiles rely on a thermal gradient to regulate their body temperature, and this method provides a practical way to create that gradient inside an enclosure. The foundation of proper reptile care is maintaining a warmer zone at one end of the vivarium and a cooler zone at the opposite end. The Light and Shade Method builds on this by ensuring that the warm end also includes the correct amount of full‑spectrum + UVB light, creating natural zones that range from “heat and light” to “cool and shade.”
☀️ Why Heat and Light Must Stay Together
The sun delivers all terrestrial wavelengths—from UVB to Infrared‑B—as a single, unified source of energy. It provides heat, visible light, and UV simultaneously. Because of this, it’s important not to separate heat and light sources in captivity.
Heating and lighting equipment should be positioned close together and safely directed onto the basking area. This allows the reptile to use the energy naturally and regulate its exposure just as it would outdoors.
🏜️ Creating Functional Zones
Once the basking area is established, the warmer, brighter zone should be separated from the cooler, more humid end of the enclosure. Proper zoning is essential for recreating terrestrial light conditions. It enables the reptile to self‑select and self‑regulate its exposure to heat, full‑spectrum light, or shade according to its biological needs.
🌿 Supporting Natural Behaviour
When the Light and Shade Method is used together with plenty of hiding places, the reptile can move freely through the enclosure and choose where to bask or retreat. This approach forms the basis of Wild Re‑creation®, allowing the animal to behave as naturally as possible within a captive environment.
The D3 Cycle
Reptiles depend on heat, visible light, UV‑A/UV‑B, food, and water to survive and to successfully reproduce. Responsible keepers aim to replicate these natural environmental cues as closely as modern technology allows. The D3 cycle is one of the most important biological processes influenced by these factors, relying on access to natural light, warmth, cooler resting areas, and periods of recovery.
How Vitamin D3 Production Begins
Reptiles produce a natural cholesterol in the skin called pro‑vitamin D (7DHC), the same precursor found in humans. When this compound is exposed to natural sunlight—specifically UV‑B wavelengths between 290–315 nm—it is converted within the skin membrane into pre‑vitamin D.
Warmth then triggers the next step: pre‑vitamin D transforms into vitamin D3 within the skin. This vitamin D3 enters the bloodstream and binds to a vitamin D binding protein, which transports it to the liver.
Conversion Into Essential Hormones
Inside the liver, vitamin D3 is converted into calcediol (25‑hydroxy vitamin D3). This hormone circulates through the bloodstream and reaches the kidneys, where part of it is converted into calcitriol.
Calcitriol is vital for:
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Regulating blood calcium levels and supporting calcium metabolism
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Strengthening the immune system
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Supporting cardiovascular health
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Reducing the risk of certain cancers, including skin cancers
Why Completing the Cycle Matters
Sunlight exposure is only the first step in this complex process. If any part of the D3 cycle is interrupted, the chain cannot be completed. This leads to reduced production of essential vitamins and hormones. If supplementation was not used, a calcium crash could happen.
UV Light Beyond the D3 Cycle
While UV exposure is essential for vitamin D3 production, its influence extends far beyond this single process. UV light also affects:
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Vision and colour perception
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Breeding behaviour
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Mental and behavioral well‑being