Can a plant grow light replace a UVB bulb for my green anole?

The ReptiSun 5.0 UVB bulb will provide sufficient UVA/UVB lighting for an anole. Be sure it is not obstructed by glass or plexiglass and replace it every 6 months (it loses strength over time). Leonard should have 12-14 hours or lighting each day. The simplest way to ensure this is to place the tank light and UVB light on a timer. If temps drop below 65 F at night, you'll need a supplemental heat source for the enclosure. A ceramic heat emitter (CHE) will emit heat with no visible light so as to not disturb him at night. You can read more about anole care here: http://www.anapsid.org/anole.html

Ideally, a 10 gallon tank is the smallest enclosure that should be used for one anole. You will need a UVB light source as well as a heat lamp. The brown color is likely due to stress. The link below will provide a list of items required as well as information on basic care. http://www.anapsid.org/anole.html

The ReptiSun 10.0 bulb by Zoo Med is widely recommended. It should not be obstructed by either glass or plexiglass or be more than 18 inches away from the basking area. If you can't get one just yet, natural unfiltered sunlight can be provided daily if you can do it safely and without risk of escape.

You can use this bulb but it will do nothing but provide light, which is fine, if only for a few days to a week at most. As a side note, all UVA/UVB lights should be changed every 6 months regardless of whether or not they are still "working". The light will no longer be producing UVA/UVB after 6 months.

Natural sunlight can be substituted for artificial UV light as long as the light is not filtered. If the light has to travel through glass, or a mesh covering, then it will not allow UV light through and an artificial source will need to be substituted. If the sunlight is completely unobstructed, then you can subtract the amount of time that sunlight is available from the 10- 12 hours and have an artificial UV source for the rest of the time. The UV light will be limited, or nonexistent in the shade, but it's expected that he will not spend the entire day basking in UV light, so it's OK if he spends some time in the shade. Make sure that there is a good area of unobstructed light in the enclosure and he should get the necessary amount of UV rays. I hope that helps and all is well with Loki.

Ideally, the UVB light source should run the entire length of the tank. A thermometer/hygrometer should be on each end of the tank to confirm cool and warm sides. Use a digital thermometer to verify temps. Those little ones you have can be inaccurate. Provide a hide on both sides as well. Personally, I would remove the fake grass as it has the potential to cause eye injuries. Your tank looks good otherwise.

Thanks for reaching out about Tofu. Yes, you can provide UV light for your rabbit through the use of a reptile UVB light. This is a common way for rabbits to get UVB light. Sunlight is the most effective way to provide UVB light, but if you are unable to get Tofu outside, artificial light is a good alternative. UVB bulbs must be changed every 4-6 months, whether the bulb burns out or not. When choosing a UVB bulb, you want to have some information available. First will be how you are going to suspend it over her - you will need to ensure that she is unable to contact the bulb directly as she could get burned, and that the bulb is at least 8-10 inches away from her so she doesn't get burned as well. Once you know how you will suspend the light, then you will measure the distance from the light to her level - ideally this would be no more than 18-24 inches away. Most UVB bulbs can't penetrate a distance that is further away than this. Once you have the distance measured, then you can go to a pet store and ask them for UVB bulbs that will be appropriate for the distance that you have. Ideally Tofu would have 15-20 minutes of exposure to UVB light per day - if you provide her with longer exposure, that is okay as well. I hope this helps to answer your question, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.