The problem is, your assuming you understand these reptiles. And in my opinion you don't. Your also assuming you understand what they seek in nature, again in my opinion, you don't understand that either.

Then you must question what I understand or think of monitors. I try not the think, it only gets you in trouble. I turn to the monitors for answers.

I have kept a number of monitors(average 75 over 16 years) outside. They do not have lite bulbs in all but the coldest parts of the winter. Which means, they have the sun. We have commonly observed them active after dark. In fact, one lacie female commonly hunts at night in the dark. I will walk by and hear her ratting around chasing mice. Yes, I must have mice in the cage or she would not have to rat around and chase them. (this last sentence is important, if you do not allow something to happen, it won't and its nothing to do with the monitors, its all about you)

Many of our monitors will commonly feed at night. All you have to do is place food out in the evening and its gone in the mourning. Now compare that to placing food in the cage in the mourning and have it gone by afternoon. This is in cages without lite at night. The key here is, most likely your are prone to feeding in the day, therefore you will not see night feeding. Try feeding at night? It will most likely take a few days before your monitor figures out, that you tricked it and it will feed at night. Then if you change that and feed in the day, the monitor will be tricked again. You actually train your monitors by how you service them. Its really not about them. Its again about you.


Also, I live in the desert and have lots of reptiles around. Many of the most diurnal commonly come out at night. Also many of the most supposed nocturnal species commonly come out in the day. You see, these terms are for ease of understanding, they are not suppose to make reptiles fit them.

In Australia, I found five species of varanids crossing the roads at night. As well as four or five subspecies of Pagona(bearded dragons) As well as many of the common diurnal lizards. I have found many other species out at night, but not crossing roads.

So yes, I try to offer what they understand in nature, its seems what I understand is not what you seem to understand.

In nature they understand heat sources and use them day and night, and by season. They understand where they are and use them at the time they are needed. This includes day and night.

They also understand food sources, they understand them on a 24/7 basis. Its funny but many diurnal lizards become active the nights termites fly. Man do they love termites.

Not to be rude, but I cannot help myself, do you turn your lites off in the day when your monitor goes in its hide? Do your monitors spend all day everyday OUT? Do your monitors sleep in the day? Do these questions pertain to nature?

If you actually went out and saw monitors, you would understand, they spend only a very small portion, of even their most active days, out in sunlite. Nearly 95% of their time is in the dark.

Your from central Cal? you have lizards like bluebellies, that are out a lot, you have utas that are out a lot. You also have leopard lizards that behave a lot like varanids and they are rarely seen out. Same with alligator lizards, they do come out, just not much. Alligator lizards are mostly underthings in holes in bushes and other non sunny areas. They too are a lot like many small monitor species. You also have lots of skinks, which are commonly under tin and such during early spring, then disappear, again like monitors. Are these species any less common then bluebellies or utas? or do they simply behave differently? Monitors are super abundant. They just hide a lot.

It appears to me, your treating monitors like plants(litecycle) instead of what they are, varanids.

Then the question of what a litebulb is to a monitor. Now that your not breeding monitors, why not test some. How about raising some up without any lites? All you have to do is give them other heat sources and you will find litebulbs are not necessary at all.

It appears to me, you want to make this huge inventory of knowledge(websites) yet you do not and have not tested anything other then common basics. Have you tested what people think they don't do. If not, you are very incomplete in your testing, therefore in your base of knowledge.

Now Ben should have told you, I have indoor cages, outdoor cages, indoor/outdoor cages. I have cages with lites on 24/7 and cages on a lite cycle. I have also tested no lites at all. Guess what, if other basics are met, there is not difference in the lite applications. Ones with no lites will do as well as ones on a litecycle and as well as ones with lites on 24/7. So it appears what allows monitors to succeed or fail, is about other things not litebulbs.

Lastly I do not want to hear, so your saying this and that. No, I am only saying the above. I am not saying you have to do any dang thing. I am merely saying what I see monitors do and do on their own. Cheers

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