Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Should it be on 24/7 or should I turn it off at night to allow him a little less light so he can sleep more comfortably?

Come on anyone? I've had it on all day and all night but it seems kinda pointless since he appears to be asleep all night.

As far as "comfort" is concerned - as long as your monitor has a place to go in total darkness when he so chooses, you can opt to leave your light on all night. Just like when you leave your light on during the day, your monitor will choose to hide (and likely sleep) in darkness. Give him choices, and he'll make the right one.
Personally, I turn my lights off between about 10 pm and 6 or 7 am. I need a break on my electricity bill, and he's dead asleep at night anyway. No matter how many choices I've given him, (lights on, off, some light, pitch black...) he sleeps like a log all night long. If I'm late turning his light on in the morning, he's right there in his basking spot waiting for me.
There are varying opinions on this...I only give you what has been working for me. Hope it helps?

Personally, I think their biology is dependant upon the day light cycle, temperature and humidity variants in realtion to the seasons. That's how animals know what to do in the wild, they just follow the season changes for breeding and hibernation and so on. As soon as their environment changes they begin to tune in and do what it is they need to do. They also know what time of the year it is base on the food availability and they know where to travel to in certain time of the year to find food. Some animals migrate thousands of miles because of seasonal changes and for food. Birds do it...butterflies (like the monarch butterflies) do it. The monarch butterflies, for example, breed and die along the way of their migration route, and it takes a few generations for them to reach certain testinations thousands of miles from Mexico to the United States and Canada and then back to Mexico. So I would say, yes, it is quite essential for them to have 12/12 day-night cycle because their biology is dependant upon it. Not only that, their is a study done on humans that shows certain hormones is produce in the endocrine gland when we're are asleep, which is vital for our wellbeing, and I dont think it's farfetch that it is the same for lizards, from Savannah monitors to the Giant green iguanas. And environmental factors do play a role on how we sleep properly. A lot of people don't sleep well with a lot of noice and light, therefore our body suffer from not being able to achieve a full REM cycle. Yes, simple things as not having the light dim enough or completely out can greatly affect humans ability to achieve the full REM cycle...and animals, also, which is not farfetch. That is why people who sleep during the day and work at night may have a whole host of health problems. Now, how much sleep your Savannah monitor needs is another story. So 12/12 day-night cycle should be practice to be on the safe side. I don't think anybody knows exactly; there needs to be more study done. At least if you want to have lights on, have the light turn down really dim by using a dimmer, or you can use a ceramic heating device that only gives of infared ray for heating but no visible light during the night. Good luck to you!

There's been a lot of discussion about the 24/7 light thing. The thing I've settled on for my sav is that he does take advantage of light during the day and basks a lot - he also sleeps at night - whereas some shyer monitors apparently do take advantage of the lights being on at night and will bask at night. I've kind of taken the middle road in this and use a 14/10 cycle. Extremely rare is the time he comes out late evening though.