Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found an old light fixture in the basement, it is a clamp light but has no dome on it. I hooked it up anyway and put a 75 watt flood in there so now he has 4 75 watt floods stationed. Two are at one basking spot and two are at the other. Is it okay that I use this clamp fixture without the dome? It does provide the same amount of heat in there as the other lights do, I just wanted it to look brighter and get some more heat in there. Also, he is looking a little more gray so I would expect a shed in a few days. I thought another light would help speed it up and also get the temps higher (which it is). My mother is worried that he will outgrow his new enclosure in 3 months like he did in his other enclosure, she is worried that the A.S.P.C.A is going to have to take him and put him back in his normal habitat because she thinks he will be "8 feet long." Geez, he wont be that big. So anyway, is it ok if I use that light?
-----
My Savannah Monitor Jango's Statistics:

Size: 22"
Weight: 2 pounds
Ambient Temps: 88 degrees
Bask Spot Temps: 102 degrees
Night time Temps: 72 degrees
Diet: Thawed 3 inch mice and other meat products
Tank: 6x3x3 Enclosure
Age: 14 Months (his size is small for his age but he is starting to catch up shedding at 2 times a month!)

You mention your temps at the bottom of the page, but it seems like you have no idea of the real temps. What are you using to measure the temps? This is what I would do. You mention that your monitor is almost 2'. You need to have a basking spot that will cover his whole body. For a monitor that size, 2 floods next to each other would make a spot that big. To me, domes are pretty much useless. Using floods and domeless fixtures you can get them close enough to each other to make a spot deffinatly big enough. I don't know the temps where your cage is at, but on one my enclosures that is 8'x4' I use 2 90w floods next to each other to get a 135 degree spot, 85 degree ambient and 75 degree low end. My monitor room is around 70 degrees all the time. You may want to get a good temp gun and dig. thermo. for the ambient. Too many lights will dry out the cage. And for a cage your size, that seems like too many. Do you have a screen top? If so, cover it. Heat rises and it will go right out the top. Covered, you will need less lights and it will help with humidity. If you want more light, add a fluro of something that doesn't give off heat. Hope this helps a little. -Jeff

I have 4 floods, they are all 75 watt, there are two right next to each other and they are over one basking spot (they do cover his whole body) and I just added like I said another 75 watt flood (w/o dome) and that is right next to the other light and that is over his other basking spot, it covers his whole body. I am measuring the temps with a measely old thermometer (the ones with the glass tube thingy going down the center with the red die in it). My father owns his own electrical supply company so I will ask him for a thermometer gun, I have seen them, I will get them too. Thank you for your advice, I will see to the radar gun ASAP. Anything else I should keep in mind?
-----
My Savannah Monitor Jango's Statistics:

Size: 22"
Weight: 2 pounds
Ambient Temps: 88 degrees
Bask Spot Temps: 102 degrees
Night time Temps: 72 degrees
Diet: Thawed 3 inch mice and other meat products
Tank: 6x3x3 Enclosure
Age: 14 Months (his size is small for his age but he is starting to catch up shedding at 2 times a month!)