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I need to know the lighting requirments for a baby savannah monitor.... Thanks

How big is the cage your keeing it in? You need to have a basking spot of about 120o the cool side should be around 85. You could try the halogen bulbs. They last longer and provide a lot of heat for the price.
That's about all there is to it. UVB bulbs can also help for color but have no real value other than that.
Christine :>~

Outdoor flood lamps are what I use with all of my monitors and other lizards. They are durable, inexpensive, produce a very high amount of heat with very little wattage. Start with 45 watts and mount about a foot from the basking spot, and adjust the height as needed , no lower than 115 surface temp to no more than 140 surface temp in the basking spot. Then with a big enough cage these temps will translate to good ambient temps. Monitors with a proper diet of whole animal foods, ei ; crickets, roaches, mice etc. get everthing they need from good food and temps. They dont use or need full spectrum lights.

I am really confused by all the temp stuff!!! And I have been reading this forum for a year now.

Why do you say no more than 140? Why does Christine say 120? How do you guys know what is actually required? Maybe you are stating what you guys are using, but if you are like me, you really don't know what is too much. None of us have any proof we know what we are recommending. Its obvious stuff like 110 is way too little, because the animals willingly flock to higher temps.
My spots are around 130, and I think they may be adequate, but not good. I have read that basking for hours, indicates lack of suitable temps. And that is what my female does, basks for hours. (My shelf is already raised as far as I can raise it, so to increase temps at this point, I need new bulbs, I think)

My point is, to tell someone completely new, do not go over 140, leads them to believe that 140 is dangerous, and below that is desirable. Is it? And, how do you know? What if its not enough, and their lizard becomes a tub of lard, dead in a year?

I'm not saying that I DO know, I don't, but from what I have read, providing more heat than you think you need, (and more cool) is the way to go. That way the animal can pick. Its their body, they know what they need, they are masters of their own metabolism. We humans prevent them from thermoregulating.

I'm aiming for 160 degree basking spots with new bulbs. And no, I don't know if that's enough. But its better than what I have now. They can use it or not at their discretion.
Cheers. D.

A 160 degree basking spot. I mentioned 140 as a reference but wouldnt use more than 150 because they avoid it. Besides what is the temp on your monitors back if the lamp is that close? Is the humidity suffering from 150 degrees? Remember 130 at 2 feet away on the wood is one temp whats the temp on the back of the animal at say14 inches, Ive considered that when setting mine up after all burns are caused by being to close to too high of temps while trying to reach an adequete temp for life activities. Tell me what happens a year after you switch. In captivity they get a range a temps for basking etc, but they dont enjoy being baked.

I will. Thanks for the advice, its true not many think of what the temp is, at the monitors' back level, as this is higher than the basking surface level, and a different and higher temp.
Yes, I do measure a couple inches above where I have the platform at, I think it was creeps that pointed that out to me first.
Cheers. D.

Hey, and I hope you're taking this as conversation. I need all the help I can get, too.

Measure the temp of the monitor while it is basking.

It would seem to me that both the temps (the basking spot and the heat from above) are used.

While providing exact temps and bulb types might seem helpful, you are not really protecting any monitors from getting burned. An outdoor flood set up only below a certain temp (140F) does NOT guarantee no burns. I have seen it cause burning. I have found it next to impossible to find outdoor halogen floods that give consistent temps, I have stopped using them completely.

I have not seen the actual temp to be related to burning at all, I have seen burns from too small basking spots (small burns on larger monitors), or inconsistent basking temps (large burns). I also have heard cold substrate can confuse the monitors as well, but I don't think I've seen this one yet.

And yes, I have seen ackies use temps well over 160F, and they have not burned yet. I doubt this hot of a temp is required, but it should not cause burns if applied correctly. In the end we should pay more attention to what the monitors use and how they use the tools, than the exact temps provided.

--Robert