Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My savannah's basking spot is a platform made of either 2x8 or 2x6 pine, it was some scrap we had left over after building a house. Will the surface of the wood get too hot for her to lay on??

Funny question! If your basking temperature is 130f then 130f it is, however hers what I don’t like about platforms and other none natural basking areas, they have a limited heat storage ability, when your monitor sits on them and absorb belly heat, they drain out like cheep batteries. This obliges your monitor to absorb from above or move to an other basking spot, large and thick branches have the ability to store heat and preserve it much longer. Now its true that captive monitors have nothing more to do them fool around with basking, but for keepers that use the knight-day cycle there monitors may not get all the benefits of basking. I believe monitors get most of their needs from belly heat 70%
But hey I may be wrong??

Not really wrong, just a little off. I think(know) they primarily absorb heat, thu contact. Like your belly heat, but not restricted to the belly. They normally crawl into burrows or holes in trees and absorb the heat of the earth or wood, its done from all around.

They normally bask when the temps in these areas get to cool. Then they bask for as short a time as possible. For instance, after a cold night or a heavy rain, they will come out in the mourning and bask, for longer periods. Normally they fine places that keep their temps up and have little need to expose themselves.

To respond to the question, can the wood(whatever surface) burn the monitor? Of course it could. There are several conditions that will cause this. From the simple, the surface is to hot, to the surface is fine but the monitors mass temperature is low and it nows stays for a long period and burns itself. When normally it did not burn itself. The wider the difference of these temps, ambient and basking, the more chance of burns.

Thanks FR

I now understand the functionality of your stalk system Thanks!
I do use hollow logs in a similar way, but I use them standing with a heat source from the upper side, my monitors use them in many ways inside out. Some are humid others not, They sure like these hollow logs and use them till they cant fit them anymore.