Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I moved the lights that I had on top of my monitors cage down into the cages because the two would not climb up to their basking spots instead they stayed on the ground and I was worried that they were not getting enough heat. The lights are now in the cage and are 20 inches away from the large rocks below. My savs seem to be loving it but I am afraid that it is too hot. I am about to order a temp gun but want to know what everyone thinks for now. I am using ZooMed basking spot lamp 150w. I know it is not necessary to use special lights but I do. Any help would be appreciated.

No way to know how hot is "too hot" without a temp reading. Do you have any thermoter that you could place close to the basking spot? I use the little ESU digital thermoters that come with a remote probe on a suction cup ($11.99 at PetSmart). I can stick the probe a couple of inches from the top of the rock under the basking light. Also, I occasionally place the probe directly on the rock just to see what's going on. I'm sure everyone has a different opinion on temps and lights, but I keep Kito (our Sav) at about 85 with his basking spot right in the low 90's. Hope this helps!

Diego
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Diego & Tiffany
SNAKES
4.1.2 Corn Snakes(Different morphs).
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
2.0.0 Ball Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
0.0.2 Rosy Boas (Coastal & Baja)
0.0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
0.2.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
2.2.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 2 Morphs)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Turquoise Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.0.0 Savannah Monitor

my hot spot will reach 120 but most of the time it is 105 to 112
good luck!
tjsreptiles

Robyn, I"ll have to disagree with you on the surface temps. I've gathered from many people in these forums that there is a misconception happen'n. Sure, you, and many other's know to take everything into context, but when all you have is a surface measurement, you're only getting half the picture.

I'm feeling that, although convenient, in addition to frequent surface temps, you should also have semi-regular readings of the basking air temp, warm-side air temp, and cool side air temp. This is especially important when first setting up a cage and getting the feeling for what wattages, bulb distances, ventilation, cage dimensions and substrates, have on overall perameters and lizard comfort.

Ian

I'm glad that this question has sparked so much discussion. I know that there are many people who do not properly care for their monitors mostly because they buy a small cute lizard at the pet store that ends up being over two feet in the first year and they just do not care. I do. That is why I get on this forum to find out what others have learned, it is all trial and error and I would rather not have error. As my savannahs are growing and look to be healthy I want to keep their health up. With the new cage that we built I know that there are many flaws and we are trying to correct them the best we can. So thank you to everyone and I will be getting a temp gun. In response to the air temp and surface temp I have to say that the difference is the air surrounding them and the heat that they actually absorb from the basking spot. It is the same as sitting in the sun. If you are outside and it is 80 degrees you are fine, when you sit in the sun for a period of time you heat up to a higher temp. The same with monitors, if they do not have that heat source than they can not choose to move in and out of the “sun.” My biggest concern was the large rock that we have under each light becoming too hot. I would feel horrible if I knew that I caused my monitors to burn their underside because the rocks were too hot. Thanks again.

Temps with high basking temps in too small of a hot spot, basically, small hot spots produced by bulbs that do not allow the animal to warm itself evenly therefore spending too much time basking in these low air temps.
These are factors that are to be understood to keep them properly, as in good food sources, enough stress free space, etc.
Another problem with screen tops and heat escaping, the use of higher wattages to get the same temps also leaves you with low basking temps and the high possibility of a dehydrated animal. Using uneven basking surfaces, such as branches as basking surfaces can also elevate the animals body in some areas to bring it closer to the bulb causing a burn to occur, also an example of hot spots on basking spots.

My larger monitor Loki is roughly 17 inches from snout to vent, I just tried to measure him in the cage while he was sleeping so it is not 100% accurate. He is a total of 32 inches. I was just wondering because when he is under the light it only seems to center on half of his body. I did not know if I should look into a two light fixture so he has a larger basking spot. I was not sure if you use the two light fixture with your other monitors(smaller than Sobek), I just saw one of Sobek's in another post and was wondering if I should increase the area. This picture was when he was about 29 inches, the light covers the rock under him, just for a reference.

Thanks,
Christina

Both are also equipped to add the 3rd lightbulb from there. I dont remember when she used 2, or 3 bulbs, as I saw she needed them I added them. I didnt measure her to decide when she needed them. Keep in mind I use 45 watt bulbs only.

I was just wondering. Once we get the temp gun in we are going to change to a two bulb fixture for him. There are several other changes that we need to make to the cage, this is one.

Thank you for the info,
Christina