My Savannah Monitor

[Taco]

Just wanted to show off some pictures of my Savannah Monitor in her enclosure.

[jhinton6932]

very nice seeing all the info found in the varanid forum being applied, especially for sav's :D

[Pirarucu]

Nice looking sav!

[BarelyBreathing]

Beautiful sav. It looks like a nice enclosure too. I'm sure your monitor would love it if you added a bunch of leaf litter to it.

[infernalis]

That is certainly one of the better setups I have seen.

Could use a little improvement, but in all still leagues better that what most people are using.

[Taco]

Yeah thanks, I was pretty proud of it. I would add leaf litter to it however it's currently winter where I live and any leaves are covered by 6 inches of snow. >.< haha and I am also currently planning on getting a decent sized tree trunk with a branch or two and placing it in the tank to support the middle of the it and provide extra climbing/hiding if she wants it. I also wouldn't mind any other suggestions if anybody has any :D always looking for new things.

[Palaciosivan]

Just wanted to show off some pictures of my Savannah Monitor in her enclosure.
What brand soil/substrate do you have???

[Taco]

I used playsand and organic sunshine peat moss both of which were from The Home Depot and mixed them together I'm not sure how much I put together I just kind of put a bunch of the peat moss in a bucket and then added the playsand until it felt right when I was mixing it. Don't forget you also have to get it moist. (Not soaking wet) So that it is able to clump when you squeeze it in your hand.

[infernalis]

http://www.varanid.us/illustrations/twist.jpg

[Taco]

I would post more but I am currently having an issue. She isn't coming out of her burrow when I am around at all. I know she is alive cause she will eat her dinner and poop in her water but I can never seem to get a glimpse of her. And ideas why that would be? I am trying to avoid digging for her or anything because I don't want to add that stress on her.

[Pirarucu]

How is the humidity? If it's low, she's conserving moisture. She thinks it's the dry season, so her instinctual response is to hide in burrows to keep hydrated. Water the dirt so it's a bit more moist, I bet she'll be bask to normal.

[infernalis]

pooping in the water is a sign of low air humidity.

[Taco]

Yeah I am misting her enclosure daily. So when I mist it is in the high 80s but the next day when I mist again to is all the way back down to 40. I think it might be because I put two 90W halogen flood lights in. When I had two 50W bulbs in it wasn't getting the surface temp high enough. Right now I have 1 50W and 2 90W I will try changing it to 3 50W and then maybe lower the lights so they are closer to her basking area to get the temp for basking. Thank you for the response.

[iBaman]

Can you use a CHE for the basking area?

[EMAC1990]

You should water the dirt. I mist daily, but I have noticed my humidity is a bit low tonight and I will be dampening all of the soil. If you have proper heat and moist soil, the humidity will skyrocket.

[infernalis]

Can you use a CHE for the basking area?

Not really.

These animals like bask under a light.

[simpleyork]

move the 50 watts closer and make sure your thermometer is accurate my Ornate monitors basking spot is 167 F at the hotest spot and that's with two 50 watts to cover the length of her
My Sav's use 50watts and get 147F
just need to to move them closer/further from the basking spot till you get the right temps

[EmbraceCalamity]

move the 50 watts closer and make sure your thermometer is accurate my Ornate monitors basking spot is 167 F at the hotest spot and that's with two 50 watts to cover the length of herIs there even a place on Earth that hot?

"The single highest land skin temperature recorded in any year of the study was found in the Lut Desert in 2005 and measured a stunning 159.3 F (70.7 C)." (Where's the Hottest Place on Earth? : Discovery News (http://news.discovery.com/earth/hottest-spot-on-earth-120416.html)) And that's 8 degrees cooler than your basking spot. I know zip about monitors, but...I don't think 167 F surface temps exist anywhere. =/

~Maggot

[simpleyork]

It's not the only temps he chooses to bask at but it is his preferred spot in the morning and early afternoon and I'm not going to argue with him as he would most likely win.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/varanid/94373-basking-temps-materials.html

[infernalis]

Is there even a place on Earth that hot?

"The single highest land skin temperature recorded in any year of the study was found in the Lut Desert in 2005 and measured a stunning 159.3 F (70.7 C)." (Where's the Hottest Place on Earth? : Discovery News (http://news.discovery.com/earth/hottest-spot-on-earth-120416.html)) And that's 8 degrees cooler than your basking spot. I know zip about monitors, but...I don't think 167 F surface temps exist anywhere. =/

~Maggot


I found rocks out back of my house during the summer that were reaching 150 degrees in New York state.

The basking spot is not air temperature, it's the surface temperature of a dark object that has been exposed to direct sun.

[Taco]

Mm... Maybe that is a thought my basking spot is light coloured. Maybe if I switched it to a darker colour that would increase the surface temp and then I would be able to use the 50W bulbs.

[simpleyork]

I have a light brown colored tile on a wooden platform for the savs
for the Ornate I have a dark piece of wood for the main basking area

[Pirarucu]

Mm... Maybe that is a thought my basking spot is light coloured. Maybe if I switched it to a darker colour that would increase the surface temp and then I would be able to use the 50W bulbs.Your sav is small enough that you only need one bulb, the others are just drying out the air. Just use one 50w bulb and put it 6-8 inches above the basking spot. It will be plenty hot. Also, misting doesn't help because you really aren't adding much water to the system. Dump a half gallon of water in the soil instead, and it will keep the humidity up all on its own.

EmbraceCalamity, I have personally temp gunned my street at 170F during the summer here in Texas. In addition, The temp registered will vary depending on the color and material you are measuring. I have seen basking spots of 200F used successfully.
Also, it doesn't really matter if there's a spot on the planet that gets that hot. Our mission as keepers is to provide them the best possible range of options and let the animals decide for themselves, correct? If they are using insanely hot basking temperatures, it's beneficial for them. They know what's best for them much better than we do.

[EmbraceCalamity]

I found rocks out back of my house during the summer that were reaching 150 degrees in New York state.

The basking spot is not air temperature, it's the surface temperature of a dark object that has been exposed to direct sun.It says, "land skin temperature," not air temperature. I read that to mean surface temperature, but perhaps I'm wrong.Also, it doesn't really matter if there's a spot on the planet that gets that hot. Our mission as keepers is to provide them the best possible range of options and let the animals decide for themselves, correct? If they are using insanely hot basking temperatures, it's beneficial for them. They know what's best for them much better than we do.Well, to be fair, if that were true, we wouldn't have to worry about reptiles accidentally burning themselves. I'd think providing the most natural options is better than the most varied, hence my question.

~Maggot

[Pirarucu]

But how do the animals burn themselves? By touching the bulb, not by basking at temperatures that are too hot. Have you ever known of an animal that simply sat at the hot end of its cage too long?
The bulb is something unnatural, so their instinct doesn't tell them how to react to it. As long as the bulb is out of the monitor's reach, I guarantee you'll never see burns.

[EmbraceCalamity]

But how do the animals burn themselves? By touching the bulb, not by basking at temperatures that are too hot. Have you ever known of an animal that simply sat at the hot end of its cage too long?
The bulb is something unnatural, so their instinct doesn't tell them how to react to it. As long as the bulb is out of the monitor's reach, I guarantee you'll never see burns.I've heard of animals being burned by being too close to bulbs or the basking spot being too hot (eg a heat rock getting too hot).

~Maggot

[infernalis]

I've heard of animals being burned by being too close to bulbs or the basking spot being too hot (eg a heat rock getting too hot).

~Maggot

That's why you see so many anti-hot rock posts on forums.

A bright light from above, warming the land below is natural and what the lizards are used to in the wild.

[EmbraceCalamity]

That's why you see so many anti-hot rock posts on forums.

A bright light from above, warming the land below is natural and what the lizards are used to in the wild.I know. I'm just saying it's not beyond the realm of possibility for a reptile to accidentally burn itself.

~Maggot

[Pirarucu]

I've heard of animals being burned by being too close to bulbs or the basking spot being too hot (eg a heat rock getting too hot).

~MaggotBeing burned on a hot rock is the equivalent of being burned on a bulb, and again as long as the bulb is far enough away, there should be no problem. My brother has an Arabian Blue Uromastyx which climbs up and uses a basking spot of 180 degrees every morning. No burns, just one very active lizard until he retires for the night.
As long as the animal has the option to avoid high temperatures if it wants to, and the elements in the cage are natural ones that the animal's instinct tells it how to respond to, burns will not happen.

[AjaMichelle]

Is there even a place on Earth that hot?

"The single highest land skin temperature recorded in any year of the study was found in the Lut Desert in 2005 and measured a stunning 159.3 F (70.7 C)." (Where's the Hottest Place on Earth? : Discovery News (http://news.discovery.com/earth/hottest-spot-on-earth-120416.html)) And that's 8 degrees cooler than your basking spot. I know zip about monitors, but...I don't think 167 F surface temps exist anywhere. =/

~Maggot

The surface temperature reading taken with an infrared temp gun is a tool which folks can use to gauge whether or not the basking spot will be of any use to the monitor in question. The surface temperature depends entirely on the reflectivity, or albedo, of the material toward which the radiant heat is projected. For example, a black rock is going to give readings higher than a red rock, as less of the radiant heat energy is being reflected (a lower albedo), and more energy is being absorbed by the black rock.

This means the 167*F temp reading may not necessarily be the temperature felt by the monitor while basking.

And behavior determines whether or not the spot is suitable. The idea is to create a spot warm enough to allow large monitors to heat up quickly (reach the optimal body temperature faster), while large enough to cover the animal's entire abdomen evenly, from snout to vent.

So basking surface temperature readings of 140*F are usually recommended because basking lights are often focused on dirt or wood, and this 140*F infrared temp gun reading typically accommodates ideal basking behavior.

Any kind of surface temperature reading is totally arbitrary. What's important is what the monitor is doing.

I think it's safe to say that burns aren't an issue, unless there's no temperature gradient in the enclosure, a setting established by electric hot rocks, where the only choice is burns or starvation.

Radiant heat energy absorbed by objects varies from that given off by objects, and a 180*F reading on one material may be a 120*F reading on another. :)

[AjaMichelle]

Also, with respect to the CHE, I'm using a CHE to improve the temperature gradient in one of my enclosures and the sav uses both the basking spot created by the CHE as well as the spot created by the incandescent light bulbs. However, he actively basks in the basking spot created by the light bulbs. There's an obvious preference, and I imagine it's because his lit spot is evenly warmer.

I think that flood bulbs would be the best choice because they project heat evenly downward instead of out in all directions like the CHE. They're just easier to work with.

And both of my savannah monitors poop in their water sources despite the humidity being 60% to 80% throughout the enclosure, away from the basking spot.

[Pirarucu]

The surface temperature reading taken with an infrared temp gun is a tool which folks can use to gauge whether or not the basking spot will be of any use to the monitor in question. The surface temperature depends entirely on the reflectivity, or albedo, of the material toward which the radiant heat is projected. For example, a black rock is going to give readings higher than a red rock, as less of the radiant heat energy is being reflected (a lower albedo), and more energy is being absorbed by the black rock.

This means the 167*F temp reading may not necessarily be the temperature felt by the monitor while basking.

And behavior determines whether or not the spot is suitable. The idea is to create a spot warm enough to allow large monitors to heat up quickly (reach the optimal body temperature faster), while large enough to cover the animal's entire abdomen evenly, from snout to vent.

So basking surface temperature readings of 140*F are usually recommended because basking lights are often focused on dirt or wood, and this 140*F infrared temp gun reading typically accommodates ideal basking behavior.

Any kind of surface temperature reading is totally arbitrary. What's important is what the monitor is doing.

I think it's safe to say that burns aren't an issue, unless there's no temperature gradient in the enclosure, a setting established by electric hot rocks, where the only choice is burns or starvation.

Radiant heat energy absorbed by objects varies from that given off by objects, and a 180*F reading on one material may be a 120*F reading on another. :)Very well said, this is what I was trying to say.
I think a commonly overlooked fact when it comes to varanids is that they are not after the belly heat from the basking spot. Too many people are in the snake keeping mentality that belly heat is what matters. Monitors are after the radiant heat that is being projected from the light bulb, so it really doesn't matter what temperature reading you get from the basking spot, because that isn't necessarily the temperature that the monitor is actually basking at. It's just a reference point for the keeper to estimate with.

[infernalis]

temp gun the lizard, the readings are a LOT different.

[Taco]

Alright so I decided to add some stuff to the cage to help hold the humidity in and also give her some more things to hide around. After a day or two now she seems to be more comfortable for sure and at least is always peaking out when I check on her rather then being a foot down in the soil the whole time. Haha anyways thought I would add some pictures.