Quote:
Originally Posted by jarich
Im a little confused by this statement. What gives you that impression? Reptiles are after what warms them the quickest so they can go on to other things. Having the heat bulbs from above and the heated rock underneath offers them the best opportunity to warm up quickly. You see this often in nature when an exposed rock is warmed under the sun. Easiest way to find reptiles on a sunny day is look for rocks...
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I should clarify. For "normal" basking temperatures for monitors, similar to what you find in the wild, rocks are fine and probably beneficial. I am mainly referring to situations where temperatures far exceeding natural temps are being offered. For instance, I have seen ackies offered a 200F basking spot on a wood platform, but I would not offer one that hot on a stone platform.
It comes down to captivity vs. the wild. In the wild, it would be harder for them to find basking temperatures over 130-140, so they lie on rocks to bask at 150-160. (Not sure what temperatures you would actually see in Africa, just using a theoretical example.) In captivity, if higher temperatures such as 180-200F are readily available, then there is no need for them to use a rock, and since rocks absorb and put off more heat than wood, it will be much too hot. With those kind of temperatures on a rock basking spot, you might as well be using a malfunctioning heat rock..
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