Quote Originally Posted by AdamL8 View Post
UVB isn't needed in any way. 115 is far too low of a basking temperature. 130-145 allows the monitor to digest nearly anything. Under heating means that the monitor will be needing extra time to digest food leaving it forced to stay under the heat longer and causing it to end up slow and lethargic. A tank does not give the proper heat gradient no matter how you slice it. The only way to truly get a proper heat gradient is with more size to the enclosure.



Monitors are not "tough as nails". They are a specialized animal that takes a long time to die in improper conditions. A healthy sav can live 10-15 years and yet the vast majority (99.9%) don't make it to the age of 5 because they are improperly housed and fed. Every moment in a bad setup reduces the life span of the animal. Is a single day going to take a year off of its life? No. Will 3-4 months be potentially damaging to it's long term health? Quite possibly.



Approximately 1.5 months old.


5 months old.


6.5 months old.


Almost 15 months. (Current)


This is my female so understand that a male will be growing quicker and reaching a larger size.



I agree. The term "fish tank" is given to any glass tank. It doesn't actually have to hold water for the term to apply.
The research on the UVB is still up in the air, which is why I recommended he go with it, its better to be safe. Providing D3 through the diet may be enough but I really have no idea.

For a smaller savannah a bask spot of 115-130F is definitely ok so long as they have access to a full body bask. The "one light bulb" approach is not sufficient. For any monitor over one foot I would recommend the higher temperatures (130-140F).

Tanks definitely can provide the proper gradient 80F-95F if you enclose them with plywood (I use the PE-1 and the accurite thermostats to measure heat). You will get heat "leakage" from the glass but this is solved by adding multiple flood lights. I do agree with you though, it is definitely easier to maintain that heat gradient the larger the cage is and the more the materiels resist heat escape.

Monitors are definitely tough as nails and you need only to look at the vast distribution of Varanids to understand that. You can find them on just about every continent in many different types of habitats. Yes, they all specialize in those environments as you would expect with natural selection but their builds are all relatively similar for a reason, because they work in a multitude of harsh environments. Again, I am not saying that it is ethical to exploit this toughness in captivity and slack up on the care of these animals.

I agree about your improper conditions paragraph as well. I just dont see how what I have recommended is improper conditions.

If we want to use the term "fish tank" to mean any glass enclosure then we have to universalize that completely. So, are the 20' x 20' glass enclosures at some of the major zoos incapable of providing a proper environment for Varanids?