Spencers Monitor Basking Temp

[Red-Ink]

I think the question here is who or where In Australia actually has the facts?. I think theses guys are hardy and will live in anything makes people think that that's the temp they like

Varanoid Lizards of the World by E. Pianka

A Guide to Australian Monitors in Captivity by D. Brown

Plenty of facts galore

 

[reptalica]

I personally wouldn't force him to adjust unless u have a doctor on call.

I'd hope by now having experience with these that by forcing them is only going to end up with a cranky monitor and that would not be a pretty sight.

 

[imported_Varanus]

Yeh cancel the bbq reptalica iv had him at 60c for 2 days now and today he wont go neer the hot end hes curled up in the cool corner at 25c almost hiding. It seems from the way he.s acting is that he doesn't going neer his basking spot if the heat is over 55c. should I just force him to adjust champagne or adjust my temps to suit him?

Maybe add a few more hide options at differing temps and just adjust the amount of time you have been adjusting things? A bit of P&Q may be all he needs. Nothing wrong with 60C for a Spencers (as many have pointed out) as long as it's only a hotspot.

I had mine outside in Western Vic and often found them active when air temps were in the low-mid 40's, but they did have tunnel options. To clarify, hotspots were well over 80C in mid summer and frequently used. If you're in any doubt, take a temp gun and check road surfaces, they are often found basking on tarmack in places like Mt Isa, Winton and Julia Creek (QLD).

 

[Paintbrushturkey]

Just wanted to ask given the extreme temps optimal for this species how do or what do we all use to get our temps up to the optimal range i.e. basking spot.

**I sure as hell not going to put a bbq in any future enclosure **

1 or 2 100W CHEs generally do the trick depending on the size of the basking spot, but you can grill sausages on the basking rock, too, provided your monitor isn't faster than you

 

[saximus]

Taken from three very reputable sources:

"Basking spots should be in the 60°C range, with the cool end of the enclosure in the high 20s°C." Keeping & Breeding Australian Lizards, Mike Swan, p.516

"A basking temperature of 45°C-55°C with a heat gradient of 28°C-35°C elsewhere in the enclosure is ideal." A guide to Australian Monitors in Captivity, Dr Danny Brown, p.161

"The surface temperature of the basking spot should be at least 45ºC, preferably somewhere between 45-55ºC." Raising Lace Monitors, David Kirshner, p.5

 

[Rogue5861]

I have my ridge tailed monitora setup with 2 basking sites, with ambient temps of 25c at lowest cool end at bottom and 36-42c on background in cool end. Basking site on background is 50c and basking site on a stack is 70c.

All 3 inhabitants prefer to sit on the background an nap (at +36c) then on the floor or a hide at 25c. Basking times depends on what they are doing (digesting or just warming back up), but they all regularly use the 70c basking site to get a quick top up. The 50c hot spot is used when they want to warm up their whole body slower, but bask for longer.

The stack is 5 levels high with different temps on each level, normally declining around 7-9c per level. So 70, 61, 53, 44 and 33c. These levels are also all used at different times.

Any desert species of varanids in captivity should be given a hot spot of 50-70c, with the possibility of two sites at different temps prefered. Ambient temps should be 28c at the lowest with around 35c being optimal. These are opinions i have of how to keep them based on information provided from keepers and breeders on this forum as well as others i have spoken with.

Got a mate that works at a pet store and has been told to tell customers to keep bearded dragons with a basking site on 32c (should be 38-44c), due to the possibility of people cooking their new pets.

Sorry for the long winded post.


Rick

 

[ReptilianHybrid]

Thanks guys this is what I was hoping for when I joined allot of ideas and opinions. This was very helpful to me and im sure others will learn from this too