I was wondering if any of you monitor keepers out there use night cycles.

I have always used night cycles with my animals. Be they snakes, lizards, turtles or frogs. They get cycles of light and darkness. Im not real anal about it. I mean I dont time it right to the minute. But at some point in the evening its lights out. Not just the room lights but the cages as well. Then they go on the morning.

There are some who say this is not necessary. Im a Retes disciple, most of what I know came from him. I use a TON of his husbandry techniques. He has stated that leaving the lights on 24/7 will do no harm. The lizards will simply make their own cycles. While I cant argue with his success and I certainly dont think I am more qualified that is one tiny thing that I dont follow.

I like the idea of giving them a night cycle. They usually retreat to their burrows or other hiding places. I think its just natural. While I dont think that 24/7 light is necessarily harmful Im just too old school I think. Its been going ok for me so far.

It has been suggested that leaving the lights on 24/7 may stimulate breeding. Just something to consider if you're having trouble getting your animals to hook up. That hasnt been a problem over here. Hatching the eggs, thats another story LOL!

So folks...do you love the night life? Do you like to boogey? Or are you a day person all the time? Inquiring minds wanna know.

Well in nature (as we all know) there are day/night cycles.
Usually i try to mimic the photoperiods by what there natural enviorment does on the other side of the world.
BUT!!!!!Cbb Monitors can be used to whatever they are raised by.
So i just stick with the norm.
Pretty much same goes for rainy seasons etc.

I do give my snakes a photo period but more for my electric bill than anything else. Not sure if it affects them or not as I have always done this....

I do give my snakes a photo period but more for my electric bill than anything else. Not sure if it affects them or not as I have always done this....

Ive always done it, too.

This is one of those things where I dont really know if its right, wrong or indifferent.

I dont know if a night cycle is a benefit to the animals or if they could care less. Just something Ive done for so many years Im not gonna stop now.

Maybe it makes more of a difference to WCs than CBBs as Tokay mentioned.

I have red lights on most of my lizard enclosures or radiant heat panels/ heat tape for the snakes or geckos in racks. it gets pretty light in my reptile room from the windows, so their photoperiod is the same as mine. the racks are all open sided and have clear tubs so they get light as well.

I have clear tubs as well so the racks do get some light.

The red bulbs are a fine idea if you just wanna throw some extra heat at night. I keep a background temperature in the entire room so for me its lights out, soliders! :yessir:

I keep a background temperature in the entire room so for me its lights out, soliders! :yessir:

Let's just say that the room is like a sauna. Even though the temp doesn't read that high...I swear I go in the lizard rooms with V and it takes my breathe away. But it sure is cute to see them all come out in the Mornigns when he turns the light back on. I thinkt hat you like the lil ' Hello, How are you they give you' :)

photoperiod has been shown to be important for human health.
i see no reason to think contrary with regards to God's other creatures.
i too photoperiod. my snake room happens to be located on the side of my house that gets minimal disturbance after dark, i use a night light for the nocturnal feedings that the balls inevitably prefer.
i'm on tk's boat, the closer to nature the better.
ck

I've got everyone on timers, and they get a natural photoperiod based on the seasons. For the monitor, the timer shuts his heat and light off for sleepy time.

It is hard to argue with results of some of the people that use 24 hour photoperiods, but, a lack of a day/night cycle has been linked to all sorts of health issues including adrenal disorders. There have been numerous studies done with ferrets that show that ferrets that do not get a prolonged period of darkness in their habitat develop a certain adrenal disorder (I forget the name, I will look it up later if anyone is interested) at a MUCH higher percentage than those that are exposed to a photoperiod more inline with what they would get in their native habitat. Of course, the animals do tend to try to find themselves a dark area to go to if they need it, but apparently it isn't always instinctive to do so to the point where there are no ill health effects. So, anyways, based on alot of animals NEED for a night/dayy cycle, and the fact that they get it in their native environment, this is one of the choices I think I will continue to make for them until I see some kind of evidence that it is harmful to their wellbeing.