welcome to the neighborhood! sounds like you are getting lots of good advice. How about some pics so we can see your pretty baby!

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I checked it out on the internet. Some say yes and some say no. the site where I first researched it says no, but Melissa Kaplans site says yes.
So I withdraw my assertion.

Melissa Kaplan....don't get me started on her info. She says to use butcher paper for substrate, and that hardware cloth is acceptable for a lid. Pretty hard to keep humidity in an enclosure like that.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Well, she wasn't the only one. I did a "Savannah monitor UVB" google search. I've always had UVA. I always thought that vitamin D3 was an oily vitamin absorbed from their prey.
Every one here has been talking about "UV". No one has really said if they are using UVA or UVB or both.
There is a difference.

Generally when the subject turns to UV, it is UVB that is being discussed. UVA is just basically visible light and UVB bulbs also produce UVA.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

well the substrate im using is top soil with rocks the uva and uvb is very confusing I think that they would not mind getting it from natural light but a steady stream of it from a bulb im not sure..... do ceramic bulbs work better then lets say a spot bulb ..

We use UVB with both the Savannah Monitor and the Tegu. With the research we did, we decided to go this route, as we did not want to have them turn up with Metabolic Bone Disease. Our vets all felt UVB was a necessary item also. For substrate we use paper or reptile carpet. They have tubes to hide in, and fake greenery to play with and hide around, we tried giving the sav some real greenery first and he destroyed it, so we decided on the fake. The sav seems to enjoy climbing around stuff more than the Tegu.

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Kat

I'm not sure I know what you mean by ceramic bulb. Are you talking about a ceramic heat emitter? Maybe a ceramic light fixture?

I beleive he meant ceramic heat emitters. I think personally theres benefits to both, You really should provide a photoperiod, and lights are helpful for that, but a ceramic heater can be left on all the time, no turing on and off, for desert species I prefer using a under the tank heater, though im debating radient heat panels, and lights to heat, when the lights go out the temperatures will drop, and if you can get it set right with only the UTTH on you can hit the preffered nightime temperatures. provide a good difference in heat levels day to night. Some people prefer the ceramic heat emitters, but personaly were I going to go that route id look into the Mega Ray 60 Watt Heat Emmiters, there safe to the touch, and at $20 a piece, usualy cheaper than a ceramic heater anyway.

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"Nobody can do Everything, but Everybody can do Something."

im going to look into the mega ray thing you where talking about last night and somtimes during the day when im at work im scared im going to burn my house down with the ligh heaters that I have a have one 100 watt bask heater and another 150 spot basking heater but they get the lamp so hot im not sure if this is normal.. but I did read how much they can handle and it say 250watts just dont want a fire in my new home...lol