based on my sole viewing in the semi-wild (Lumpini is a large but heavily managed and busy park in the middle of a mega city, but it is monitor heaven), at 36 degrees they all seemed to go water based. They then swim around like godzilla until it cooled down. The derp in the photo rejected that idea and found a 2 inch deep pool to frolic around in like a golden retriever (I have a video of this).
They *love* 45 degree angle sploot spots. Drain channels are top tier for them, they seem to favor that over flat ground, regardless of where the sun is angled
In fact seeing how much fun this dude was having in his pool I'd suggest a little "wetland" area for your captive derps to splash around in, not just pools
based on my sole viewing in the semi-wild (Lumpini is a large but heavily managed and busy park in the middle of a mega city, but it is monitor heaven), at 36 degrees they all seemed to go water based. They then swim around like godzilla until it cooled down. The derp in the photo rejected that idea and found a 2 inch deep pool to frolic around in like a golden retriever (I have a video of this). They *love* 45 degree angle sploot spots. Drain channels are top tier for them, they seem to favor that over flat ground, regardless of where the sun is angled
In fact seeing how much fun this dude was having in his pool I'd suggest a little "wetland" area for your captive derps to splash around in, not just pools