Basking Rock Heat Up Times

John J said:

Does anyone have information on how long a basking rock should heat up optimally? I am experimenting with three different stones, slate tile, flagstone, and a stepping stone which there will be a picture at the bottom for reference of thickness and texture. I haven't tried the tile yet but the other two take a bit of time to warm up and I was wondering if that's normal or if there is an optimal time you want these things to be warmed and primed for your tort, say like an hour under the heat lamp and they should be at 95-100? The steeping stone takes 2 hours at least to get to those temps and I was worried that when my torts get up early and are on it they're not actually basking, is this a normal process or should I use different stones to allow for the heat to build up quicker? The heat lamp is a 120watt, a large incandescent flood bulb that is 17inches from the rock. Placing the bulb lower would cause the back of the tortoise to increase in heat and it already gets to 100.

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Tom said:

Don't worry about the temperature of the stone. That is not what it is there for, and it doesn't matter. Set your temperature by placing a digital thermometer on its back, at tortoise shell height, directly under the basking bulb and letting it cook there for an hour or more. Adjust the height of the bulb up or down, or adjust the wattage of the bulb used, as needed. Basking temp should be around 95-100.

If that stone is getting to 100, then its way too hot on the top of the tortoise's carapace which would be two or three inches higher than the stone.

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Tom said:

Don't worry about the temperature of the stone. That is not what it is there for, and it doesn't matter. Set your temperature by placing a digital thermometer on its back, at tortoise shell height, directly under the basking bulb and letting it cook there for an hour or more. Adjust the height of the bulb up or down, or adjust the wattage of the bulb used, as needed. Basking temp should be around 95-100.

If that stone is getting to 100, then its way too hot on the top of the tortoise's carapace which would be two or three inches higher than the stone.

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John J said:

Just for clarification too I understand basking is not done from the ground temp but rather from the ambient temps. So in that regard the heat from the stone doesn't matter but it does have its function. As I will do the needed adjustments for the bulb to get a more proper basking temp, I'm concerned about the semi-cold phase of the rock while it's heating up and the tortoise being on it, while it's not at 95-100 in the early morning. So I was sitting between basking stones to find a stone that would warm up the quickest so that it was primed with optimal temps by the time the torts got up early on into it. Thank you for your advice in advance, sorry!

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Tom said:

I think it is awesome that you are obsessing over the details of how best to care for your tortoises. It's that sort of thoughtfulness that prevents problems, optimizes the care routine, and leads to new discoveries of better ways to do things. Epxeriment with this sort of thing. Observe the behavior and health of your tortoise. Learn from it all, and then share what you learn. That is how we all get better.

I've concluded based on my experience that the temperature of the basking rock and how fast it warms up is not an important detail. This forum is just the place for you to share what your observations and opinions on the matter are. My conclusion might be wrong. You might find new info that helps tortoises, and I can learn from it.

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John J said:

Thank you for making me feel better about it haha! I'm trying not to be neurotic over it but I do obsess over their well being and sometimes I don't think I'm doing enough so lately I've been using the forum to cross reference my husbandry and to address my problems and questions, I will soon post more than just problems and actually share my tortoises lives with everyone lol but if the basking rock is okay in your experience which I consider very vast, than I feel better about this small "cold period" in the initial warming phases. I initially started to address this more closely because when they defecate it comes with a little bit of straining and I do soak them so I figured they may need better stomach warming, as they were on that reptile carpet under the basking region before you told me to ditch the carpet. I assumed even though the carpet was indred at optimal temps, it didn't retain the heat when they laid down on it for long resulting in possible weak stach heat retention or something. My final concern about this basking topic is wether or not an aluminum basking bulb heat reflector is necessary for most bulbs, I don't have any on my bulbs and sometimes I think the heat bands "spread" away from the basking region because of the curvature of the bulb as opposed to being redirected by the aluminum hood downward. Does this not matter either as long as temperature readings are optimal?

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Tom said:

The basking rock is not "cold" in the mornings. It is the ambient temperature of the enclosure, which is always ideal for your tortoise. Flat rocks sitting outside in the world can actually be "cold" depending on the overnight temps outside, but the sun warms them up, just as your basking bulbs warms your flat rock in your indoor enclosure. This phenomenon is perfectly natural and mimics what they would experience outdoors.

If you are using a flood type incandescent bulb, then the bulb itself directs the heat and light downward through its design. An aluminum hood would direct even more heat downward, but I wouldn't say the hood is "necessary" with a flood bulb. A hood would be necessary with a regular round type bulb, as those do not direct the heat and light downward where we want it. Do your own experiment. Run your bulb with no hood and check the temps. Then run it in a hood, and do your best to keep all other variables the same. Same distance, same time of day, same ambient temp, etc... See if there is a difference. Maybe it will be a few degrees warmer? Maybe the heat and light will be spread out a little wider, or perhaps a little narrower, depending on the dome shape and size?

Doing experiments like this over all these years is a large part of how I came to understand the things that I understand, and make the assertions that I make. No one ever can do every experiment there is, so the learning never stops. Sharing this type of experienced based knowledge with other tortoise keepers is how the "right" knowledge gets spread and replaces the old wrong knowledge.

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