Is 60 degrees warm enough?

[Jordan67]

Hi all, apparently on Sunday it's going to be sunny and about 16 degrees Celsius (60Fahrenheit) maybe warmer. Is that warm enough to take my Russian tortoise out for a bit of sun? The pet shop told me if it's t-shirt weather then it's warm enough, thanks.

 

[WillTort2]

Only if you have a sheltered place out of the wind and on or near a heat absorbing surface. If you have the sun shining on a black rock in the back of a pickup truck that would due for a short visit if the back is clean and in direct sun with a shady area for him to move into to prevent overheating.

Do you have a temperature gun? If so test the ground or the back of the truck for a temp in the high 70's due to sun.

Good luck!

 

[Jordan67]

It might even be 68 degrees now

 

[biochemnerd808]

It depends on where you measure the 68 degrees. Depending on the surface, moisture etc. the ground temperature can vary widely. For example, my permanent thermometer that is attached to the outside wall of our house said it was 67 degrees out the other day. I went on a little walk-about with our temperature gun (infrared non-contact thermometer... $17 on Amazon), and the rocks in the outdoor enclosure measured 80 degrees, while the damp shadows under the bushes measured closer to 55 degrees.

Since the tortoise will be on the ground, that is the 'important' temperature.

It might even be 68 degrees now