Night time cool downs?

[hunterk997]

I figured out how to increase my Russisn tortoise's basking temp, but now the warm side is still at about 80 now. The cool side is 72 is this okay? The cool side is the side that her hide is at. So how do I decrease the temperature besides shutting lights off?

 

[lynnedit]

They do need the actual basking area under the light to be about 95f. This helps with digestion. Do you have this temp?
70 to 72f on the cool side is fine, 80f in between is fine.
Consider both a warm and cool side hide, if you have room. They will even nestle under something like a spider plant.
Also, you don't need heat at night in most homes.
Keep your lights on 12-14 hours per day (6am to 8pm for example). A time works well.

 

[hunterk997]

The temps in the day are in the low 90s but I don't know how to get the temperature drop, any suggestions?

 

[mctlong]

Is he in an glass aquarium? How big is it?

 

[hunterk997]

Yeah, she's in an aquarium, I think it's a 40 gallon. It's 36" long, 18" wide, and 16" tall.

 

[Minority1]

Our fellow member Tom has some great guides on the forums, try googling on plain searching on the site.

Have you tried using a lower wattage basking light? I believe Tom said something about using lower wattage bulbs for closed enclosures and glass aquariums because the heat gets trapped within. Saves money and less hassle.