Rookie question?

Yvonne G

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Yup, however, it looks like the top shell is being bombarded with maybe too hot a light??? and that's inhibiting new growth on the top.
 

DanH44

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Top of her shell is very dry and cracked, not sure what is happening
 

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The Tortoise Tree

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Top of her shell is very dry and cracked, not sure what is happening
soak your tortoise daily in warm (NOT HOT) water to get it less dry. I would need a little more background information to find out the cause of your tortoise dry shell
 

DanH44

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She is in an open tortoise table, has a heat bulb on one side with uvb bulbs. 40ish% humidity. The gauge shows. She eats and drinks plenty of water. I’ve been soaking her every 3-4 days
 

Tom

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She is in an open tortoise table, has a heat bulb on one side with uvb bulbs. 40ish% humidity. The gauge shows. She eats and drinks plenty of water. I’ve been soaking her every 3-4 days
What is the temperature directly under you basking bulb at tortoise shell height. Set a brick there and let it bake Unser the light for an hour or two. Then temp it with your infrared gun, or set a small digital thermometer there and let the light bake the thermometer for an hour. This will tell you how hot your tortoise's carapace is getting and if you need to raise or lower the fixture, or change the wattage.
 

Maggie3fan

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What is the temperature directly under you basking bulb at tortoise shell height. Set a brick there and let it bake Unser the light for an hour or two. Then temp it with your infrared gun, or set a small digital thermometer there and let the light bake the thermometer for an hour. This will tell you how hot your tortoise's carapace is getting and if you need to raise or lower the fixture, or change the wattage.
Unser? as in Al?
 

DanH44

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It’s about 105 degrees on the brick, directly under the basking light. It’s a 100w heat bulb. How hot should it be? Also what humidity is best for a Russian?
 

The Tortoise Tree

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It’s about 105 degrees on the brick, directly under the basking light. It’s a 100w heat bulb. How hot should it be? Also what humidity is best for a Russian?
I do not own a Russian (tortoise) but I am pretty sure it's around 40 - 60 percent humidity and for almost every tortoise a basking spot should be in the 95 - 100 range.

Great idea by putting the brick under the basking spot.
 

Tom

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It’s about 105 degrees on the brick, directly under the basking light. It’s a 100w heat bulb. How hot should it be? Also what humidity is best for a Russian?
95-100 is what I shoot for under the basking lamp.

Humidity for an adult Russian really isn't critical. Lightly damp substrate and a humid hide should meet their needs.
 

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