What temperature are we looking for from a Temperature gun?

[Viewtiful_Jon]

I have just purchased myself a Temp gun and had a bit of a play around with it, this is what I got.

Basking spot on slate - 36c / 97f and down to about 32c / 90f near the edge further from the bulb.

Substrate near the basking spot - 30-28c / 86-83f

Cool end substrate 23c / 74f

As these temperatures are for the ground and not the air like a thermometer I do not know how hot is to hot for the tortoise's feet. They seem to walk on the hottest areas fine but never hang out there for long (which might be normal).

I have a dimming thermostat set to 31c with the probe just off to the side of the heat lamp it is about in line with the rim.

 

[Golden Greek Tortoise 567]

I have just purchased myself a Temp gun and had a bit of a play around with it, this is what I got.

Basking spot on slate - 36c / 97f and down to about 32c / 90f near the edge further from the bulb.

Substrate near the basking spot - 30-28c / 86-83f

Cool end substrate 23c / 74f

As these temperatures are for the ground and not the air like a thermometer I do not know how hot is to hot for the tortoise's feet. They seem to walk on the hottest areas fine but never hang out there for long (which might be normal).

I have a dimming thermostat set to 31c with the probe just off to the side of the heat lamp it is about in line with the rim.

What type of tortoises? Each torts need different temperatures

 

[Viewtiful_Jon]

Thanks for the quick response, it is a Hermanns Tortoise.

How much does the ground temperature vary from the air temperature? Obviously, if I remove the slate I will get slightly lower temps, so was wondering if there is a general rule of thumb for the ground to air temp difference.

 

[Golden Greek Tortoise 567]

Thanks for the quick response, it is a Hermanns Tortoise.

How much does the ground temperature vary from the air temperature? Obviously, if I remove the slate I will get slightly lower temps, so was wondering if there is a general rule of thumb for the ground to air temp difference.

I think the air temps for your basking spot should be higher. Air temps around there should be 90°F. I‘m going to link you this care sheet, it should tell you about temps.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Viewtiful_Jon]

Okay, I will increase the thermostat by just a touch and check the temp's again later. I do not want to raise it too much all at once and end up with the opposite problem. But after reading that seems you are right as the slate temp is only just as much as I am wanting the air temp to be.

The bulb is only at around 25% power so raising the temp will be easy.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Did I understand correctly? Do you have your thermostat probe close to the basking bulb? Or CHE?

If so, the probe is affected by the heat source and you may have more difficulty getting proper temps at night.

I have my thermostat probe in the coolest part of the enclosure, about 2 inches above the substrate. I don't want the temp to fall below 80° at that spot at any time, so the thermostat is set for 81°. The hot side takes care of itself while the basking light is on. When it goes off, the CHE's on the thermostat come on.

 

[Viewtiful_Jon]

Did I understand correctly? Do you have your thermostat probe close to the basking bulb? Or CHE?

If so, the probe is affected by the heat source and you may have more difficulty getting proper temps at night.

I have my thermostat probe in the coolest part of the enclosure, about 2 inches above the substrate. I don't want the temp to fall below 80° at that spot at any time, so the thermostat is set for 81°. The hot side takes care of itself while the basking light is on. When it goes off, the CHE's on the thermostat come on.

Yes, you are indeed correct that the thermostat is currently near the basking bulb. I have a 100W CHE at the other end of the table, but even when it is on the temp directly below it is reaching 86 and dissipating quickly. It is currently in a cage so maybe putting it in a dome would help focus more on the heat downwards. I was worried that moving the thermostat too far away from the bulbs would create super hot spots directly under the bulbs which is why I chose the current position for it.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Yes, you are indeed correct that the thermostat is currently near the basking bulb. I have a 100W CHE at the other end of the table, but even when it is on the temp directly below it is reaching 86 and dissipating quickly. It is currently in a cage so maybe putting it in a dome would help focus more on the heat downwards. I was worried that moving the thermostat too far away from the bulbs would create super hot spots directly under the bulbs which is why I chose the current position for it.

I must confess that I really don't understand your placement. But I don't have to...as long as it is working for you and your tortoise, it's fine.

 

[Viewtiful_Jon]

I must confess that I really don't understand your placement. But I don't have to...as long as it is working for you and your tortoise, it's fine.

I just presumed that is where the thermostat was supposed to be placed, I always see people mention the basking temp and figured the way to achieve a constant one was to have the thermostat there. I did do a bit of searching to see where the correct place for it was before deciding on placing it there but finding information is clearly not my forte as I really didn't find enough to make me confident about where it was supposed to go.

My current plan was to just use the dimming one on the basking spot and then just get an on/off or pulse one for the CHE.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Once you get the basking spot temp correct, you shouldn't have to fool with it. The lights should be on a timer 12 on/12 off. Only the CHE's need to be on the thermostat. I have both of my CHE's on the same thermostat, but if needed, you could use two.

 

[Viewtiful_Jon]

Once you get the basking spot temp correct, you shouldn't have to fool with it. The lights should be on a timer 12 on/12 off. Only the CHE's need to be on the thermostat. I have both of my CHE's on the same thermostat, but if needed, you could use two.

Thanks, I have raised the bulb and taken it off the thermostat, will see what kind of reading I will get. It has slowly been rising for the past few hours, so will likely take a few days to get the optimal height due to the amount of time it takes to hit the peak temp.

Will hook the thermostat up to the CHE in the next few days, but no rush for that as we are getting a warm week here so won't be dropping low any time soon.

Thanks for the help