why basking spot 115 degrees?

[Robert]

Damn typos!! I hate moving totes!

 

[exoticsdr]

So, now the real question is, what optimum temp does the tortoise need to achieve to effectively digest it's food and keep it's immune system effective also? Normal body temps for mammals fall in the range of 99-103 and birds upward of 104-105. What is so unbelievable that a tortoise needs to reach at least as high as a bird to properly digest it's food and provide adequate immune response to fight off disease?

 

[Robert]

why not provide an adequate enviornment without going too either extreme why not teach the new guy the right way at a safe moderate level

As "the new guy" I'm asking this seriously. Using a 100w MVB lamp, it is recommended to keep the bulb 12 inches above the torts shell. In my enclosure, that keeps the basking spot at about 96 degrees give or take. I am assuming that this 12 inches also maximizes the amount of UVB? So if I was to raise it, dropping my basking spot temp to say 80 degrees, wouldn't I be negating the UVB output levels? I'm asking because I don't know.


And isn't all of this a moot point if the tort is given adequate room to get away from the basking spot if desired? I assume the only downside would be, as Onarock pointed out, high electric bills.

(feverishly checking for typos)

 

[exoticsdr]

Another thought to consider: for a new tortoise owner, is it better to ere on the side of caution and provide too high temps that the tote can avoid, or provide too low temps which might leave the tort wanting heat?

Wisely spoken

why not provide an adequate enviornment without going too either extreme why not teach the new guy the right way at a safe moderate level

So what is that safe moderate level and who determined it and how? I would love to know, so I can start informing my clients. So far, what I have been telling them has worked great, including coming to this forum, so they can see varying opinions on tortoise care.

 

[onarock]

I'm not understanding the last bit of your wording Doc. Are you telling us or asking? At any rate do they need a 110+ basking spot to achieve this? Thats my question... a question only you seem to want to tackle.

So, now the real question is, what optimum temp does the tortoise need to achieve to effectively digest it's food and keep it's immune system effective also? Normal body temps for mammals fall in the range of 99-103 and birds upward of 104-105. What is so unbelievable that a tortoise needs to reach at least as high as a bird to properly digest it's food and provide adequate immune response to fight off disease?

 

[John]

So, now the real question is, what optimum temp does the tortoise need to achieve to effectively digest it's food and keep it's immune system effective also? Normal body temps for mammals fall in the range of 99-103 and birds upward of 104-105. What is so unbelievable that a tortoise needs to reach at least as high as a bird to properly digest it's food and provide adequate immune response to fight off disease?

how do the birds where i live reach those temps when its 20 degrees out for two months?

 

[Robert]

I see your point, but any long term tortoise keeper with experience in both hatchlings and adults can tell you that too high is just as bad as too low.

Point taken. I am certainly not an experienced tortoise keeper and didn't intend to come across as one. I'm just learning. It seems in the short time I've been here, the "I need help" posts more often involve temps that are too low.

 

[Becki]

Ugh....I'm so sick of this!

 

[exoticsdr]

I'm not understanding the last bit of your wording Doc. Are you telling us or asking? At any rate do they need a 110+ basking spot to achieve this? Thats my question... a question only you seem to want to tackle.

So, now the real question is, what optimum temp does the tortoise need to achieve to effectively digest it's food and keep it's immune system effective also? Normal body temps for mammals fall in the range of 99-103 and birds upward of 104-105. What is so unbelievable that a tortoise needs to reach at least as high as a bird to properly digest it's food and provide adequate immune response to fight off disease?

There is no ambiguity in my question and factual statment. I want to know what the optimum basking temp is and I'm telling you what mammals and birds normal body temp is (understand that both will "run a fever" in order to fight off disease, thus raising normal body temps to several degrees). So, what is the optimum temp to provide our torts? You and another have argued that 110 is out of line, so what should we use and why?

---

So, now the real question is, what optimum temp does the tortoise need to achieve to effectively digest it's food and keep it's immune system effective also? Normal body temps for mammals fall in the range of 99-103 and birds upward of 104-105. What is so unbelievable that a tortoise needs to reach at least as high as a bird to properly digest it's food and provide adequate immune response to fight off disease?

how do the birds where i live reach those temps when its 20 degrees out for two months?

are you serious?

---

 

[John]

I see your point, but any long term tortoise keeper with experience in both hatchlings and adults can tell you that too high is just as bad as too low.

Point taken. I am certainly not an experienced tortoise keeper and didn't intend to come across as one. I'm just learning. It seems in the short time I've been here, the "I need help" posts more often involve temps that are too low.

so with that little experience we should recommend they go way over thier head and build a swamp and harness the sun.why not go moderate and simple as they grow and thier knowledge developes they can move farther if they so chose

 

[onarock]

Nice contribution... do you want to share what you had for lunch? How about your favorite color?

Ugh....I'm so sick of this!

 

[Robert]

why not go moderate and simple as they grow and thier knowledge developes they can move farther if they so chose

I think this is good, fair advice.


Any thoughts on the UVB aspect of an MVB? If raised too high to drop the temps, won't that effect the level of UVB the tort is getting?

(Again, I'm not up at 110 degrees, I'm about 96)

 

[exoticsdr]

Nice contribution... do you want to share what you had for lunch? How about your favorite color?

Ugh....I'm so sick of this!

hahaha...that's why I love to interact with you Rock! This has been a fun discussion and has honestly made me have to think about and re-assess/re-affirm many of my beliefs

 

[John]

why not go moderate and simple as they grow and thier knowledge developes they can move farther if they so chose

I think this is good, fair advice.


Any thoughts on the UVB aspect of an MVB? If raised too high to drop the temps, won't that effect the level of UVB the tort is getting?

(Again, I'm not up at 110 degrees, I'm about 96)

actually 96 is right where i'm at 60% humidity

 

[exoticsdr]

BTW...squamata...I'm still a little perplexed by your bird question....you weren't serious, right?

 

[John]

BTW...squamata...I'm still a little perplexed by your bird question....you weren't serious, right?

why not you don't have snow birds in texas?

 

[onarock]

Dont think I ever stated "out of line" Doc. If you read this thread, I think I started out asking the question "what are the benefits"? A question still not answered. Can the same thing be accomplished at 98, 95 or 90 my experience and my torts tell me yes. If a tortoise can metabolize, fight infection and thrive at temps around 95 why do we give them or better yet promote temps of 110+? It stands to reason that if you provide such extreme temps that you also need to provide extreme humidity, spraying and soaking. I guess what I'm suggesting is we maintain our tortoises at lower basking temps and less humidity and achieve the same results. Not trying to be sarcastic or argumenative, but does what I write seem logical to you, that we are fighting one extreme (basking of 110+) with another (humidity over 80% and constant basking and soaking)?

 

[exoticsdr]

BTW...squamata...I'm still a little perplexed by your bird question....you weren't serious, right?

why not you don't have snow birds in texas?

hahaha...I think they are afraid of Texas, they all end up in Florida...have a great night!

 

[Yvonne G]

You got me scared Doc. It never gets above 95 where I live and actually 92 will make the news.. yes its that rare.

Are there any tortoises indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands?

John: Birds, like mammals, have a body temperature that they get from calories burned. Birds have to eat and burn calories and their body temp, like ours, remains at a certain temp. They don't have to sit in the sun to warm up like a cold-blooded animal does.

 

[onarock]

Good question Yvonne. No there isnt. The islands are young comparativly speaking and the most isolated spot on earth... if that means anything

You got me scared Doc. It never gets above 95 where I live and actually 92 will make the news.. yes its that rare.

Are there any tortoises indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands?