General Care Discussion

I just did a reading on my basking temp i left it there for like 10 minutes and i came back and it says its over 110 degrees the thermometer cant read higher than that..
idk why its so hot haha but i put my hand under it and its not that hot lol..
im confused..

What kind of thermometer are you using? I come to the conclusion that the ones with a digital probe are unreliable. Still, 110 it quite high (even accounting for the +/- inaccuracy)... does your turtle bask long?

she used to love to bask even at that high but now she doesnt since i got the uvb. but hopefully shell get used to it. oh i used a standing thermometer.

What wattage bulb are you using and how far is it from the basking area? I just use a regular thermometer (one that you measure the air temp with) and lay it down where my turtle basks.

75 watt zoo med bulb. and about 12 inches. her shell seems to be rotting according to my other post and i have her in a dry area with the uvb on it til i take her to the vet because she hasnt basked since i installed the uvb

I read your other post. Shell rot often does have an odor (and the area can be soft). So getting her to a herp vet for treatment is a good idea. I don't know when she's being seen, but if it's days away, she still needs to be hydrated a few times a day in clean water so she can drink (and eat).

If she's not happy under that UVB light, you could add a regular light bulb next to it for warmth. Also, give her a cloth to burrow under, especially at night.

i have a uvb and uva light above the basking area and i have a turtle hut for her to hide at night while my pleco eats away.
but that uva light is 75 watts and according to the thermometer its very very hot. but my hand doesnt even get burnt under it well if its very close to the bulb it hurts kinda haha.
so put a cloth towel IN the water? im confused lol i put her back in the water just now though i wanted to take her out 15-30 minutes a day just to get uvb at least.

Use the cloth for if you dry dock her overnight. She'd like to burrow under when she sleeps.

so dry dock her over night until she starts to bask?

See if she'll bask with out the UVB light.

im gunna try moving the light. im gunna screw it on the wall higher so its not so hot and see if she basks then slowly introduce the uvb to her.

Sorry, when I dry tank overnight, my turtles have a few pieces of cloth to burrow under (I didn't mean to put it in the water). I was assuming you would keep her out of the water overnight. When I do this for any reason, I keep them out of the water overnight, hydrate and feed in the morning, and then hydrate later in the day/early evening. You would be doing this until she sees a herp vet for the shell issue.

General Care Discussion :: The basking temperature is too hot for my thermo?

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