General Care Discussion :: Basking Site Temperature

[comills]

My basking site temp is coming in at about 95-100 degrees F. I have a 25 watt UV A/B bulp and a 60 watt standard light bulb generating heat on the turtle dock made by zoo med. My turtle seems to be more relaxed in this enviornment with his hind legs stretched out behind him. Before I was using a zoo med basking bulb and the temperature was much higher. I believe that this temperature is better. I am wondering if someone could tell me what temp the basking site should be and offer any further suggestions.

[sonyj]

100 degrees is way too high. Basking temp shouldn't be higher than the low 90's at the most. You need to try lowering the temp. High temps can knock your turtles out and cause severe dehydration to death.

Try moving the bulb further away or lowering the wattage a little. Ideal temp is ten degrees more than the water or not above 88-90 for healthy RES.

[stormtrooper]

Hi sonyj,

Sorry for barging here, but my question is related to this topic - and very similar to comills.

My water temperature is currently 25 degrees (77 fahrenheit) and dock temperature is 34 degrees (93 farh). I have done it this way based on your recommendation (as well as others' advice) of having the basking temp approx. 10 degrees more than the water temp.

Like comills' turtle, I used to notice Gamera stretching out his legs more when the basking temp was at about 37 degrees, which I later found out was too high. Since I have lowered the basking temp down to its current temp, my turtle still basks, but he doesnt do the stretching thing anymore with his legs.

But on the bright side, I also dont notice as much skin shedding as usual. I know skin shedding is normal, but he used to shed excessively, due to, I'm guessing, the high temperature he was basking under.

Sonyj, can you please confirm that it doesnt matter if I dont see Gamera stretch as much as he used to after I lowered the temp? Thanks again for your constant help.

[missibsu]

I'm not Sonja, but I will say that as long as your turt is basking, it doesn't matter whether or not the legs are stretched out. Mine bask all stretched out sometimes, and other times they just lay there like a bump on a log.

[sonyj]

LOL... I'm with Missi on this too. Koopa basks differently most of the time. Sometimes with legs stretched out all relaxed, other times it's like he's waiting for the first disturbance so he can jump back in and then there's the times he just a "bump on a log" so to say, nothing bothers him but he's not stretched out.

I would be careful of keeping the basking temp too high. I know some turtles that prefer to bask in the low 90's over just ten degrees higher. But I wouldn't go any higher than that.

[stormtrooper]

Right now, the basking temp is a constant 34-35 degrees and he seems to be happily basking. The only difference being that I dont see his "superman" pose as much as when the lamp was closer. Now, he's doing what you refer to as the "bump on a log".

[marisa]

stormtrooper, the stretching of the legs is to get more heat. I suspect he still may be doing it at times, you're just not there to see it. If he's basking, that's good.