Hot spot question

[HarleyK]

Hi I was wondering how hot the hottest part of your enclosure should be for a RF. Using my temp gun, it ranges from about 95 on the warm end.

I have come across some pictures of tortoises with some burned shells and I am wondering how this even happens, if the tortoise is able to sepf-regulate?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi HarleyK:

I don't keep redfoot tortoises, so you can take my info or leave it. What I've read here on the forum is that they don't much need the temperature gradient that the other types of tortoises need. I know that TerryO keeps her RF habitats the same temp one end to the other.

Usually when you see a burned scar on a carapace its because the tortoise wasn't able to get away from a light or CHE that was hanging too low.

 

[HarleyK]

Hi HarleyK:

I don't keep redfoot tortoises, so you can take my info or leave it. What I've read here on the forum is that they don't much need the temperature gradient that the other types of tortoises need. I know that TerryO keeps her RF habitats the same temp one end to the other.

Usually when you see a burned scar on a carapace its because the tortoise wasn't able to get away from a light or CHE that was hanging too low.

Thanks emysemys! There is a temperature gradient, from about 65-95 (sometimes up to 100) and it seems to work ok for my redfoot. He has been shy (still about 4") and so I thought it would be due to not hot enough temps.

 

[Madkins007]

The idea that Red-foots don't need thermal gradients is based on the ideas that they come from the rain forest and there are no temperature gradients in the rain forest- but both of these ideas are inaccurate.

In general, we would call a small area of 95ish OK. It is large, hot areas that create problems.