Shell bottom burnt???

chuck21570

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Joined
Aug 26, 2019
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Philadelphia, PA
hi everyone. My son’s tortoise is finally spending most of his day not buried, which is good. But now I have a different concern.

The tortoise spent a lot of time basking today, and it could be that I just never looked close enough at the underside of his tortoise, but his shell looks blacker to me than I remember. Does this look normal? Did he / she get underside of shell burnt from basking on the slate?

I put a stronger bulb in today, 75 watt, because the temperature gauge kept reading high 80’s with the 50 watt bulb. Maybe his shell always looked like this and I am just paranoid. But I am worried the temperature gauge was just not working, and the 50 watt bulb was fine, and the 75 is too much.

Any thoughts?

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chuck21570

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Philadelphia, PA
Ok good. New at this, so questioning everything I do!!!! Never really looked at the bottom of the shell that closely, and for some reason, just looked different to me tonight.
 

Tom

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Their color develops as they age. That looks normal.

Where is the temp gauge in relation to the heat lamp? Where in your enclosure is it 80s? The temp directly under the bulb should be around 95ish, but 80s' over near that area is fine. Be sure not to use a "spot" bulb or halogen over your tortoise.
 

chuck21570

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Joined
Aug 26, 2019
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Philadelphia, PA
Heeding a bunch of people's advice, I went out and bought an infrared temperature gauge. Right under the light, on the basking slate I am using, the temperature varied a fair amount on the slate, anywhere between 100, and at its hottest spot on the slate, around 110. getting away from the slate, and staying on the "warm side" of his enclosure, it was in the mid 80's or so for the most part.

On the "cool side", it was in the high 60's.

I am using this bulb for basking right now.

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