Shell temp??

[Tony the tank]

Last few days I have Ben noticing my sulcatas laying out in the sun a lot... So today I took there shell temp and it was at 122*F ... Same thing tonight inside there enclosure ( I lock them in at night and use oil filled radiator and a few red heat bulbs to keep temp around 75*F ... Temp still drops here at night into the high 40*F)they were all sleeping under the heat lamps and there shell temps where 102*F.. I never noticed them getting that hot before..

Should this be a concern??

Thank you

 

[Blakem]

Last few days I have Ben noticing my sulcatas laying out in the sun a lot... So today I took there shell temp and it was at 122*F ... Same thing tonight inside there enclosure ( I lock them in at night and use oil filled radiator and a few red heat bulbs to keep temp around 75*F ... Temp still drops here at night into the high 40*F)they were all sleeping under the heat lamps and there shell temps where 102*F.. I never noticed them getting that hot before..

Should this be a concern??

Thank you

 

[EKLC]

That doesn't surprise me for a tortoise sitting in the sun. Darker surfaces in the sun can get very hot. I measured the dirt in my yard at 143 F this summer. Your tortoises are trying to warm up their body temperature to 90 degrees or so, and they bask for awhile while the heat conducts from the shell to the rest of the body. If they are large enough that they are perfectly capable of moving to a shady spot, do not worry.

For night time heat, while not natural to have a warm basking spot at night, I imagine they enjoy sleeping under the red bulbs. If they are large, the 102 shell temp is probably balanced by the heat sink of the 70-75 degree floor.

 

[Nixxy]

I'm fairly sure they'd move to shade if it was an issue.

While it seems quite high to us, for their shell temperature, it's probably not that much.