natural temperature

[16 shells]

Hi i have looked at average tempertures for East Slovenia over the last month,(Yes sorry i know my 2 torts were wild caught, but i did not know any better last year.) Slovenian imported tortoises has realy become bad words with deaths, sickness, and what they might be bringing in .Which it should ,but we have to make there lives as good as possible now. I will get to my question.The day time temps have been at the highest 84F and night time dropping to 46F in Slovenia at the moment, Why is our recomended temp nearly 90F-95F under a basking bulb, in a inside enclosure for most of our cooler months in this country. No way am i doubting the experienced keepers on here, just wondered why were advised to keep our little ones in a warmer enviroment than they were originated from.
Hope this makes sense i think i know what imean
Cheers Paul

A basking lamp is merely there so that torts can choose the temps to suit them best. Even outdoors in Slovenia the temps will vary and the torts will move in and out of the areas at will to suit themselves. The recommended hot spot is a recommended safe temp. Too high and you will have problems with over heating, too low and they will not come out to feed. We do not keep them in warmer environments than they have naturally as ambients temps vary too. Heating should be left off overnight to mimic the wild too.
In the cooler months they should hibernate.
Hope this helps

[16 shells]

Thanks Sue

[Graham]

95°F is 35°C, I haven't seen any recommendations for such a high basking temp, 90°F is just over 32°C which is the highest I've seen.
30°C/86°F is what most keepers seem to recommend, and that's only 2°F higher than the daytime temps you quoted in Slovenia. The idea is for the torts to have a temp gradient in captivity so they can move to a cooler area if it's too hot directly under the lamp, they're not stupid and won't cook given the chance to move into the shade, unlike some humans!

[16 shells]

Thanks Graham for the info
Paul

[JUNOAK]

At what temperatures would you put your tortoises outside in the summer in various parts of England? The warmest I have seen Juneau in the summer was 31C.

[garyn]

Most outdoor enclosure give them somewhere with a lamp to warm under when the weather is poor. Often in UK

[yuna1971]

Whoah....nuff old post!
Throwback time when Paul was a newbie!! Lol

[16 shells]

Originally Posted by yuna1971

Whoah....nuff old post!
Throwback time when Paul was a newbie!! Lol

It's good that a little out in the temp's , should read some of my old one's tonight see if anything has sunk in. I think after that i took my own advice and stuck them outside 24/7 in nearly some Slovenian weather and have'nt looked back . Don't know where the 90f come from, must have been one of those breakaway sites.