Your thoughts on Tegu basking Temps?

[Max713]

Most everyone would recommend at basking spot of at least 110F, although I think we can all agree a gradient would be best, let your Tegu decide what temp he/she want's to bask at! I offer Kimo a gradient basking area, from 100F - 125F. I regularly find him at the 125F basking position, although he is most often found around the 110F range.

A 130F basking spot is definitely not going to harm your Tegu... On another forum, a member went on a day hike on a cool fall day, recording random surface temps along the way. On a cool sunny day, he recorded 106F surface temps. I can provide a link to this information if you'd like, it will just take some digging on my part.
110F is actually not that warm. What kind of surface temps do you think you would see in Argentina on a 100+F day?
I'm definitely not saying to only offer a 110 or 120F basking area, but I think you would be surprised how much your Tegu would appreciate it if you offered a hotter spot among the gradient.
The point is, your Tegu knows what it wants, you are only guessing/assuming what it wants.
The only way you are going to hurt your Tegu with a very hot basking area, is if the enclosure is too small to disperse the heat, and the ambient temps rise to an un-safe level.

I originally offered my Tegu a 105F basking spot only... After changing to a gradient, with a much higher top temp, I noticed a much more active Gu. Others I've talked to have reported very similar outcomes!

Now try and actually think about this! Notice I offered a "Stick with the universally recommended 110F." option. If you truly believe that is the optimum basking temp, then please, choose this option. If you think 110F is best, solely for the reason of blindly following the instructions of others without your own experience, or reasonable doubt, please refrain.

What are your guys' thoughts?
And please post if and why you would disagree.

 

[laurarfl]

My vote wasn't an option, so I'll post. I would do with a gradient, but not as high as 130. One time my tegu had a basking spot that got upwards of 130 and she was a hot mess...pun intended. It was a heat wave and I didn't think to check her, but she was acting very anxious. I normally get the basking temp up to 115 though. If it starts to get hot, they leave for the cool spot or soak in the water. So in my experience, a gradient is always ideal for any animal, but I would max at 115-120.

 

[Wil]

You shouldn't have to guess or assume what your tegu wants at all. Their actions and behavior is telling you want they need. I don't concentrate on any set number for a basking site temperature. To be honest most of the temps given are for those that constantly check their temps. In reality though your tegu will tell you if it's right or not. If it is basking all the time, more than likely your temps aren't high enough. If it is constantly burrowing or in the water, chances are that it is too hot.
Surface temperatures of 130 degrees or above in direct sunlight can kill your tegu.

 

[reptastic]

like laura we had a heatwave last year that came out of nowere while i was at work, by the time i made it home i had lost one of my tegus...the temps in her enclosure was near 135*, wil said it best hen he stated your tegu will tell you wht it needs and that is mainly what i go by!

 

[teguboy77]

I agree with wil,i keep my basking spot a 105f and my tegus bask and then go burrow.Now some of the tegus don't seem to like basking spots at higher temp like 110f up,when i had blue tegus they seem to like the basking surface temp at around 95f to 100f or they wouldn't lay under the basking light if i had temps higher than 95f to 100f.I think if a tegu gets to hot it will die also,thats why you should have a cool side to prevent that.

 

[Little Wise Owl]

My red basks for a little while and goes back to her burrow on the cool side for the rest of the day.

Her basking spot is 101-106F. Hot side is mid 80s and the cool side is around 75-76F

 

[Max713]

You shouldn't have to guess or assume what your tegu wants at all. Their actions and behavior is telling you want they need.
Exactly, but they can't show you what they want if you don't offer them a wide enough gradient, which is exactly what I'm suggesting.

I don't concentrate on any set number for a basking site temperature. To be honest most of the temps given are for those that constantly check their temps. In reality though your tegu will tell you if it's right or not.
If it is basking all the time, more than likely your temps aren't high enough. If it is constantly burrowing or in the water, chances are that it is too hot.
Agreed.

Surface temperatures of 130 degrees or above in direct sunlight can kill your tegu.
This statement is incorrect. A surface temp of 130+* at the hottest side of your basking area can not and will not kill your tegu unless the ambient temperatures of your entire enclosure rise because of it. As I stated in my original post.

like laura we had a heatwave last year that came out of nowere while i was at work, by the time i made it home i had lost one of my tegus...the temps in her enclosure was near 135*, wil said it best hen he stated your tegu will tell you wht it needs and that is mainly what i go by!

I'm sorry, but I don't understand the point of your statement, or how it relates to the topic it hand.
Could you clarify what your point? I'm not trying to be rude.

I agree with wil,i keep my basking spot a 105f and my tegus bask and then go burrow.Now some of the tegus don't seem to like basking spots at higher temp like 110f up,when i had blue tegus they seem to like the basking surface temp at around 95f to 100f or they wouldn't lay under the basking light if i had temps higher than 95f to 100f.
This is what I'm talking about, you experimented and found the optimum temps for your Tegus. Not to say I wouldn't still offer a warm position, but essentially this is the mind set I think every owner should take.

I think if a tegu gets to hot it will die also,thats why you should have a cool side to prevent that.
This is true, and obvious. But we are not talking about your Tegu getting too hot (which would come from high ambient temps), we are talking about Tegu basking temps.

I hope you all understand the difference between basking temps, and ambient temps. I high basking temp will not harm your Tegu unless your ambient temps rise to an unsafe level due to the high basking temp. This would be due to an enclosure too small to accommodate such a high basking temp.

 

[Wil]

What is your basis on my statement being incorrect? Basically what you are saying is that I should have left the tegu in direct sunlight that was reaching temperatures above 130 degrees even though she was flipping around violently? Ambient that day was about 90 degrees. I had to bring her inside and put her into a tub of cool water for 12 hours of more. So please forgive me when I have my doubts on your theory. When you increase the basking temp you are going to increase the ambient. It's basic heat transfer. The only way around it is to have temps of 70 or lower in the room the cage is in.

Now don't get me wrong here, I think that it is good that you have experimented with your tegu, but I do think that a blanket statement that all tegus can handle 130 degree basking temps is a little irresponsible. How many tegus have you tested this on? What is the depth of your substrate? What kind of enclosure? Where are you located? These are all questions that also need to be accounted for. There are a lot of things that I do with my tegus that I don't publish or necessarily recommend others do because I don't want to be the cause of somebody killing or injuring their tegu. What works for me isn't always going to work for someone else. And if I make a mistake I have nobody to blame but myself.

Also, if someone doesn't understand temperature gradients then they shouldn't even consider playing with basking temps. There is also way more than gradients from the hot side to the cool side of the cage. What do you think the purpose of the Rete's rack is? Its to provide a hot side temperature gradient. It's all about choices.

Again, it is great that you are thinking "outside the box", but never ever say something is "ok" until you are completely sure or are willing to take responsibility for said statement. There are just too many people out there that are looking for a cookbook recipe for reptile care. What are you going to say if someone emails you and says you killed their baby because they were following your advice and experience?

 

[Max713]

What is your basis on my statement being incorrect? Basically what you are saying is that I should have left the tegu in direct sunlight that was reaching temperatures above 130 degrees even though she was flipping around violently? Ambient that day was about 90 degrees. I had to bring her inside and put her into a tub of cool water for 12 hours of more. So please forgive me when I have my doubts on your theory.
No I wasn't saying that at all, you reacted to how your Tegu was acting very appropriately! But basking outside in the sun, and inside a climate controlled enclosure are two completely different things. You cannot control any type of gradient in an outdoor environment (other than shaded cold spots) the basking temp itself you would not be able to control, I'm speaking about gradient climate controlled indoor basking temps and positions.
When you increase the basking temp you are going to increase the ambient. It's basic heat transfer. The only way around it is to have temps of 70 or lower in the room the cage is in.
But this is incorrect. You can raise your basking temp by simply raising the basking surface closer to the heating element, or light bulb. You do not necessarily have to raise any temperature, but of course your enclosure needs to be tall enough to accommodate raising the basking surface.

Now don't get me wrong here, I think that it is good that you have experimented with your tegu, but I do think that a blanket statement that all tegus can handle 130 degree basking temps is a little irresponsible.
I disagree here as well, in a climate controlled indoor enclosure, if the Tegu doesn't like, or can't handle a 130F basking spot, it can simply move to a cooler portion of the basking area. My 100-125F basking gradient was achieved in under a 18"x18" space. This is of course only for a 17" Tegu mind you. Like I keep saying, your enclosure needs to be large enough to accommodate the large/raised basking surface.
How many tegus have you tested this on? What is the depth of your substrate? What kind of enclosure? Where are you located? These are all questions that also need to be accounted for.
None of these would be a factor in basking temps, and how the Tegu reacts to them, although deep/burrow-able substrate is definitely needed to thermo-regulate properly.

There are a lot of things that I do with my tegus that I don't publish or necessarily recommend others do because I don't want to be the cause of somebody killing or injuring their tegu. What works for me isn't always going to work for someone else. And if I make a mistake I have nobody to blame but myself.
That is a very good point, but what I am publishing cannot harm someones Gu unless they don't fully understand what I'm suggesting. Many things that come with a 130* basking temp could harm a Tegu; Basking temp raising ambient temp to unsafe levels, raised platform is raised too high and the Tegu is able to reach the heat source, etc. But the 130* temp itself cannot and will not hurt a Gu.

Also, if someone doesn't understand temperature gradients then they shouldn't even consider playing with basking temps. There is also way more than gradients from the hot side to the cool side of the cage. What do you think the purpose of the Rete's rack is? Its to provide a hot side temperature gradient. It's all about choices.
I COMPLETELY agree with this, this thread was intended for someone with some knowledge of what a gradient is, and how to properly create one. In an absolute perfect basking situation, you would have a Retes rack, underneath a horizontally gradient-ed basking surface, so the Tegu has a choice to bask under light among a gradient, or sheltered from light among a gradient.

Again, it is great that you are thinking "outside the box", but never ever say something is "ok" until you are completely sure or are willing to take responsibility for said statement. There are just too many people out there that are looking for a cookbook recipe for reptile care.
Well, like I said, I'm completely confident a Gu will not hurt itself at a basking temp of 130*, although I'm sure someone could find a way to harm their Tegu with it if they went through improper means to attain said temp.

What are you going to say if someone emails you and says you killed their baby because they were following your advice and experience?
That would very much depend on the circumstance....

Thank you for the civil argument wil!

 

[teguboy77]

Yes i understand the difference between ambient temp and basking temp i said basking temp,ambient temp is the temperature of the surroundings like air etc,basking spot would be like under heat lamp or sun.So it could be 70f outside but a spot were the sun is shining on a rock or piece wood could be 100f plus but even though the rock is 100f or more the ambient temp air is cooler.Again i ll say what i said before MY BASKING SPOT I KEEP AT 105F,ANY HOTTER TO ME IS TO HOT JUST MY OPINION THX.:shy:

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Yes i understand the difference between ambient temp and basking temp i said basking temp,ambient temp is the temperature of the surroundings like air etc,basking spot would be like under heat lamp or sun.So it could be 70f outside but a spot were the sun is shining on a rock or piece wood could be 100f plus but even though the rock is 100f or more the ambient temp air is cooler.Again i ll say what i said before MY BASKING SPOT I KEEP AT 105F,ANY HOTTER TO ME IS TO HOT JUST MY OPINION THX.:shy:

Also the way i tend to do thing for my tegus doesn't mean thats the same way everybody else does thing for there tegu,but i can say i seem to be doing something right considering i never had a problemm with my tegus and always trying to learn and give them the best care..

 

[tayrocksyoursocks56]

This message is intended for Max713. First of all I am in no way a tegu expert or herpetologist. I am however an educated person and can shed some insight to this thread. you are completely right in suggesting that there be a large temp gradient to give your animal a "choice" if you will of what if prefers or does not. apparently you will then monitor its behavior based on your findings if it is basking a lot it is too cold or its burrowing its too hot. understandably so, why are all these people on this forum disagreeing with you? well heres the answer. you boldly stated that 130F should be an option when it comes to a basking area. and as intelligent or successful as you may be in this, others simply will not be. you did not elaborate on how to achieve surface temps of 130F without raising the ambient temp in the enclosure in your initial statement. your statement about elevating your basking spot, bringing it closer to the light was not in your initial statement either. when you post something like this without elaborating on that one seemingly insignificant detail, you can cause a lot of harm. someone will buy a light with too high of a wattage trying to reach the intended 130F and can and most probably will harm their animal. you had great intentions and went about finding results in a great way, however did not present them correctly which is why you are getting flak from people on here.

Here is how to solve this: have various levels or steps in your enclosure on the hot side that will bring your animal closer to the light if desired by said animal. I personally bought a cinder block and broke several pieces of a large flat one and made steps, each one smaller than the other and sits on top of the larger one, to reach the apex or highest basking spot. this will give your animal a good temp gradient to choose from and wont leave you, the human being, trying to interpret your animals actions.