Basking myths dispelled.

[infernalis]

[Minkness]

Sounds about right...what was the myth?

[dannybgoode]

That somehow basking spots cannot be hotter than ambient air temp. Forgetting of course the basic principles of heat retention and build up...

[Minkness]

....I thought that was common sense....I apparently give people too much credit lol

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

That somehow basking spots cannot be hotter than ambient air temp. Forgetting of course the basic principles of heat retention and build up...

Boom! I have argued with veterinarians before about hot basking spots.

[Minkness]

Seriously? Because if that were the case, our feet wouldn't burn when walking on asphalt barefoot when it's otherwise 'only' 95° outside....derp derp....

[murrindindi]

The myth isn`t that basking surface temps cannot be higher than the ambient (air) temp, it`s that if the surface temp is between approx. 100 to 110f the animal will be able to function very efficiently (Varanids). The above would have been an acceptable range "in the old days" (and in fact still is for some people/organisations). We now understand that it would take a relatively long time to get the core body temp up (requiring extended basking times) and at those relatively low surface temps they would be "undermetabolised" to some degree for longer periods during their "activity time".

[Minkness]

Sooooo....it would slow them down and make them lazier? Is that 'bad' or just different?

[sirtalis]

Proper basking will do wonders, I bask my Leopard Geckos around 130 f and its been virtually impossible to handle them since, think of a lizard in the wild. I've temp gunned an anole on a 150 f sheet of metal and a wild texas rat snake on a 130ish f rock, and people still say not to go over 100 f at the basking spot, no wonder our animals are so "tame"

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by Minkness

Sooooo....it would slow them down and make them lazier? Is that 'bad' or just different?

Long term... it's deadly. In time the organs begin to fail.

[sirtalis]

Originally Posted by infernalis

Long term... it's deadly. In time the organs begin to fail.

Its also known as tame for the majority of keepers

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by sirtalis

Proper basking will do wonders, I bask my Leopard Geckos around 130 f and its been virtually impossible to handle them since, think of a lizard in the wild. I've temp gunned an anole on a 150 f sheet of metal and a wild texas rat snake on a 130ish f rock, and people still say not to go over 100 f at the basking spot, no wonder our animals are so "tame"

The idea that all lizards need similar surface temps to most Varanids (highly active animals with the highest metabolism among reptiles) is quite naïve.
Where do Leopard geckos find surface temps of 130f in the wild during their "normal" activity times (being mainly nocturnal, though they have been recorded basking in early morning sunshine), and how exactly is it benefitting them (do their activity levels, energy needs increase to similar levels as the above mentioned monitors?
Keep your goldfish in water of around 120f, they will grow much faster and larger and will behave more like Great White sharks (and they certainly won`t be tame)!?

[pet_snake_78]

I would be interesting for some to temp gun the basking temperatures in the wild of commonly kept reptiles for reference. I was listening to one of the blog talk radio shows where Tom Crutchfield let's his iguanas outside and they can bask wherever they want and he then temp gunned them to find they were at relatively high temperatures... of course it goes that they need to be able to get away from high temperatures, too.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by pet_snake_78

I would be interesting for some to temp gun the basking temperatures in the wild of commonly kept reptiles for reference. I was listening to one of the blog talk radio shows where Tom Crutchfield let's his iguanas outside and they can bask wherever they want and he then temp gunned them to find they were at relatively high temperatures... of course it goes that they need to be able to get away from high temperatures, too.

Hi, you cannot use a Temp-gun to determine an animal`s core body temp, so in that regard Tom Crutchfield (I don`t know him?) only took the surface temp of the scales...
Green iguana`s are diurnal basking reptiles which are quite likely to come in contact with a range of surface temps which would likely be significantly higher than for instance, a nocturnal Gecko.

[trailblazer295]

Originally Posted by infernalis

Boom! I have argued with veterinarians before about hot basking spots.

Have they never touched the metal on the car on a hot sunny day? Or tried walking barefoot across your driveway as a kid?