Thermal characteristics, such as diffusivity and temperature induced change in the fiber mode index of rotation sensing fiber coil are critical factors which determine the time varying, thermo-optically induced bias drift of interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes (IFOGs). In this study, temperature dependence of the transient effect is analyzed in terms of the thermal characteristics of the fiber coil at three different temperatures. By applying an analytic model to the measured bias in the experiments, comprehensive thermal factors of the fiber coil could be extracted effectively. The validity of the model was confirmed by the fact that the extracted values are reasonable results in comparison with well known properties of the materials of the fiber coil. Temperature induced changes in the critical factors were confirmed to be essential in compensating the transient effect over a wide temperature range.