Black Mountain Tortoise:

[conservation]

Hello everyone,

I am pretty new to mountain tortoises. I plan on keeping mine outdoors this summer. I have an outdoor planted enclosure built. I am going to add some shade cloth. I have a sprinkler system that keeps them moist. If I can get these tortoises to thrive through the summer my next concern will be winter. My winter temps touch on 32 once or twice a season during night time but they warm up to the 60's. The last few months with temps in the 70s-80s they are thriving outdoors. I would love to add more to my group if I can figure a way of keeping them outdoors year round.

 

[Yvonne G]

Same as with any other type of tortoise...you just need a heated shelter.

 

[emysbreeder]

Hello everyone,

I am pretty new to mountain tortoises. I plan on keeping mine outdoors this summer. I have an outdoor planted enclosure built. I am going to add some shade cloth. I have a sprinkler system that keeps them moist. If I can get these tortoises to thrive through the summer my next concern will be winter. My winter temps touch on 32 once or twice a season during night time but they warm up to the 60's. The last few months with temps in the 70s-80s they are thriving outdoors. I would love to add more to my group if I can figure a way of keeping them outdoors year round.

... I live in N.Florida and the weather in Winter is much the same but in N.Fl. we can have some below freezing temps. A few things you can do is put lots of mulch and leaves under plants. You can make a hut with light heat. You have to be careful as they will eat a lot less in cooler temps, so if you heat them up to high their materialism will crank up which would cause weight loss if they are not eating after they get the Winter signal to stop or slow down. I've found that given enough space they will sleep were the Sun will hit the enclosure in the next day in the early A.M. A thermostrategies p 26 "Observations on the Captive Behavior of M.e.p" *Emys pub. 2001 Austria. v.morgan & s.shaffer. They will warm up quickly and become active and feeding until the temp. starts staying below the 40's. Once it starts staying cold like Jan. Feb. they like to wallow down in dirt and stay where this area of Sun stays for best part of the day. So, keep this in mind when building them an enclosure so it gets early morning Sun in little patches of Sun exposure that streak through what ever plants and trees you have. Vic

 

[conservation]

Thanks for both the replies. Vic, what type of mulch do you use/recommend?

 

[emysbreeder]

Thanks for both the replies. Vic, what type of mulch do you use/recommend?

Cypress mulch, although they mix it with pine now. I havent had a problem with the "mix" it doesnt smell fumy so its seems ok. Its kind of chunky for little guys but I believe it helps them build leg muscle walking over it. What you dont want is a substrate so fine that the legs just push out with no resistance. They will not have strong legs later in life when mounting or getting mounted. I also lay down cork bark so they have a rugged surface to walk over. They love and are very curious about an incline but it can make they turn over if to steep. I just make a hill in the middle so they can see over the enclosure walls. They have a very high degree of visual cognitive experiences. They look so cool propped up on a slanted log or shelf made of cork bark. i love the cork bark because its light, non abrasive and easy to clean and it never rots.

 

[Baylee Rose Drown]

When I first got my MEPS I kept them in a 75 gallon tank in my office, on the second story of an old farm house. They would visibly react to things flying by our windows, people at the door, etc. I've been impressed with their visual cognition and will consider adding a hill to their outdoor enclosure. Thanks for the tip emysbreeder