How warm does it need to be for grazing?

[Jodie]

I am trying to plan ahead and figure out what will be best for my Leopard tortoise when they get bigger. I live in Spokane Valley WA. We have a fairly short summer, when the day time temp is over 80F and the night low is not below 60F. I am going to build a night box/ basking box. Assuming I can keep the heat above 80 at night and 95-100 during the day, what would be the lowest acceptable day temp for them to go out n graze? What size should they be before setting this up and keeping them outside as early and as long as possible? I have a plan for indoor enclosures, but cannot make it large enough to make me happy. I appreciate your thoughts on this.

 

[Alaskamike]

I do not allow my young leopards to fall below 70f. In the sunlight , of course it is warmer than the air temps.

 

[Tom]

There are many factors that determine this. Humidity, dampness, angle of the sun, percentage of shade, etc... If you can find a warm, dry sunny spot, use an infrared temp gun and check the ground temps. Often it will be much warmer than ambient in full sun. During dry times it might be warm enough in your sunny spot when ambient is 60 outside. Other times it might be too cool when ambient is 75. Use remote thermometer probes and temps guns to check ambient, surface and carapace temps frequently.

 

[Yvonne G]

...and if you place your outdoor habitat in the shelter of a big wall, fence or whatever, it will be even warmer. Like right next to the house where it gets sunshine but no wind/breeze. Also, bare dirt hold more warmth than grass, so be sure to leave some bare dirt in the habitat.

 

[Jodie]

If they have access to a warm box can they/ will they go out and graze and come back in and warm up when they need to. I have seen pictures of sulcatas, I think in the snow. I will bring them in for winter though.What I was thinking was a large box type enclosure, 6 X 6 maybe, that would be an insulated night box. I could then open the door but have a plastic freezer door that they could come n go for exercise. Probably staying inside most of the time until the days warm up.Maybe this won't work?
Thank you for your responses. I am just trying to come up with options. Maybe I will have to move n build a separate house for them when they get too big.

 

[Neal]

Your summers are probably comparable to our winters. In the winter I use the 75 degree threshold for young tortoises. I place the probe in a shaded area, so when the temperatures reach 75 I know it will be warmer than that in the direct sunlight and more than adequate to elevate the tortoises body temperatures to where they need to be. I would not put them outside during rain or cloudy days when temperatures are that low.

When your tortoises are older, even lows in the 50's or 60's would be tolerable provided it's not rainy and they are able to warm up during the day. Until then, I would bring your young tortoises inside at nights during the summer.

 

[Jodie]

Your summers are probably comparable to our winters. In the winter I use the 75 degree threshold for young tortoises. I place the probe in a shaded area, so when the temperatures reach 75 I know it will be warmer than that in the direct sunlight and more than adequate to elevate the tortoises body temperatures to where they need to be. I would not put them outside during rain or cloudy days when temperatures are that low.

When your tortoises are older, even lows in the 50's or 60's would be tolerable provided it's not rainy and they are able to warm up during the day. Until then, I would bring your young tortoises inside at nights during the summer.

Absolutely with the young ones. I was planning ahead for Mort, who is 9 inches now. My recent rescue has me needing to figure out by spring the best situation for her. She is 15 in and 18 lbs. I am going to build something outside n trying to figure out what exactly and how early in the spring and late in the fall I can leave her outside, if that makes sense. I can build one of Tom's night boxes easily enough, but am not sure what outside temps need to be for her to get out n get exercise. If the time frame is too short then I will need some kind of larger shed/ greenhouse so she has enough room. Does that make sense?