Redfoot can live in San Diego?

[00023600]

My tort and I are moving to San Diego area soon, and originally I planned on building him an enclosure in the backyard. However, I am concerned there wouldn't be enough humidity, but it's time for him to have a bigger enclosure and I feel like being in a more natural environment would be beneficial to him. Has anyone here had redfoots in the San Diego area? Is it possible to keep them outdoors or is it just not the right environment?

 

[wellington]

A breeder of RF lives in Whittier which I believe is not all that far from SD. No idea if weather is the same. He had a pond, lots of plants and a water feature he built.
You will likley have to add misters or a sprinkler on a timer to go off a few times a day or some kind of water feature that will up the humidity. With lots of plants and shade, the mister/sprinkler, it should be able to be done.

 

[Tom]

My tort and I are moving to San Diego area soon, and originally I planned on building him an enclosure in the backyard. However, I am concerned there wouldn't be enough humidity, but it's time for him to have a bigger enclosure and I feel like being in a more natural environment would be beneficial to him. Has anyone here had redfoots in the San Diego area? Is it possible to keep them outdoors or is it just not the right environment?

They do best in high humidity warm areas like the South Western US. Florida, South Louisiana, etc... They usually do terribly in desert climates like SoCal, but SD is a little better than where I am up in SCV to the north of L.A. SD is a huge place, and the coastal climate is drastically different than the climate farther inland. So the question is, how close to the coast will you be? Its too cold, overcast and clammy near the coast, and its too hot and dry inland.

They can certainly survive here, but they almost never look great. Its either too hot during the day in summer or too cold in winter, and too cold at night all the time. You are always fighting the weather. Your tortoise will need an insulated heated shelter to keep it warm enough, and also to get out of the summer inland heat, as the insulated box will stay cooler on a hot day. You will need heavy vegetation, lots of shade, and you will need to make seasonal and daily adjustments to your care routine. Its not cheap or easy, but it can be done with a lot of effort and expense. Personally, though I love the species, and several other "forest" tort species like the Indotestudo, I choose not to keep them here because our climate is so hostile to their needs. There are other species that do very well here in our drier climate.