Hello! I have a baby western Hermanns tortoise. He was born in June 2021, he has been housed inside so far. I live in Michigan and I want to move him to an outside enclosure for the summer. When would be a good time to move him? Around what temperature would be okay for him to stay outside overnight? Thanks!
When to put outside?
- Thread starter maisiejb
- Start date
Babies should not stay outside all day. Its not good for them regardless of climate or weather. I've done several side-by-side experiments with this with clutch mates of several species, and no other variables.
My general rule of thumb is about one hour of outside time daily per inch of tortoise. For small species like yours, they can stay outside all day once they reach around 4 inches, but I still would bring them in at night. They should not stay outside overnight until you have an insulated and temperature controlled shelter for them to sleep in over night. You'll need to latch them in to keep them safe from rodents, ants, and nocturnal predators. Then the door can be opened in the morning and they can come out when they want.
This thread shows all of this:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
When determining what temp is safe to put them outside, there are several factors to consider. Wind, recent rain, ground temp, what percentage of the enclosure is shaded, etc... On a dry day with no recent rain, and last night wasn't too cold, light or no wind, full sun and lots of sunny areas in the enclosure, then 60 degrees might be warm enough. Cold night, wet cold ground, patchy sun, heavy shade in the enclosure, then I might wait until it was 75 outside to put a baby out. Adults can generally handle cooler temps. You should also watch the tortoises behavior. If the tortoise is out grazing, basking and moving around, then it is probably warm enough. If the tortoise goes and parks under a bush and goes to sleep, then it might be too cold, and pointless to put them outside.
Daisysauras
New Member
Can I ask why babies can't stay out for long periods of time? I'm genuinely curious I have a year old horsefield,. I think you said on a different post about only letting them out for a hour per inch of tortoise so that's what I've been doing, you seem to know your torts!Babies should not stay outside all day. Its not good for them regardless of climate or weather. I've done several side-by-side experiments with this with clutch mates of several species, and no other variables.
My general rule of thumb is about one hour of outside time daily per inch of tortoise. For small species like yours, they can stay outside all day once they reach around 4 inches, but I still would bring them in at night. They should not stay outside overnight until you have an insulated and temperature controlled shelter for them to sleep in over night. You'll need to latch them in to keep them safe from rodents, ants, and nocturnal predators. Then the door can be opened in the morning and they can come out when they want.
This thread shows all of this:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
When determining what temp is safe to put them outside, there are several factors to consider. Wind, recent rain, ground temp, what percentage of the enclosure is shaded, etc... On a dry day with no recent rain, and last night wasn't too cold, light or no wind, full sun and lots of sunny areas in the enclosure, then 60 degrees might be warm enough. Cold night, wet cold ground, patchy sun, heavy shade in the enclosure, then I might wait until it was 75 outside to put a baby out. Adults can generally handle cooler temps. You should also watch the tortoises behavior. If the tortoise is out grazing, basking and moving around, then it is probably warm enough. If the tortoise goes and parks under a bush and goes to sleep, then it might be too cold, and pointless to put them outside.
Yes please. Questions are always welcome. To save me an hour of typing, please read number 2 and number 29 here:
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
tortoiseforum.org
Daisysauras
New Member
You really are the guru of tortoises thanks so much!Yes please. Questions are always welcome. To save me an hour of typing, please read number 2 and number 29 here:
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
