_paper_moon_
New Member
My fiance and I are looking to setup a loving home for a tortoise. We have a patio that we currently have no use for and plan to fill pretty much entirely with an outdoor tortoise enclosure. The patio is 16ft x 7ft and is shaded for most of the day. We live in southern California. Here is what our patio looks like for reference (taken in the morning):
Some questions and concerns we have:
Some questions and concerns we have:
- Which species of tortoise would be happiest in our enclosure considering our climate, the amount of space we have, and the amount of sun the patio gets? The species we found the most in local adoption centers were texas tortoises, russian tortoises, desert tortoises, and box turtles. But we can look elsewhere for other species too if there is one that will better fit the environment we can provide.
- We're a bit concerned that the tortoise won't get enough sun because the patio is shaded most of the day. Would setting up a heat lamp be enough? Or is the limited direct sunlight a deal breaker for keeping a tortoise.
- Is there anything else we should consider or prepare before building our enclosure?