Today I made a very simple outdoor kiddie pool enclosure for my baby Russian.
Here he is enjoying real sun for the first time
Here he is enjoying real sun for the first time
First time outdoors
- Thread starter katieandiggy
- Start date
Looks great...nice to have fresh air, bright sunshine. You might want to sink your water bowl level into the substrste so your lil guy can climb down into the water instead of up... enjoy, have fun. Happy torting..
Thank you. I always have trouble with the dish it always seems to work it’s way back up. I’ll sink it back down.
He seems to be having a lovely day
He seems to be having a lovely day
Thought I had lost him, but found him dug down under this plant asleep.
Update- wow I can’t believe how much difference there is in my tort since putting him outside.
He is so active and seems really content, he’s eating up a storm outside compared to inside. Yesterday was his first time outside and he spent 2 hours outside. Today it’s quite breezy but I’ve just checked all the temps and in the sun it’s really warm most of the enclosure is in the mid 90’s and the shade around 78-82.
I know it is suggested that 1hour per inch of shell... are we talking about the length of the plastron or the carapace? Also my tort is a Russian and I know they are more hardy, do you think he could stay out a bit longer? He weighs 53g so you think if he’s happy he can stay out a bit longer?
He is so active and seems really content, he’s eating up a storm outside compared to inside. Yesterday was his first time outside and he spent 2 hours outside. Today it’s quite breezy but I’ve just checked all the temps and in the sun it’s really warm most of the enclosure is in the mid 90’s and the shade around 78-82.
I know it is suggested that 1hour per inch of shell... are we talking about the length of the plastron or the carapace? Also my tort is a Russian and I know they are more hardy, do you think he could stay out a bit longer? He weighs 53g so you think if he’s happy he can stay out a bit longer?
The difference when they are in sunshine is like night and day, literally! Lol.
I’ll leave it to others about the length of time. I believe the primary issue is that babies can overheat very quickly. Have you checked the heat on the top of his shell when he’s in the sun? He’ll gain and retain heat at a higher level than much of what surrounds him, like a rock.
I’ll leave it to others about the length of time. I believe the primary issue is that babies can overheat very quickly. Have you checked the heat on the top of his shell when he’s in the sun? He’ll gain and retain heat at a higher level than much of what surrounds him, like a rock.
I checked the top of his carapace and it was 91f he does have plenty of shade and he spent the afternoon burrowed down under a plant. The soil and coco coir is nice and damp under the surface so I’m sure if was quite cool.
If they get too hot will they naturally seek out shade?
Just couldn’t believe how much more alert and active he was. I was getting concerned about his activity level in the vivarium and also his eating. Some days he would barely touch the food, today he went through 3 helpings!!!! Never seen him so alert and content. I left him out today for 4 hours.
Tortoises really do belong outside! There is nothing cooler then watching a tortoise just be a tortoise outside! Just take care not to go too long and dry little babies out too much. I some times push the hour per inch rule a little as well but if we stick to it there seems to be no risk so as hard as it may be it's probably better to stick to an hour per inch
ethan508
Member
I like your set up. If you keep the substrate moist/warm he can stay out longer than if he is just out in a dry coir, desiccating in the sunny breeze. More dappled shade here and there would help add some extra margin of error, so that during his exploration time he isn't getting quite as baked by direct sunlight. Maybe put the pool where half of it is under the shade of a tree or umbrella.
Thank you Ethan.
I actually spread some seeds all over the pool and now I have shoots everywhere it’s looking much more weathered. I hose it each night so it is nice and damp.
I have a large area that’s about 20’ x 10’ that I’m going to turn into the permanent outdoor area i’m just trying to decide exactly how I’m going to design it
shellandpenny
New Member
Very cool set up. How big is your russian now? I've been thinking of doing the kiddie pool idea also! I did read on here that using the terra cotta pot as a hiding area could make it too hot. They recommended making an underground bunker sort of using bricks to build it out. Thought I'd share that with you! I'm just keeping notes of what seems to work for some people.
Hi Shellandpenny,
My baby is still tiny, only 60g but gaining steadily. I do stretch the 1 hour per inch of shell time outside but my baby is thriving now, I think Russians do better outside.
It did enter my mind about the pots getting hot, but they are both firmly under the wood now so direct sun doesn’t hit them, also the substrate which is a mixture of sterilised Top soil and Coco Coir is really damp.
It’s much more weathered now, I sprinkled seeds all over and there are shoots popping up everywhere. That picture was when I very first made it. Sadly my lovely purple campanula plant has been eaten down to the ground lol, luckily I have about 3 that I bought months back and I’ve just grown them In top soil so I’m constantly replacing them.
My baby is still tiny, only 60g but gaining steadily. I do stretch the 1 hour per inch of shell time outside but my baby is thriving now, I think Russians do better outside.
It did enter my mind about the pots getting hot, but they are both firmly under the wood now so direct sun doesn’t hit them, also the substrate which is a mixture of sterilised Top soil and Coco Coir is really damp.
It’s much more weathered now, I sprinkled seeds all over and there are shoots popping up everywhere. That picture was when I very first made it. Sadly my lovely purple campanula plant has been eaten down to the ground lol, luckily I have about 3 that I bought months back and I’ve just grown them In top soil so I’m constantly replacing them.
shellandpenny
New Member
The big patch of green is lots of mixed weeds that I get from seed.
Great enclosure! Love the plants, the shade, hides, and the screen on top. You’ve got things going great for your little one! As for the water dish, I used to always struggle with that too. Making it easy for them to get in and out, and keeping it clean! Especially with coir as substrate! One of the things That worked great for me was lining the dish around with sheets of moss. I tried flat rocks too, but moss was by far superior to anything else I had tried
something like that. It provided that little extra elevation to the water dish and trapped some of the dirt off the feet bfr they stepped into the dish.
That’s a great idea thank you.
