Advice needed on UK outdoor living

[louisewhomack76]

Hi, I am needing some advice on my tortoise being outside in the UK. I live in the North of England and have a 2 year old Hermanns.
We have a lovely outdoor enclosure full of plants and predator protected.
I’m confused about the temperatures that my tortoise can be outside. I have taken him out over summer when the weather permits and for the last 2 nights he has slept outside as the weather has been so warm.
With the heatwave about to end can I continue to let my tort go outside during the day? I will be bringing him in at night. I’ve read that temps have to be 20 degrees for them to be outside, but he’s enjoying being outside so much I feel it’s a shame to bring him inside full time.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[zolasmum]

Hi, I am needing some advice on my tortoise being outside in the UK. I live in the North of England and have a 2 year old Hermanns.
We have a lovely outdoor enclosure full of plants and predator protected.
I’m confused about the temperatures that my tortoise can be outside. I have taken him out over summer when the weather permits and for the last 2 nights he has slept outside as the weather has been so warm.
With the heatwave about to end can I continue to let my tort go outside during the day? I will be bringing him in at night. I’ve read that temps have to be 20 degrees for them to be outside, but he’s enjoying being outside so much I feel it’s a shame to bring him inside full time.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

I live in the UK too, with a 23 year old Hermanns, and personally I think he should be fine going outside for a while every day until it gets wetter and colder all the time. He will be getting UV light even if it isn't bright sunlight. Make sure he has some form of shelter in his enclosure - solid-leafed plants or a hide, and obviously bring him in if the weather suddenly gets bad.Keep a water dish in there too.
Angie (from Devon)

 

[louisewhomack76]

I live in the UK too, with a 23 year old Hermanns, and personally I think he should be fine going outside for a while every day until it gets wetter and colder all the time. He will be getting UV light even if it isn't bright sunlight. Make sure he has some form of shelter in his enclosure - solid-leafed plants or a hide, and obviously bring him in if the weather suddenly gets bad.Keep a water dish in there too.
Angie (from Devon)

Thanks for your reply. He has a shelter which he sleeps in and a water dish. I will keep him out for a while yet.

 

[zolasmum]

Thanks for your reply. He has a shelter which he sleeps in and a water dish. I will keep him out for a while yet.

One thing I should have mentiond is to beware of ants and other insects - his skin will be pretty delicate still !
Angie

 

[zolasmum]

Don't keep him out too long at a time - he still will benefit from the humidity of his indoor enclosure as well - just a little while as it gets cooler, and then indoors full-time until the spring.
What's his name?
Angie

 

[louisewhomack76]

Thanks for your help. He’s called Ziggy. He’s an adored part of the family and I want to ensure he’s getting the best care.
How long would you recommend having him outside once the temps drop below 20degrees? What temperature would you consider too low to have him outside at all? I probably would t want him outside in October unless it was very mild.

 

[Tom]

Hi, I am needing some advice on my tortoise being outside in the UK. I live in the North of England and have a 2 year old Hermanns.
We have a lovely outdoor enclosure full of plants and predator protected.
I’m confused about the temperatures that my tortoise can be outside. I have taken him out over summer when the weather permits and for the last 2 nights he has slept outside as the weather has been so warm.
With the heatwave about to end can I continue to let my tort go outside during the day? I will be bringing him in at night. I’ve read that temps have to be 20 degrees for them to be outside, but he’s enjoying being outside so much I feel it’s a shame to bring him inside full time.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

Nobodies climate is perfect for any tortoise species, even when a person lives within the native range of a given species. Our captive environments simply cannot duplicate what they would find and have available to them in the wild. This being the case, we need to help them. We need to offer optimal conditions for them, even when Mother Nature is not cooperating and throwing bad weather our way.

Start here, and look for the temperate species care sheet near the bottom. In that care sheet I show pics and explain how to make them a temperature controlled shelter that will allow you to leave the tortoise outside later into fall, help you prepare the tortoise for brumation (if desired), and get the tortoise outside earlier next spring and every spring. This insulated shelter with a basking lamp and ambient temperature control, essentially lessens the extremes of weather and temperature. Your tortoise gets the best of both worlds. Your tortoise can be outside enjoying the space, sunshine, adventure, and grazing afforded by a large outdoor enclosure in mild weather, but still be protected from predators and weather extremes and able to function at the correct temperatures for your species.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

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[zolasmum]

Please read all the information that Tom has given you - he knows exactly what to do in all situations - I have only been giving you ideas from my own experience, and can't be of any help in technical stuff like shelters and heating etc. I wish I had known all the information available now when we got Zola, 22 years ago. Luckily, he has survived and is a strong and happy little chap !
Best wishes to you and Ziggy
Angie

 

[louisewhomack76]

Thank you Tom. Am currently reading. I’ve read a lot of information but there’s so much that’s contradictory.
Thanks for all your help

 

[Yossarian]

My Greek spur thighed tort lives outside full time from may/june through to august/sept depending on weather. I only really bring him in if its gonna rain heavily for a few days, otherwise he is fine, he has a lot of places to hide and dig himself in if he wants to.

The med torts are more than capable of handling nights in the low teens, and as long as its sunny the high teens are enough for them to get active.

 

[zolasmum]

If the information is contradicting whatever you are told here, I think you can assume that it is incorrect, and ignore it. There are many people around who have their own ideas of how to care for a tortoise - ideas which were fixed in their minds years and years ago. My husband found something on Wikipedia which informed him that dandelions were poisonous to Hermanns tortoises, and that they get addicted to pellet food. There could be a grain of truth in both of these things, but only in very very limited circumstances. !
And we once met a lady who only fed her tortoise bananas !
Angie

 

[louisewhomack76]

My Greek spur thighed tort lives outside full time from may/june through to august/sept depending on weather. I only really bring him in if its gonna rain heavily for a few days, otherwise he is fine, he has a lot of places to hide and dig himself in if he wants to.

The med torts are more than capable of handling nights in the low teens, and as long as its sunny the high teens are enough for them to get active.

Thanks. That’s useful info. I’m just erring on caution as my tort is only 2

 

[louisewhomack76]

If the information is contradicting whatever you are told here, I think you can assume that it is incorrect, and ignore it. There are many people around who have their own ideas of how to care for a tortoise - ideas which were fixed in their minds years and years ago. My husband found something on Wikipedia which informed him that dandelions were poisonous to Hermanns tortoises, and that they get addicted to pellet food. There could be a grain of truth in both of these things, but only in very very limited circumstances. !
And we once met a lady who only fed her tortoise bananas !
Angie

Oh my goodness that’s not good at all. Ziggy definitely does not eat bananas. He has lots of home grown weeds, dandelions, vetch,clover etc. His favourite foods are clover, bell flower and hibiscus. I’ve also got indoor pots for winter already prepared. He’s got a good appetite. I wish our weather here in the UK was better so our torts could live outside all the time. My tort species hails from Serbia and their winters get pretty cold so I guess he can cope outside for a while longer. I’m just extra cautious as he’s so small and young. I am terrified of making mistakes with him.

 

[louisewhomack76]

Please read all the information that Tom has given you - he knows exactly what to do in all situations - I have only been giving you ideas from my own experience, and can't be of any help in technical stuff like shelters and heating etc. I wish I had known all the information available now when we got Zola, 22 years ago. Luckily, he has survived and is a strong and happy little chap !
Best wishes to you and Ziggy
Angie

You must be doing something right if you’ve had him for 22 years!