First outside enclosure

[Michal]

Hello everyone!

since the temperatures in Austria are already reaching over 25°C I decided to put my baby hermann's tort (1,5 year old) already outisde.

I've had her/him since October 2017 so this is my first time letting the tort outside. She seems to be more than comfortable in her indoor terrarium (she's active, eats well) however when I put her outside on my balcony she seems very uncomfortable - she explores a little bit and then burries herself and doesn't really move.

I assume that this is somewhat normal since the tort is still young and this is a completely new environment but I still have a question. She'll spend the summer (probably from July on) at my parent's outside in the garden - completely new environment again.
So my question is, I would obviously like to keep her outside as much as possible since sun is better than a lightbulb but do you think it's better for her to stay in her indoor enclusure until summer and then be moved to my parent's so she doesn't change environments so often?

Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

[Tom]

I like to have both an indoor and an outdoor enclosure. For young baby tortoises, I put them outside for an hour or two when the weather is nice and then I bring them in, soak them, and let them spend the rest of their time in their indoor enclosure. As they grow, I leave them outside longer and longer, until I eventually leave them out all day and only bring them in at night. This is usually at around 4-5 inches for Testudo species. It is safer for them to sleep indoors, and this style of keeping really gives them the best of both worlds. I've been doing it this way for decades with many species, and all of them get used to their enclosures and they get used to moving back and forth. It has never been a problem for me.

 

[Michal]

thanks a lot for your advice Tom!