How hot is too hot?

[thatrebecca]

Well we've had a spring heat wave and it's supposed to top 100 here tomorrow. That means it'll probably be in the 90s in the burrow we made for Gomez and Morticia. I'm realizing now that where we placed their enclosure doesn't get much shade during the hottest part of the day. We've planted some bushes that'll eventually shade the burrow better but they're not very tall yet. So my question is: how hot is too hot for my two juvenile desert torts? Is there a temp at which I should bring them inside?

As a side note -- it's 84 degrees at 11pm and Gomez has opted to sleep in a favorite corner outside the burrow. Normal?

(Here's a pic of his corner. It's an area that stays shadier during the day, so I wonder if the soil is cooler. Also it's next to the stone tortoise a friend gave us, Zuker).

 

[ascott]

If you are needing additional shade you can set a plant right over the hide ???

I have only found a tort out of his hide/burrow here when there has been something wrong with the hide/burrow...and once resolved they are never outside of the hide/burrow during the night....

May we see a pic of the hide in question? Is there anyway you can cover the entire hide with about 8 inches of earth all the way around it (of course not the entry way ) and as you add earth layers --every so often lightly mist the mound as you go and compress it down with your hands until it is packed nicely--then continue to build on that and doing the misting and packing until you have at least 8 inches of earth around it....

You will want to address the issue right away as it is not safe for a tort be asleep outside of its hide/burrow....

 

[JoesMum]

While it is safer to sleep in the burrow, your tort is behaving entirely naturally by choosing a favourite corner on hot nights.

We can tell the weather overnight by where Joe chooses to sleep. In his cold frame = normal to chilly. Under the Red Hot Poker Plant = comfortably warm night.On the patio = we won't get any sleep because it's too hot (and homes in the UK don't usually have air con because it doesn't happen often!)

AScott's suggestion of piling dirt on top of the burrow to help insulate it is a good one

 

[Tom]

Its too cold at night for him to be out and exposed, especially in an damp well irrigated back yard. It was 84 at 11pm here too last night, but now at 5am, its 54. When there is no where for them to go to cool off and their body temp starts to get near or above 100, then you have a problem. 90 is okay. A deeper, or more well covered, burrow can help. Sprinklers and misters can cool things a bit too.

 

[thatrebecca]

We have started bringing them in at night, but last night was actually warmer outside, if you can believe it (72 in the burrow overnight vs 70 in the house, I presume cause we'd had the AC on all day and burrow had been baking in the sun). So we let them stay out. Are they still better off inside because its drier? Morticia doesn't mind coming in but Gomez really protests -- fusses and scratches at the walls. Will he eventually get used to the nighttime transition? Is there any way to make it less stressful for him?

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Oh and I almost forgot-- here are some pix of the burrow. I've also got a pic of Gomez's corner in here, which has a lot of plantings and a little wooden roof. It's not as snug as the burrow, but he seems to like it during warm weather.View attachment 44096View attachment 44097

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Doesn't look like burrow pix attached. Trying again:

 

[JoesMum]

If Joe is anything to go by, don't expect them to 'like', or get used to, being brought in. Joe objects without fail. He wants out. I know he isn't the same kind of tortoise, but some torts just seem to have a need for bigger boundaries and the world outside.

The least stressful way that I have found is to bring Joe in just before I retire for the night. That way it is dark outside and he's cooled down enough not to be active. Because I am going straight to bed, there is no light or heat to make him decide that waking up indoors is a good idea until the next morning.

 

[thatrebecca]

If Joe is anything to go by, don't expect them to 'like', or get used to, being brought in. Joe objects without fail. He wants out. I know he isn't the same kind of tortoise, but some torts just seem to have a need for bigger boundaries and the world outside.

The least stressful way that I have found is to bring Joe in just before I retire for the night. That way it is dark outside and he's cooled down enough not to be active. Because I am going straight to bed, there is no light or heat to make him decide that waking up indoors is a good idea until the next morning.

So helpful, thanks! Here's my dilemma about the nighttime routine and I'm curious how folks here deal with this -- depending on temps, they go into their burrow for the night around 6 or 7. I go to bed around 10. If I bring them inside at 6, they're restless and upset. We have a small house (1100 square feet) and their indoor space is in a busy area -- the laundry/kitchen. I hate to drag them out of the burrow at 9 or 10 -- it seems disruptive when they've already settled in for the night and also I don't much like sticking my arm in there. So what to do?

 

[JoesMum]

The thing is that when they have cooled down, they are less active and get less stressed which is why I do what I do what I do with Joe.

Joe hibernates in winter (Greeks can) Every couple of weeks I pull him out of his hibernation box, check him over and weigh him. He may as well be a rock for the difference it makes to him. No stress whatsoever.

Hauling your tort out the burrow when he has cooled down and dozed off under cover of darkness is much less stressful than bringing in a wide awake fully warmed up tort that doesn't want to be inside.

When Joe comes in, I have a box on its side with some straw in it in my conservatory. I pop him in there and he doesn't budge until he starts to get warm next morning. I leave some food and water outside the box so that he can go eat if I get up after him, but usually I manage to get up first!

 

[thatrebecca]

The thing is that when they have cooled down, they are less active and get less stressed which is why I do what I do what I do with Joe.

Joe hibernates in winter (Greeks can) Every couple of weeks I pull him out of his hibernation box, check him over and weigh him. He may as well be a rock for the difference it makes to him. No stress whatsoever.

Hauling your tort out the burrow when he has cooled down and dozed off under cover of darkness is much less stressful than bringing in a wide awake fully warmed up tort that doesn't want to be inside.

When Joe comes in, I have a box on its side with some straw in it in my conservatory. I pop him in there and he doesn't budge until he starts to get warm next morning. I leave some food and water outside the box so that he can go eat if I get up after him, but usually I manage to get up first!

SO SO helpful. Thank you!