Ideal outdoor temperatures?

GeorgeUK

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Evening all,
It's been a while!

Lady Dorothy continues to grow, she's tripled in size since I got her in November, after 4 years of relatively slow growth in not so ideal conditions.

It's pretty wet, cold and humid here in the UK (no surprises!) but we are hitting 19/20C most days and the weather is set to significantly improve in the latter part of July.

Dorothy seems to enjoy going outside, eating the grass and dandelions. I'd like to build her/or buy her a large outdoor enclosure for the Summer days but I'm unsure which route to take. It will be too cold for her to stay outside in the evenings, but will 19/20C be OK for her during the day? Or should I install some kind of fan heating system?

Advise greatly appreciated:)
 

Tom

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Any ideas?

You'll need an infrared temp gun to check ground and carapace temps. If its sunny, dry, and not windy, then 19 or 20 should be okay for a couple of hours. Often ground temps will be in the 30s in the sun when air temps are in the teens or 20s.

@Lyn W or @JoesMum might have more insight for you.
 

Anyfoot

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Evening all,
It's been a while!

Lady Dorothy continues to grow, she's tripled in size since I got her in November, after 4 years of relatively slow growth in not so ideal conditions.

It's pretty wet, cold and humid here in the UK (no surprises!) but we are hitting 19/20C most days and the weather is set to significantly improve in the latter part of July.

Dorothy seems to enjoy going outside, eating the grass and dandelions. I'd like to build her/or buy her a large outdoor enclosure for the Summer days but I'm unsure which route to take. It will be too cold for her to stay outside in the evenings, but will 19/20C be OK for her during the day? Or should I install some kind of fan heating system?

Advise greatly appreciated:)
My redfoot adults seemed to have been alot more active over the last couple of days, 20°c humid and cloudy. When they are out and its sunny they seem to be less active and find shaded areas to hold up in.
Anyways, I've started putting them out as low as 10°c, but when it's sunny. When they settle down and dig in I then put them back indoors. Usually 2 or 3 hrs.
Why don't you make a night box like Toms, only we will call them, 24hr box. :D
 

JoesMum

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19/22 in the UK is fine as long as your tort is able to bask in some direct sun or under a lamp.

What's important is that basking heat. Ground temperatures in the sun far exceed the advertised air temperature for the day even when the sun is relatively weak, but there are steps you can take to help. I'll link a couple, of threads for you at the end of this post.

Where things get dodgy are when the sun doesn't shine with those sort of temperatures - then your tort is at risk because it cannot raise its core temperature sufficiently to digest food properly or to eat.

More detail here:

Outdoor accommodation in the UK climate
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/

Demonstrating the effect of blue slate on temperature
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/demonstrating-the-effect-of-blue-slate-on-temperature.141716/

Please feel free to ask more questions, but tag me if you need a quick response as I may not see it. Life off TFO has got a bit busy for me at the moment!
 

GeorgeUK

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Thank you for taking the time to reply, I've read through everything you've all said & I will start construction next week on an outdoor enclosure so she can enjoy the outdoors during warmer days.
 

Lyn W

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Hi George glad to hear you and Lady D are OK.
I only put Lola out in his sheltered spot if the ground temps are at least 70'F and there's no chilly wind.
Lola has other ideas though and actually doesn't like being outside, trust me to have a tort with agoraphobia!
 
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