max/min outdoor temps?

[Anastasia]

I recently acquired a 6 inch Sulcata. I am wondering what the max temps are for keeping him outside. I'm in the Midwest and want to get him out as much as possible before the winter. Right now it's been upper 80's during the day. Is that too hot? (I have to bring him in at night, so not worried about those temps.) Also what is the min temp for having him outside? Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Anastasia:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

(Is "Anastasia" your username, or your real name?)

May we know where in the mid-west you are?

 

[jaizei]

I think a good minimum on a dry, sunny day would be mid 50s - low 60s. If it were wet/raining, I wouldn't go as low, maybe mid 60s. As for maximum, I put mine outside everyday and it's often 100+. As long as there's shade and water provided, he should be fine.

 

[Anastasia]

Thanks!

Anastasia is not my birth name, but it is the name that I go by! I'm in Wisconsin.

And should it be okay for him to be on a cement slab when outside (basically my patio which is enclosed by a fence), or should I put down something... would have to be like fake grass (Brady Bunch style) or something? I have no way of housing him on the lawn and preventing him (or her, I guess) from digging out! I am calling him "Pete", BTW. I also have a younger Sulcate who is 2.5 inches but have him housed in a tortoise table indoors - haven't braved leaving him outside unsupervised at all.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

My rule for my 8.5 inch Leo is no higher than 100 w/out shade or a cool hide and no cooler than 60. The reason I don't like it cooler than 60 is because the humidity has been over 50% so I don't leave her out over night because of the morning dew and cold. Cold & wet tortoises can turn into sick tortoises.

 

[Anastasia]

Here are a few pictures I took of Pete when I took him outside for the day this morning!

 

[Anastasia]

And here are photos of my 2.5" baby, Harvey. (Harvey is in his water dish in the first pic, which is why the bottom of his shell is wet in the second!) Fingers crossed that when Pete and Harvey are both big enough to be housed together, that I don't end up with two cranky males! LOL

 

[Tom]

There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to decide whether its a good time to put them out. It really depends on the weather, wind, humidity, intensity of the sun, season, etc... What you are sunning them in matters too. In the winter I'll put them out into my big black cement mixing tubs as long as its around 60, sunny and not much wind. The surface temps on the tubs is usually in the 90's on those days. I would not put them on the cold ground on a 60 degree day with no heat source. I would say that generally if its at least 70 and sunny, you should never encounter any problem.

For heat, it depends on your enclosure. If you are using a kiddie pool in the sun with just a little shade, I'd be careful if it got above mid 90's. If you have a yard with trees, bushes, grass a nice mud hole, drinking water and maybe some sprinklers, I think they are totally fine at 100+. Lots of people in AZ leave their torts out all the time and they regularly get 110+ all summer long.

Concrete is very abrasive for tortoises. It will eventually wear down their keratin. I would put down some dirt or mulch of some sort. Most of them don't dig a lot at 6". And when they occasionally do, its not usually very deep. I think he'd be fine in your yard and the weeds and grass he'd be grazing on are really good for them.

 

[Anastasia]

Since I've been home all day, I put him out in the grass inside one of those baby "super yards", since I can move that around with the sun (I have one-half of it in shade for him, too, with a hide). Took him a bit to get settled but now he's happily munching on the dandelion leaves in the yard! I think I'll get another super yard to attach to that, to make that area bigger - right now it's only about 3' x 6'. I couldn't leave him in there if I were gone, though, as between neighboring kids and dogs, coons, etc, I don't think he'd be safe. The cement enclosure would give him more like 15' x 10' of area, and it's enclosed in 6' high fencing, so it would be safe while I'm away (which really isn't too often, maybe 3-4 hours a day at the most).

 

[Anastasia]

Pete has been really enjoying spending most of the day outside! I got an extension to the gate I was using, so he has a very large area and of course his favorite thing to do is eat all the fresh dandelions!!

 

[dmarcus]

That is cool, they do love the outside and grazing on weeds...

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hi and welcome to TFO...Pete is nice looking, but it looks to me that Harvey is starting to pyramid. You might check over your husbandry to see what you can tweek and make better to stop the pyramiding before it gets any worse...

 

[Anastasia]

I have only had Harvey for about three weeks at the most, he came to me just like that! I'm doing what I can to provide him what he needs now!

 

[wrmitchell22]

I live in AZ and Boulder has been outside day and night for a week now. Max temp was 112 and th elowest is 70. He has lots of access to shade and hides. 3 water bowls and great basking spots also. He has 3 different grazing patc hes and a piece of tile I feed him other green on. He is a healthy happy Sulcata I hope this info helps