New 1st time Tortoise owner with some concerns

[hannah]

Hi all!
So before I got my two little Russians, Olivia and her much larger male friend, Allen, I chose the best place for their outdoor enclosure. Now I'm not so sure. Are they still getting the benefits of the sun even if the actual sun isnt shining on them except an hour or so a day?
I take them out of their Rubbermaid night homes around 9am ( I've only had them 4-5 days)and leave them outside until right before dark. I live in Southern California, near the San Fernando valley and I know its going to get much warmer and sunnier too than it has been lately, but I am concerned about; 1. putting them outside when it's only 55 degrees in the morning and 2. If they are benefitting from the sunlight if it isn't directly upon them.
ALSO! The main part of their outdoor enclosure is a dog exercise pen, nice heavy metal, they cant fit through but the boy seems to be quite the climber and I'm concerned when I go to remove him from the climb that he is stuck. He may not be stuck, he may just be gripping harder but it worries me.
To protect them from my dogs the outside of the ex-pen is lined with cement flagstones about 14 inches high, so as of yet the dog( only one dog is interested and he is a tiny little dog) hasnt had a chance to nibble on any little legs.

Any advice would be great.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Hannah: Don't forget that the sun doesn't always travel in the same path from east to west. As it gets more into summer the sun will move to a more northerly east/west arc, and maybe your Russian pen will be getting more sun then. I THINK that they don't have to be in direct sunlight to receive the benefits from it. Just being outside is good! I leave all of my tortoises outside when the nights are consistently 55 and above.

What you can do is buy some 1x12 inch boards. That's the board that usually goes along the bottom of a fence. Afix it in some manner to the inside of the chain link, lengthwise, so that the tortoise doesn't come into contact with the wire anymore.

Yvonne