I built a planter for Mr. Tibbs where I can take him outside and there are grass, and wildflowers to eat. I notice that he is super active outside, browsing, digging, walking all over the place. In his tortoise house, he is not very active, even though I have the temps up and he has a good basking area. Do I need to make his enclosure more fun, adding plants or something, or is the enclosure too cold? Temps are in the 80s and Basking area is 93-100. He walks around a bit in the enclosure and then either burrows, or hangs out under the basking lamp.
Too Cold?
- Thread starter pan1k
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No, not too cold. Its just that most turtles and tortoises do better outside. They are, after all, wild animals. Tortoises haven't undergone years and years of human intervention, and are not considered "domesticated."
How big is his enclosure? But rather than spending time and money on the enclosure, I'd suggest that if possible, bring him outside during the day and inside during the night.
The little one should be left outdoors, for his health! He's not a tropical species, and as a hatchling, he needs sunlight, and also places to hide and avoid heat; dark, patched shade and sunny areas should be provided- and it it very simple to do that.
I would also leave him out all day. Most breeders seem to leave theirs out all day at a very young hatchling age. Then bring him in every night or on cold days. However, I have noticed when mine Leo was having to live inside in the winter, I would change up his habitat and he would explore a lot. Then got bored and slept a lot, so I would keep changing things around adding and removing. Not every single day or week, but about once a month, something different. Not good to change it up all the time. Now he is out all day and sleeps in the house at night.
No use to bring them in at night or cold days! That practice can turn upside-down the rythm of a tortoise. When it gets cooler, tortoises adjust to their environment. For small ones, it is enough to provide them protection from excessive moisture- that works as well for excessive heat and dryness.
I only obtained Ibera hatchlings. They stayed indoors only 24-48 hours, to straighten their shells in a more humid atmosphere, and have their bellies zipped well. They need that, because in the wild they are not emerging immediately to the dry air, but remain underground for a few more days.
But after that, they stayed outdoors, until the frost came, and they burrowed by themselves. I just covered their frames with a plastic or a blanket overnight, to be on the safe side. They finally entered hibernation (digging deeper and not reemerging again in nice days- that's in mid November), and then I dug them up and placed in safer hibernation conditions.
End March, I burried them back in their enclosure, and in a week they all emerged, like they hibernated outdoors. They met again the late frosts, but they did it as usual: burrowing in their little house substrate, and emerging in the warmth of days to bask and feed.
So, let him use all that the outdoor offer to them: health, hardiness. And let him hibernate... not outdoors, but in a fridge or something equally safe... I don't want to open that can again, "hibernating or not"... it's just what I, all the French, Swiss, most of the Brits and Germans do...
I only obtained Ibera hatchlings. They stayed indoors only 24-48 hours, to straighten their shells in a more humid atmosphere, and have their bellies zipped well. They need that, because in the wild they are not emerging immediately to the dry air, but remain underground for a few more days.
But after that, they stayed outdoors, until the frost came, and they burrowed by themselves. I just covered their frames with a plastic or a blanket overnight, to be on the safe side. They finally entered hibernation (digging deeper and not reemerging again in nice days- that's in mid November), and then I dug them up and placed in safer hibernation conditions.
End March, I burried them back in their enclosure, and in a week they all emerged, like they hibernated outdoors. They met again the late frosts, but they did it as usual: burrowing in their little house substrate, and emerging in the warmth of days to bask and feed.
So, let him use all that the outdoor offer to them: health, hardiness. And let him hibernate... not outdoors, but in a fridge or something equally safe... I don't want to open that can again, "hibernating or not"... it's just what I, all the French, Swiss, most of the Brits and Germans do...
Well if you decide to let Mr. Tibbs outside all day and night, just be careful of predators like racconns here in the US and they're nocturnal.
Yeah... you in the US have lots of wildlife that may enter gardens/yards... and some quite nasty. It is nice to see them, but bot nearby your tortoises.
Is it enough to use chickenwire? Or the raccoons are too perseverent for that?
Is it enough to use chickenwire? Or the raccoons are too perseverent for that?
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