When can I put my redfoot outside?

TuckerDucker

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I have a 3-year-old redfoot tortoise. He's about 5-6 inches. He's been indoors the entire 3 years. We're making him a new indoor enclosure, but we might move before the enclosure's done. Instead of temporarily reassembling his current enclosure at the new place, I was thinking of putting him outside until the new one is done. Is a 3-year-old redfoot big enough to go outside? Could we use concrete blocks and put chicken wire on top?

We're in mid Missouri for context
 

Tom

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I wouldn't just go outside full time. I prefer to acclimate them with short spans of time outside over a period weeks or months.

5-6 inches is large enough to spend all day outside, but he'll need a heated shelter for night and cooler days.

And right now its WAYYYYY to cold.
 

TuckerDucker

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I wouldn't just go outside full time. I prefer to acclimate them with short spans of time outside over a period weeks or months.

5-6 inches is large enough to spend all day outside, but he'll need a heated shelter for night and cooler days.

And right now its WAYYYYY to cold.
That's a good point. This would be in May, but it'll still be pretty chilly at night then. I have a spare 8 sq ft bin I'll probably use as an indoor overnight stay.
 

ZEROPILOT

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That's a good point. This would be in May, but it'll still be pretty chilly at night then. I have a spare 8 sq ft bin I'll probably use as an indoor overnight stay.
I bring my RF inside if it gets below 55 at night, and I have heated night houses.

If will be below 60 for more than 48 hours, they will stop digesting food and start to be susceptible to respiratory issues.
 

Craig99

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I have a question about Red Footed tortoises in the winter months: I have a 9-month old Red Footed tortoise and I live in Gainesville, Florida. He's living indoors year-round and will continue to do so until around 3-4 years old. When it's time to move him outside, I'll have a heated shelter for him for nights. The coldest it gets is in January at night around 40 Degrees Fahrenheit, while during the days the average high temperature in the cold months is around 65-70. I was thinking instead of bringing him in for the winter months, to build an insulated 10'x10' shed that's around 4' tall (so it's easier and cheaper to keep warm). It would have a waterproof tarp on the floor with a nice layer of substrate on the tarp, and a plastic curtain to let him go in and out whenever he wanted but also to the temperature stable. Is this viable or a bad idea? Opinions?
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I have a question about Red Footed tortoises in the winter months: I have a 9-month old Red Footed tortoise and I live in Gainesville, Florida. He's living indoors year-round and will continue to do so until around 3-4 years old. When it's time to move him outside, I'll have a heated shelter for him for nights. The coldest it gets is in January at night around 40 Degrees Fahrenheit, while during the days the average high temperature in the cold months is around 65-70. I was thinking instead of bringing him in for the winter months, to build an insulated 10'x10' shed that's around 4' tall (so it's easier and cheaper to keep warm). It would have a waterproof tarp on the floor with a nice layer of substrate on the tarp, and a plastic curtain to let him go in and out whenever he wanted but also to the temperature stable. Is this viable or a bad idea? Opinions?
If you have a properly insulated night house. Such as the ones that @Tom posts, with a real door. One that lets you "lock" your tortoise in for the night. Yes.
But don't try to just use a box with a rubber flap and a single CHE like I use.
Gainesville and Sunrise are very different in temperature in the winter.
It's only below 55 like 6 or 7 nights out of the year. Most years. Here.
 

Tom

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I have a question about Red Footed tortoises in the winter months: I have a 9-month old Red Footed tortoise and I live in Gainesville, Florida. He's living indoors year-round and will continue to do so until around 3-4 years old. When it's time to move him outside, I'll have a heated shelter for him for nights. The coldest it gets is in January at night around 40 Degrees Fahrenheit, while during the days the average high temperature in the cold months is around 65-70. I was thinking instead of bringing him in for the winter months, to build an insulated 10'x10' shed that's around 4' tall (so it's easier and cheaper to keep warm). It would have a waterproof tarp on the floor with a nice layer of substrate on the tarp, and a plastic curtain to let him go in and out whenever he wanted but also to the temperature stable. Is this viable or a bad idea? Opinions?
You don't need 10x10. And if you made it 4 feet tall, you'd be heating 3 feet of air for nothing, since your tortoise will only stand 10 inches tall. 4x4x2 feet is plenty for a heated shelter. Here are two examples of how to make it and effective heat it.

 
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