Outdoor time for a yearling

[Mabelthetort]

Hi everyone, (tldr at the end)

I was originally told by Mabel’s breeder that she can’t go outside until she’s 3-5 years old, but have since read on TF that lots of experienced keepers allow them time outside much younger than this.

Half of Mabel’s indoor enclosure is positioned in front of a window and she spends a lot of time there (either looking out of the window or sunbathing - I’m not sure which) so I think it would enrich her life to have outdoor time.

She a yearling and fits in the palm of my hand. I have two dogs so I’m creating an outdoor enclosure from two reinforced raised planters that basically resemble a tortoise table but with small drainage holes. My dogs are miniature dachshunds and won’t be able to reach her at all. I am also fashioning a lid with a wooden frame and chicken wire that will be attached by a hinge to protect from birds and the neighbours’ cats.

I’m planning to plant Timothy grass, clover, plantain and sow thistle (though I’ve not had much luck with my gardening endeavours and have had to try mostly on foraging the weeds that prefer to grow through the cracks of my patio!) There will be hides and a water saucer and all that good stuff, but my main question is regarding the humidity.

Since she’s so young, I keep the humidity between 85-95% in her indoor enclosure. Obviously this isn’t possible outdoors.

How long is she okay to be outside for, with non-optimum humidity?

Is there an ideal time of day? The sun is right over my garden between 2-5pm and it becomes a bit of a heat trap in summer.

Does it matter if insects find their way into her enclosure?

Can I use the same substrates outdoors (coco coir and orchid bark)?

TLDR: how long - and in what temp - can a yearling be outdoors for?

 

[Tom]

What species is Mabel?

Tortoises can go outside when they are little hatchlings. Why would anyone say to keep it inside for years? That's lunacy. You do have to make sure they are warm enough, but not too hot, but outside time is great for tortoises of any age. I prefer to do about an hour of outside time per inch of tortoise as a rough guideline for babies. By the time any Testudo tortoise is 3-4 inches, they can stay outside all day in nice weather.

When you say your yard is a "heat trap", what temperature are we talking about? If it's under 33c and there is shade available, the tortoise should be fine. If its 45C, then you might have an issue out there.

The ideal time of day is when the weather is warm enough, but not too hot. I don't think it gets too hot where you are. Its 41C outside here right now, so all of my babies are inside.

The occasional errant insect is usually not going to be a problem, but it does depend on what it is. Ants can be a big problem. Any heavy infection of other insects could be problematic, but an occasional big finding its way into the enclosure is a fairly common and natural occurrence.

The same substrates are fine, but I usually just use the native dirt outside.

 

[Mabelthetort]

What species is Mabel?

Tortoises can go outside when they are little hatchlings. Why would anyone say to keep it inside for years? That's lunacy. You do have to make sure they are warm enough, but not too hot, but outside time is great for tortoises of any age. I prefer to do about an hour of outside time per inch of tortoise as a rough guideline for babies. By the time any Testudo tortoise is 3-4 inches, they can stay outside all day in nice weather.

When you say your yard is a "heat trap", what temperature are we talking about? If it's under 33c and there is shade available, the tortoise should be fine. If its 45C, then you might have an issue out there.

The ideal time of day is when the weather is warm enough, but not too hot. I don't think it gets too hot where you are. Its 41C outside here right now, so all of my babies are inside.

The occasional errant insect is usually not going to be a problem, but it does depend on what it is. Ants can be a big problem. Any heavy infection of other insects could be problematic, but an occasional big finding its way into the enclosure is a fairly common and natural occurrence.

The same substrates are fine, but I usually just use the native dirt outside.

Thanks for the advice! She’s a marginated.

The last couple of weeks the garden has been 35-38’c. I think it’s because half the garden is taken up by a poorly constructed conservatory that heats up and then gives off heat in the later afternoon. The temperature got to 34’c at the peak of the recent heatwave but the patio, conservatory and the immediate area around it got much hotter.

I’m in the UK so I have a relatively small garden and no natural shade. Are plants and hides within the enclosure enough cover from the sun or should I get a canopy / parasol to cover half of the enclosure?

Thanks for specifying that ants are a problem. We’ve just had flying ant day, so we shouldn’t see too much of them for the rest of the year but the last few weeks they’ve been absolutely everywhere! In terms of them be a problem, what do they actually do? Do they harm the tortoise or just cause a nuisance?

I think I’ll put her out between 11-1pm to start. It doesn’t get above 30 or below 25 between those times so it’s probably a good place to start.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the advice! She’s a marginated.

The last couple of weeks the garden has been 35-38’c. I think it’s because half the garden is taken up by a poorly constructed conservatory that heats up and then gives off heat in the later afternoon. The temperature got to 34’c at the peak of the recent heatwave but the patio, conservatory and the immediate area around it got much hotter.

I’m in the UK so I have a relatively small garden and no natural shade. Are plants and hides within the enclosure enough cover from the sun or should I get a canopy / parasol to cover half of the enclosure?

Thanks for specifying that ants are a problem. We’ve just had flying ant day, so we shouldn’t see too much of them for the rest of the year but the last few weeks they’ve been absolutely everywhere! In terms of them be a problem, what do they actually do? Do they harm the tortoise or just cause a nuisance?

I think I’ll put her out between 11-1pm to start. It doesn’t get above 30 or below 25 between those times so it’s probably a good place to start.

The parasol is a great idea for shade. Just be sure to mount it securely so that it can't be blown away or knocked over and leave your tortoise to cook. Plants, shade cloth and hides should also be used to build up multiple layers of safety.

Ants can swarm a tortoise and kill it. Its a protein source for them.

 

[Mabelthetort]

The parasol is a great idea for shade. Just be sure to mount it securely so that it can't be blown away or knocked over and leave your tortoise to cook. Plants, shade cloth and hides should also be used to build up multiple layers of safety.

Ants can swarm a tortoise and kill it. Its a protein source for them.

That’s horrendous! I’ll look into preventative measures and keep a VERY close eye on her!