Black Mt. Tortoises:

[Millerlite]

I just got 4 baby black mountain tortoises today, only a year old, cant tell sex but suppose to be a 2.2 but thats not always 100 percent. I have an outdoor enclosure built for them, but they will be indoors during the night, and most days. I should just keep them outside 24/7 but i read they shouldnt have temps go lower then 65, and it gets to the 50s at night around here.

I have never cared for yearling mt. tortoises but i have had two subadults in the past, so i'm not totally new to them. Any other info would help i know there are a few people that have these tortoises, so shared expeirience ect.

PS: i'm in so cali and i think they would do good in this climate as long as i keep humidity up useing sprinklers and plants ect.. I'm guessing these guys are almost like keeping box turtles, with humidty and such, diet i know is a little different, kinda in the middle of box turtles and fully grassland tortoises.

Here is a pictures of one of the "females"

 

[Itort]

I also have some yearlings (probably very closely related to these) and they spend the summer days out. The enclosure as an eastern exposure and gets no sun from noon on. They have heavy folage and get sprinklers set on mist twice a day and a wadeing pool (depth of 3/4 shell depth). They get weeds such as dandilions, plantain weed, violets, grape and mulberry leaves. Also get soft fruits and mushrooms. They get whatever bugs and worms they can forage. This year they getting thier very own colacasia and bannana plant.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kyle: Contrary to what you might have heard, the Asian mountain tortoise is quite cold hardy. As you live in SoCal, I think the weather is just fine for them to stay outside 24/7 as long as their habitat is safe from predators. I don't worry about making the whole habitat safe, I just make sure that all the animals are locked up in their outdoor houses at night, and the houses are predator safe. One thing that I found out the hard way (by killing a tortoise) is that they are VERY susceptible to overheating. They MUST have plenty of shade in their habitat. The sun is a killer for them.

Yvonne

 

[Millerlite]

yeah, i am kinda waiting for my enclosure to grow out for shade. Also i was thinking of keeping them out 24/7, it can get to high 40s still arlight?

 

[Yvonne G]

As young as yours are, I would put a black light or ceramic heat emitter inside the sleeping house at night. I usually turn off my heat sources when the night time temps are consistently 50 and above...but mine are bigger than yours. So, 40 is probably a bit too cool for your babies.

Yvonne

 

[Millerlite]

yeah well i could make a box with my heat emitter above it, hmm..

 

[Millerlite]

ANyone have a good simple design for a heated hide?

 

[Crazy1]

Congratulations on your new torts Millerlite.

 

[Yvonne G]

The easiest thing I found was stacking cinder blocks in a square and placing a piece of thick plywood on top for a roof you can open. I either screwed in a couple eye hooks on the ceiling to hold the lights, or placed a thin piece of wood like a piece of lath across from one side to the other and hung the light fixture from that. At night I block the doorway with another piece of plywood and a cinder block to keep critters out.

Yvonne

 

[Millerlite]

Here are a few more pictures of them soaking.

Ps: thanks yvonne, i am going to try and build one tonight, i'm still bringing them in every night till i can build a good hide for them, which i'm hoping this weekend it will be finished.

but i did add a sprinkler system in there enclosure. I hope they like it.

 

[Isa]

They are adorable

 

[Stazz]

Awwww they are lovely

 

[twtraudio]

very nice looking and wish you luck !

 

[Yvonne G]

I forgot to mention that you should add worms and slugs to their diet. They eat quite a bit of that sort of thing in the wild.

Yvonne

 

[Millerlite]

yeah, i'm going to get some night crawlers see if they will eat them.