Had to move.. tortoise it outside now

[pan1k]

I got a job in sunny San Diego now. I am renting a room, and my tortoise lives outside now in a tortoise house. He is still small, 1.5 years old. I had to move the enclosure several times because I think the locations were too hot, in direct sun with no heat gradient. I'm worried though that his current location is not the best.. I noticed it is shaded and the temps get to about 89/92 degrees during the day, I measured with a ir heat gun.

Does he need the heat? The other locations got to about 123-130 degrees at about 12/1 in the afternoon which I thought were too hot. I want this little guy to thrive. I don't have too many options outside but I want to pick the best one. Should he have clear view of the sky all day? I notice he gets up and out about 10 or 11 and hangs out where he feels comfortable, doesn't really leave the hidey house except to eat.

The house blocks the sun until the afternoon, which is why he is on the side, where he gets a bit more early light.

Looking for some suggestions here..

 

[Levi the Leopard]

What type of tortoise is this?

A location that gets sunlight at some point during the day is fine. Even on a 70F day the tort can sit in the sunlight and heat up way past the ambient air temp of 70F. You can't compare it to being under a light bulb indoors.

I like the pens to have morning and early afternoon sun at least with shade during the hottest part of the day. Maybe evening sun again if possible.

Sent from my TFOapp

 

[pan1k]

It's a Hermanns. He seems ok but I just want to make sure i'm doing the best for him, on weekends I take him out of the enclosure and let him roam the back yard!

 

[ascott]

I would let him have access to the warmth and sun rays...and if doing this means you need to place some artificial shade in place then you can do that by placing some potted bushy plants where you want him to be....just a thought.

 

[Pokeymeg]

No matter where your tortoise is, please make sure he/she has access to a shaded hide and fresh water at all times. 123 degrees is definitely too hot and WILL kill your tortoise. Temps of 82/92 are fine. Your tortoise can warm up to higher than that by basking directly in the sun!

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Living in Texas, where summer heat can reach 115 sometimes, I've found that by making a "cave" from a piece of flat rock, supported by other rocks, and mortared together, my torts always have a cooler spot during the hot part of the day...it's always 20+ degrees cooler inside the cave than outside.

Lowes, Home Depot, etc. will usually have flat slabs of stone in the gardening area...mine is about 3' X 18", but for a single tort, you could build smaller, depending on the size of the enclosure. Note that on one end there's a ramp made of smaller stones, so that my three can climb to the top to sun themselves at will.