outdoor enclosure for small hermann tortoise

[allthesmallthings]

I would like to provide an outdoor enclosure for him to use for a few hours each day when the weather is nice as I think the natural sun will be really beneficial for his health and growth - he's very small for his (approximate) age.

I want to get an enclosed run for him to hang out in in the day that will keep him safe from birds etc but we don't have any grass, only a patio. I'm a bit worried that the patio slabs will get too hot for him to stand on. I don't have a lot of money and it's a rented property so we can't do any major changes to the patio to accommodate him. I was wondering how others have managed this and what alternative surface I might be able to put on the ground in an outdoor run to make it safe and comfortable for him.

Or am I worrying about nothing?

Thank you very much in advance. Feel very silly asking what must be a basic question. Just want to do right by the little thing.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!
It's totally a rightful question, don't worry. How old is he?

Perhaps, a viable option is to make a frame out of wooden pallets or old unused furniture - similar to raised garden bed. Put a mulching film at the bottom and fill it with coconut coir. Then you can add some potted plants for shade and sow some "tortoise safe" seeds in substrate (or, try to replant wild growing plants such as broadleaf plantain).

Here you can find some photos (just as a general idea):

Besha's Enclosures

tortoiseforum.org

 

[allthesmallthings]

Hello and welcome!
It's totally a rightful question, don't worry. How old is he?

Perhaps, a viable option is to make a frame out of wooden pallets or old unused furniture - similar to raised garden bed. Put a mulching film at the bottom and fill it with coconut coir. Then you can add some potted plants for shade and sow some "tortoise safe" seeds in substrate (or, try to replant wild growing plants such as broadleaf plantain).

Here you can find some photos (just as a general idea):

Besha's Enclosures

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so much, this is really helpful. I hadn't thought of a raised bed style solution at all! I'm not sure how old he is, we got him about 5 years ago when he was quite small and honestly he hasn't really grown much. He's very small for his age. I'm excited to do this for him, I think it'll help his general health and wellbeing so much. Really appreciate your advice and the pictures!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Glad to be helpful.

At 5 years or more he can stay full day outside (and even for the nights) in summer. And that's definitely positive for his wellbeing.

If you have further questions, please ask!

 

[allthesmallthings]

Glad to be helpful.

At 5 years or more he can stay full day outside (and even for the nights) in summer. And that's definitely positive for his wellbeing.

If you have further questions, please ask!

brilliant, thank you! i think he'll love it. he had a bath outside today and a run around the patio while the slabs were still cool and he seemed to have a blast.