Outdoor Enclosure - Need Advise!

[Riinei]

Hello!
I've recently aquired my first tortoise, he's a male Russian and he's an absolute doll.
I know all tortoises benefit from outdoor time in the summer and I most definitely plan to make him a pen as soon as we move to our new place. My question is, can he be kept outdoors year round? I'm in Pennsylvania and I've read these guys can handle harsh conditions. Is it too risky to let him brumate outdoors in the winter? Or will he be okay?
Also, what's the best method for keeping out predators? I'm building his pen out of the stone blocks to make flower beds.
Any tips and tricks will be greatly appreciated!
I've attached some photos of the little guy as well.

 

[Big Charlie]

He's a cutie!

 

[Yvonne G]

You have to make sure he stays dry while he's brumating, and below the frost line.

 

[Riinei]

He's a cutie!

Thanks so much!

 

[Riinei]

You have to make sure he stays dry while he's brumating, and below the frost line.

Should I pre make a burrow for that reason or should he dig down that far on his own?

 

[Big Charlie]

Should I pre make a burrow for that reason or should he dig down that far on his own?

Many people prefer to brumate their tortoises in a refrigerator where they can keep the temperature constant and control when their tort wakes up.

 

[Riinei]

Many people prefer to brumate their tortoises in a refrigerator where they can keep the temperature constant and control when their tort wakes up.

Oh wow that's even better. So Imcould I keep him outdoors till about burmation time and put him in the refrigerator? I think I saw something on Kamp Kenan about it, just a container with slightly damp moss? Or how would you prefer to do it? Sorry for all the questions! It's all new to me haha

 

[Cindy Rademaekers]

I live in PA and had my Russians outside in our fenced in yard. I would always try and bring them in for the winter and hibernate them in the basement. From time to time someone would dig in for the winter and I couldn't find them. They would resurface in spring. As long as they have a good weight and are healthy they would be ok. Personally I like having them sleeping in the house in the winter so I know where they are. Also my torts were purchasedfrom petco years ago which means they were wild caught and I had no clue on the age.

 

[Jodie]

I would never leave mine out for winter. So many things can go wrong. I can bring them in and avoid all of the risks. Here is a great guide for Russians.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Speedy-1]

If you would like a quick , easy , portable, and cheap outside enclosure you might want to try a kids wading pool !

 

[Riinei]

I live in PA and had my Russians outside in our fenced in yard. I would always try and bring them in for the winter and hibernate them in the basement. From time to time someone would dig in for the winter and I couldn't find them. They would resurface in spring. As long as they have a good weight and are healthy they would be ok. Personally I like having them sleeping in the house in the winter so I know where they are. Also my torts were purchasedfrom petco years ago which means they were wild caught and I had no clue on the age.

Oh great! Glad to see someone else in PA then, I'm thinking he's a Petco tort as well so I have no idea of the age. The new place we are moving to won't have a basement so he'll most likely spend the winter in the fridge. But thank you for the info!

 

[Riinei]

I would never leave mine out for winter. So many things can go wrong. I can bring them in and avoid all of the risks. Here is a great guide for Russians.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Thank you! I'll have a look through that. My biggest concern would be of predators, especially when food is sparse in the winter a buried tort is an easy snack sadly.

 

[Riinei]

If you would like a quick , easy , portable, and cheap outside enclosure you might want to try a kids wading pool !

View attachment 175786

I was actually considering a pool, that way I won't have to worry about him burrowing out. Does it still allow them to burrow comfortably? And do you cover it with a fence or mesh or anything to keep out predators?

 

[Riinei]

If you would like a quick , easy , portable, and cheap outside enclosure you might want to try a kids wading pool !

View attachment 175786

One more thing (sorry!) what do you do to prevent it flooding during heavy rainfall?

 

[Speedy-1]

One more thing (sorry!) what do you do to prevent it flooding during heavy rainfall?

I had it up on a small table right outside a window , since Speedy was only outside for a limited amount of time ! The table kept him higher than dogs and cats and he was big enough that I wasn't concerned about a hawk carrying him off ! I made him a little "hide" which he liked to go in and out of ! I see no reason you couldn't cover it with mesh if you felt it was needed . You could throw a plastic tarp over it for rainy weather ?

 

[Rue]

You could buy/make a covered sandbox. The lid should keep the rain out as well as cats.