Outside Enclosure and Nightime Tortoise Box Questions (in NH)

[jsheffield]

Good morning TFO,

My redfoot, Darwin, is racing towards the 100g mark, and winter is closing in ... a winter mix of rain and sleet and snow is falling on the spot I put him out for a few hours on the last tropical day this September, but I'm thinking ahead to next summer.

The day I put him out to enjoy the sun and grass and dandelions and clover, he explored and chewed and slept and seemed to enjoy it ... I'd like to do more of the same for him for next summer, but have some questions.

The basic enclosure is made from 2X10 lumber held in place by slotted concrete corner pieces, all of which I got from Home Depot.

• I heard from some people that I need to add netting, to protect him both from overheating (which seems unlikely in NH, but who knows?) and predation ... do I?
• Should the enclosure have everything his inside enclosure has: food, water, hides, mulch to dig down into, heat-source, etc.?
• Would he benefit from nights out as well (summer temps, even in quite hot weather, usually drop into the 70s), or is it a daytime-only experience for Darwin in NH?

If having a full-time summer residence is of benefit to Darwin, can I stretch the season beyond the hottest days by building a nightbox for him?

I'd welcome, love, and be grateful for any input the TFO braintrust can bring to bear on the topic of Redfoots in northern, but not arctic, climes.

Thanks,

Jamie

 

[Toddrickfl1]

During the summer as long as the temp is above 75 I put my Redfoot outside in the morning and bring him inside at night. I don't have a net because he's about 6". You probably would want to use some kind of netting or screen top being that Darwin is still pretty small. I would definately wait till he gets a little bigger before starting to leave him outside nights.

 

[jsheffield]

During the summer as long as the temp is above 75 I put my Redfoot outside in the morning and bring him inside at night. I don't have a net because he's about 6". You probably would want to use some kind of netting or screen top being that Darwin is still pretty small. I would definately wait till he gets a little bigger before starting to leave him outside nights.

Thanks for the reply!

J