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Yellow Turtle01

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Full time? I would think like, 8-10 inches for full time. For happy outside visits? 4'' inches would be okay for supervised excursions.
 

Tom

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Everyone will have a difference of opinion on this. I prefer to move mine outside full time in the late spring of the year they hit 8-10". Of course this assumes you are in the right climate and have the right enclosure and night box set up.
 

Tom

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Everyone will have a difference of opinion on this. I prefer to move mine outside full time in the late spring of the year they hit 8-10". Of course this assumes you are in the right climate and have the right enclosure and night box set up.

Prior to that size, I have both a big indoor enclosure and a big outdoor enclosure. I put them outside in fair weather but bring them in at night or on bad weather days.
 

DeanS

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I've always worked it like this...if it's warm enough, they're out! Now, most of my babies were a good months old when I acquired them...and I started testing them at that point. Monstro and his brother were outside full-time by two months of age! But, I had humid hides set up for them and they spent a lot of time outside. It was only during winter and early spring that I kept them indoors. Same with Snowflake (update Dennis?) and Eggroll (update Joe?). When I got the Sudans, I kept them outdoors from 10AM to 3PM...for the first month they went back and forth from the Tortoise Playpen to the kiddie pool. But I kept them in a closed chamber at night! Last summer, they were out all day...and in the chamber by 5PM. And, even during the winter, everybody goes out if there's sun...because there are two spots in my yard that register 85º to 90ºF or so...even when it's below 40ºF. This summer, the Sudans were out around the clock...using their outdoor hide as night shelter. They've since moved on to more humid grounds (ie Louisiana and Tennessee), which has afforded me the luxury of keeping the ITs out a solid four hours...from 10AM to 2PM...in a variety of micro biomes...free from predators. I do go to lengths to keep them from Monstro...he's just too damn curious! But, I digress! If you have sun even during the winter months, I highly recommend breaking out the temp gun and see if you have a spot or two for your torts to soak in the rays...even in the dead of winter! And yes! I find 8" to be the perfect length to experiment with full time outdoor roaming!
 

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