Plan to Move to Outdoor Enclosure: Is This a Good Idea?

MarginatedMooney

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Phil the Marginated tortoise will be 2 years old later this month. He's currently 14.5cm (5.7in) long and weighs 490g (a little over 1lb).

Right now, he lives indoors in a 6' x 3' PVC enclosure. Back before it was winter, we were taking him outside whenever we could but due to his size and how quickly he's growing, I'm feeling like he could use more time outside this year.

I'm planning on building an outdoor enclosure for him this year and slowly introducing him to it in the spring until I feel he's comfortable enough to stay outside all day during the day. I plan on bringing him back inside to sleep in his indoor enclosure at night and he'll stay indoors when the weather is bad.

Is this a good plan at this stage? If it's too soon, should I just get him outside when I can instead of aiming to get him outside every day during the day?
Also, should I be worried about predators and make his outdoor enclosure predator proof? I'm worried about crows and fire ants. I battled with fire ants over the summer and fall and I think they're off my property but I'm going to have to watch out for them.
 

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Blackdog1714

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My Russian has spent every summer in Richmond since he turned 2 and is very happy about it. The enclosure is 3.5' x 11' and has "hardware cloth" metal mesh running under it so no rats can tunnel in.
 

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ZEROPILOT

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Every situation is different.
I've had tortoises actually hatch outdoors and live there. Period.
What part of the world is important as far as the environment goes. But also the area. I live in the suburbs. The predators are few. I have almost no issues and never have since I won my war with fire ants and Raccoons years ago.
Your experience will vary. But you can start with supervised outdoor time. Or by using a nice, secure type enclosure like the one that @Blackdog1714 shows us during the day.
Leaving a tortoise that small outdoors at night would concern me. That's when the rat and Raccoon issues happen. And you must make sure your yard is safe.
The big answer is YES.
Outside is best. But there are those things to consider
 

Tom

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Phil the Marginated tortoise will be 2 years old later this month. He's currently 14.5cm (5.7in) long and weighs 490g (a little over 1lb).

Right now, he lives indoors in a 6' x 3' PVC enclosure. Back before it was winter, we were taking him outside whenever we could but due to his size and how quickly he's growing, I'm feeling like he could use more time outside this year.

I'm planning on building an outdoor enclosure for him this year and slowly introducing him to it in the spring until I feel he's comfortable enough to stay outside all day during the day. I plan on bringing him back inside to sleep in his indoor enclosure at night and he'll stay indoors when the weather is bad.

Is this a good plan at this stage? If it's too soon, should I just get him outside when I can instead of aiming to get him outside every day during the day?
Also, should I be worried about predators and make his outdoor enclosure predator proof? I'm worried about crows and fire ants. I battled with fire ants over the summer and fall and I think they're off my property but I'm going to have to watch out for them.
What you propose is what I find ideal. Best of both worlds. With a proper night box and the right enclosure, you could probably leave him outside full time starting in the spring. Ants are a problem to watch out for. Birds usually won't mess with a tortoise of that size. He'll be locked up at night and safe from nocturnal predators.
 

Tom

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Another question:
I've seen 16'x16' and 25'x15' enclosure sizes recommended for Marginateds. Should I start that big or start smaller, something like 12'x5' and expand over time?
Either strategy works. I see no reason to go small. I say go big, and then go even bigger! The tortoise will use and enjoy as much space as you give it, and the more the better. Make it 100x100 feet if you have the space.
 

pawsplus

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Beasley was outside during the day from the time I got her at 6 months. I made a pen with a predator-proof top until she was large enough not to be at risk from cats or birds. As long as temps are good, outdoors is where they are happiest and will thrive!
 

Tom

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As long as temps are good, outdoors is where they are happiest and will thrive!
This is not true. This sentiment is often repeated all over the internet, but baby tortoises do best when kept in stable conditions indoors most of the time. My general rule of thumb used to be one hour of outside time in a safe enclosure per inch of tortoise. That guideline is fine, but they do even better if just left inside all the time until they get bigger. Once they get larger, outdoor enclosures just become much more practical due to the mess and space requirements. Temperature and climate don't matter. This is true even in South FL and in tropical climates.

I've reach this conclusion after doing multiple side-by-side experiments with groups of clutchmates of several species. I've also watched the results of other keepers and how they do it all over the world. Its universal. Babies do better when kept mostly indoors in the correct conditions.
 

TammyJ

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I agree with the expert here that certainly the babies need to be indoors to be safe.
 

pawsplus

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This is not true. This sentiment is often repeated all over the internet, but baby tortoises do best when kept in stable conditions indoors most of the time. My general rule of thumb used to be one hour of outside time in a safe enclosure per inch of tortoise. That guideline is fine, but they do even better if just left inside all the time until they get bigger. Once they get larger, outdoor enclosures just become much more practical due to the mess and space requirements. Temperature and climate don't matter. This is true even in South FL and in tropical climates.
Well, my experience is that when given plenty of outside time, tortoises seem happier and eat better. By the end of the winter, Beasley is harassing me every time she sees me to go outside. She was like that even as a baby, once she figured out that I was the bus that took her there. :)
 

Tom

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Well, my experience is that when given plenty of outside time, tortoises seem happier and eat better. By the end of the winter, Beasley is harassing me every time she sees me to go outside. She was like that even as a baby, once she figured out that I was the bus that took her there. :)
Remember that we are talking about babies, not adults. And we are talking about what is "best" for them, not necessarily what they want. My daughter wanted to eat ice cream instead of dinner, and made that very clear, but I insisted on doing what was best, not what she wanted.

All of my juvenile tortoises want to go outside too when the indoor enclosure is becoming too small and they are getting too big and rambunctious to live inside. But at six months old, they will do better inside in a large closed chamber with the correct conditions. If you take the time to do side-by-side experiments with groups of clutch mates, you will see this too. They grow 3 times faster on the same amount of the same food, and show no pyramiding vs. their outdoor siblings which show obvious pyramiding even in humid conditions.
 

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