Too hot??

[ChiKat]

I bought Nelson a kiddie pool in hopes that he'll be able to spend most of his summer days outside.
Well my handy dandy temp gun is telling me it's a LOT hotter in the pool than I expected!
It's only 77 degrees outside, but in the hottest part of the pool (on his cement block) it's 140!!!!

In this ceramic pot it's 85 degrees.

His cave is 90 degrees.

I added a board across the pool to create another shady spot, and it's 90 there. But the exposed dirt is anywhere from 115-140 degrees. Way too hot! There's no breeze, and his pool is in direct sunlight- the sun is possibly reflecting off of the house too?
And it's only 77 degrees outside right now- what am I going to do when it's 90s outside?!

 

[wrmitchell22]

Maybe adding some plants would reduce the heat, they seem so treally enjoy the shade from them also.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

All of our tortoises, several species, thermal regulate themselfs with the use of shade and sun.

 

[wrmitchell22]

All of our tortoises, several species, thermal regulate themselfs with the use of shade and sun.

Does that mean he can leave them or is it too hot?

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All of our tortoises, several species, thermal regulate themselfs with the use of shade and sun.

Does that mean he can leave them or is it too hot?

I meant she can leave them, lol, sorry!

 

[Missy]

Do you have a shade tree that you can put it under? You could also set up a sprinkler on a timer to spray through out the day or a hose with small holes for misting laid right in the pool.

 

[ChiKat]

Yeah, I think I'll have to move him to a shadier spot in the yard. I loved the idea of keeping the pool on the 2nd story deck because he's safe and I can see him, but it's in direct sunlight for most of the day. Bummer!

The problem with adding plants is that I don't have any drainage in the pool, so I need to cover it with a tarp when it rains...which would destroy plants
I might just end up blocking off a corner of my yard with cinder blocks, like I originally planned

 

[Fernando]

I think he'll be fine. Providing shade to retreat to is the key. I'm sure there aren't any sprinklers in the wild jk but spraying him down is a good idea if you want to keep him on the balcony. The ceramic pot seems cool enough...I don't think he mines being in a comfortable 85 degrees.

 

[October]

Is the temp gun calibrated correctly? Maybe it's reading high?

That said, I can certainly understand that the ground could get that hot.

Is the pool too big to bring in during the hottest part of the day? Or maybe you could buy him a small box fan to keep the air right above the pool moving? Or maybe stack cinder blocks at four corners of the pool and get a small sheet of plywood to cover half the pool, especially the hides, and high enough not to trap the hot air in? You could go all "crazy tort lady" and cover the top with tin foil. Home Depot carries house insulation that kinda looks like Styrofoam but has a built in heat barrier. Just glue that baby on top. You could even run a little misting tube along the edge of it. OH! Home Depot carries those personal mister stands that you attach your hose to.

Plants would definitely help. Maybe you could use a clear paint drop cloth instead of an opaque tarp and they wouldn't die off so quickly.

 

[Laura]

get a beach or yard umbrella that you can put up to provide shade but still alow the air to flow... shade is very important...

 

[Nay]

How about drilling or punching a few holes in the pool. It would supply enough drainage to not have the plants drown(or your little guy either.. )That's what I did for a long time before I built something permanent.

 

[ChiKat]

Is the temp gun calibrated correctly? Maybe it's reading high?

Great point, it's still saying it's 100 outside ? I'll have to figure out how this thing works

 

[Tom]

Point your temp gun at your forehead and tell us what it reads.

For the pool, I think if you put a bunch of nice bushy potted plants strategically around the outside of your pool, so that they overhang a bit, it will look nice and give enough shade throughout the day. Also, if you spray all the plants down ever so often, that will have a tremendous cooling effect too.

Of course the brick pen down in the yard is still a good idea too. I use both at my place.

 

[dmarcus]

Definitely get some shade around the pool and things should cool off some...

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I think you need to make him a spot in the yard where you can still see him and he is safe from any predators, the 4 legged kind and the 2 legged kind. It would be nice for him to be able to graze on some weeds and dig in the dirt. Do you have a safe place in your yard like that? Then he can thermoregulate himself in the sun and the shade and act like a real little tortoise...

 

[ChiKat]

The problem is, there isn't a place in my yard where I can see him from the house.
There a great space on the side of my house, but I would have to go downstairs, go outside, and turn the corner. And it's too close to my weird neighbor's house, so I would definitely need to put a cover/lock on it. And my backyard is completely weed-free, it's the 3 acre field behind my house that is full of weeds, but I don't own it...would be awesome if I did, I could set up a HUGE pen for him

I'll look around my yard and try to find a better place to section off.