Is there such thing as too much sun when they are young?
too much sun?
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Yes. Without a place to get out of the sun, a baby will quickly overheat and might die. Same thing goes for indoors with the heat and lights.
This is debatable. I will share my opinion. Of course there is the obvious need for shade and the ability to choose different parts of the enclosure to thermoregulate, but as far as just being outside, this is what I think: Babies in the wild stay hidden most of the time. They don't bask for hours at a time. Where they stay hidden is probably moist and humid. My fear about leaving tiny babies and hatchlings out too long is dehydration. In a humid area, this might be less of a concern, but it is very dry where I am. I only put hatchlings out for an hour or two and then bring them back in, soak them, and put them back in their humid enclosures. By the time my babies reach 5-6" I am leaving them out all day weather permitting, but the smaller they are, the shorter the duration of outside dry time.
I suppose in theory they could. The reality is that when they've had enough, they head for cover. As long as shelter and cover are provided for relied from both heat and direct sunlight, there shouldn't be a problem.
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Too much heat, absolutely! Too much sun, perhaps not.
In my opinion if you have constructed a safe enclosure with plenty of shade/hide aways/access to water then even baby tortoises are good at thermoregulating, and will take cover when they get too warm. I leave my hatchlings out all day without issue. They often burrow a little or take shelter when the sun is strong overhead. I do live in a humid climate so I may feel differently I were somewhere dry where I didn't have irrigation in their pens. I definitely agree with Yvonne and Tom that dehydration would become a major concern quickly for a small tortoise left in dry heat for an extended period of time.
In my opinion if you have constructed a safe enclosure with plenty of shade/hide aways/access to water then even baby tortoises are good at thermoregulating, and will take cover when they get too warm. I leave my hatchlings out all day without issue. They often burrow a little or take shelter when the sun is strong overhead. I do live in a humid climate so I may feel differently I were somewhere dry where I didn't have irrigation in their pens. I definitely agree with Yvonne and Tom that dehydration would become a major concern quickly for a small tortoise left in dry heat for an extended period of time.
Too much heat is bad for any living life! But as long as there is shade and water you should be good, just keep a good eye on them and dont leave them out the whole day, hydrate them as well when you take them in.
danny00 said:
Since the thread is in the "sulcata" section, we are to assume he's talking about a sulcata.
yeah 2 lil Sulcatas 
i think it needs shade... even if you just prop up a umbrella...
and that cactus in the background... slice a pad or two in half, let is sit a few days, so the sliced end dries.. then place it in the ground in well drained soil, or a pot or sandy dirt.. and wala!! you now have a future food source for your two!
and that cactus in the background... slice a pad or two in half, let is sit a few days, so the sliced end dries.. then place it in the ground in well drained soil, or a pot or sandy dirt.. and wala!! you now have a future food source for your two!
I think that in the summer time, or even today, that enclosure might over heat. You will need some heavy shade above half of that or more, but it needs to be raised up , like a pop up tent, or move it under a tree or something. The top of that hide will be cooking in the hot sun, so even though there is shade under it, it will still be too hot. You will have to track the sun in your yard and see where the shadey and sunny areas are as the sun moves across the sky each day. I recommend an infrared temp gun to check and recheck your ground and surface temps there.
Please be careful. Little ones like that can overheat and die in minutes under some circumstances. Sunshine is essential for good health, but care must be taken how we offer it.
Please be careful. Little ones like that can overheat and die in minutes under some circumstances. Sunshine is essential for good health, but care must be taken how we offer it.
You could even set a couple of potted plants around the outside edge for shade. It DOES look pretty open to me. If I remember correctly, you're in Southern Calif. I think it gets pretty hot there, right? Yes, he needs more shade areas to help cool down the wide open spaces.
thanx will do
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emysemys said:
Potted plants (maybe a fern?) would provide shade, a natural hide and increase the humidity of the area they over hang. Solid plan.
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For the babies make sure there humidity to go with the sun too. Frequent mistings and a humid hide they can rest in.
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Get a good infrared thermometer, they're only like $25, but every reptile keeper should have one. That way you can see if your shady spots are a comfortable 80 for the tort to escape to, or if they are "shady" like the inside of a car on a hot day is shady
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