Jenna Ryanne
New Member
Hi guys! I have a couple of questions about my Russian tortoise (Peetrie) and spending time outdoors. My tortoise is about 10 months old and up until this point has stayed in his terrarium indoors. I have wanted him to have an enclosure outdoors as well, but unfortunately the backyard to my apartment does not have a suitable area for him. Just to name a few reasons: it is usually covered in fire ants despite regular pest control, there are multiple neighbor and stray cats that spend time in my yard, and it is incredibly small. Recently, my husband and I decided that we need to stop putting it off and get him spending more time outdoors ASAP, so we bought the largest plastic bin we could find and my husband made a chicken wire covered frame to cover the top so that he can spend time in there while we sit in the AC. We plan on putting him outside in his bin for 1-3 hours a day from this point on. My questions are:
1. Does he need a heat lamp while he is outdoors if the temp is between 70-80 degrees and sunny? He has a tile for a basking stone. If so, how do you guys keep your lamps and extension cords safe from damage and possible electric shock?
2. At what temp is it too cold for him to be outdoors? During the winter do I just keep him inside 24/7? Or if I used a heat lamp would that be enough to keep him warm?
3. Whenever we have put him outside the last few days, he has almost immediately retreated to his hide and stayed in there for the hour we had him outside. This kind of defeats the purpose of him being outside to get sunshine. Should I remove his log for hiding in? I want him to be able to go in there to regulate his temp if he gets too warm, but at this point he is missing out on important nutrients from the sun, and i am concerned.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated! Thank you to this community for being a great place for first-time owners of tortoises! You have been a great help so far.
1. Does he need a heat lamp while he is outdoors if the temp is between 70-80 degrees and sunny? He has a tile for a basking stone. If so, how do you guys keep your lamps and extension cords safe from damage and possible electric shock?
2. At what temp is it too cold for him to be outdoors? During the winter do I just keep him inside 24/7? Or if I used a heat lamp would that be enough to keep him warm?
3. Whenever we have put him outside the last few days, he has almost immediately retreated to his hide and stayed in there for the hour we had him outside. This kind of defeats the purpose of him being outside to get sunshine. Should I remove his log for hiding in? I want him to be able to go in there to regulate his temp if he gets too warm, but at this point he is missing out on important nutrients from the sun, and i am concerned.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated! Thank you to this community for being a great place for first-time owners of tortoises! You have been a great help so far.