![]() ![]() ![]() Therefore even when they ‘come of age’ I would only let them spend their days outside on days when I was sure it was hot enough for them to be there. The temperate climate and verdant grasslands associated with UK summers are ideal for tortoisesĪs mentioned above, I wince at the thought of keeping even the most hardy of mature tortoises outside all year round in our cold northern climate. Keep Older Tortoises Outside More Frequently But Exercise Caution Having said all that, if your outdoor environment is clean and bright then there’s no harm in keeping your juvenile outside on warmer summer days, provided you’re prepared to provide the right enclosure and conditions, even for short stays of just a few days a year. Similarly you might live in an inner city area where the prospect of ‘fresh air’ outside is dubious to say the least, and you might feel more comfortable keeping your tortoise indoors away from the onslaught of industrial pollution and vehicle exhaust fumes. In my case my garden is north facing, so it’s extremely difficult to access a decent amount of sunlight anywhere in the garden, therefore the consistency of the UV light I have indoors is far more inviting most of the time However if your situation is anything like mine, then your ‘outdoor’ conditions aren’t exactly conducive to your tortoise thriving in one or both of these respects. ![]() These are totally fair points, and in an ideal world I wouldn’t disagree with this at all. Much of the argument for keeping even juvenile tortoises outside stems for the need for them to breathe fresh air and be exposed to natural UV light. I’m sure there are those who would scream at me for it, but to me it seems much more sensible to keep tortoises, particularly younger ones who have less resilience to colder temperatures, inside for at least the first couple of years of their life, sustained by the optimised conditions within their vivarium or tortoise table.įor our top picks of essential items for tortoise care, particularly for indoor living, check out our recommended tortoise care products. These cover everything from properly setting up your tortoise habitat (both outdoors and indoors), to correct heating, feeding and breeding management. If you’d like more detailed information on caring for your tortoise, all in one convenient place, be sure to check out our species-specific eBooks on tortoise husbandry. For my money, daytime temperatures all too often equal those of the night, which doesn’t make leaving them outside during the day an attractive prospect in the first place. When I first bought my hatchling Hermann’s tortoise I was pretty nervous about letting him live outside, especially here in the UK, where let’s face it the weather hardly matches up with the mediterranean climate of a Hermann’s homeland.įurthermore, much of the literature also states that tortoises should be brought inside in the evening and placed in a warm vivarium to protect them against cold night time temperatures. Most literature will tell you, quite rightly, that a tortoises natural habitat is outside, therefore the correct and humane thing to do is keep them outside from the get go. The first thing to say is that some species are more suited to living in the UK than others, and you can read more about that here. It’s a subject that comes loaded with a fair amount of contention: When should tortoises (if ever) be kept outside, especially in colder northern climates such as the UK? ![]()
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