Hi,

Help needed please,

I have two Hermans, who are free to roam around the garden. They are put away at night into individual hutches - but now I want to build something more substantial - with a basking lamp etc.............
Eventually my young Hermans will be free to join them and need some information on other people who have a small amount of tortoises who let theirs roam the garden - but on a night - how they house them ?????

Help please,

Michelle

Hi Michelle,  to our site!

I'm afraid I havnt been brave enough to let my torts stay out at night, I bring most of them in at night back onto their tables.  I do have four adult Marginated's though that live permanently outside in the greenhouse.  I have a wooden hut in there which is heated by a ceramic heater on a thermostat during the day, and goes off at night during the summer.  They spend most of the days outside either in the greenhouse or they can go out into the garden.

There has been a recent post on heating and lighting you might also find helpful:

http://www.tortoise-protection-group.org.uk/site/130.asp?tID=367

Please get back to us if you have any further questions.

Vivienne

Hi Michelle, What I have is an enlcosure with a variety of plants and places to explore and within this enclosure I have an adapted kennel for nightime use in which I have a ceramic heat on a thermostat.  Adjoining this kennel is a coldframe.  The tortoises mostly take them selves back into the coldframe or the heated hut in the late afternoon.  I always make sure I know where they are once they have settled themsleves down, and if I think it wil be cold I put any into the kennel that haven't put themsleves there.

If its mild I might leave one or more out in the enclsoure if they are nicely hidden, but I always cover this enclosure with wire mesh covers at night - and when I'm not there during the day as well. There are ots of magpies and other predators here that would be a problem during the day and there could be foxes and cats around at night but they cannot get into the enclosure.

Personally I wouldn't leave my tortoises in open garden at night, and anyway I couldn't secure the perimeter adequately to stop them wandering away.

Hope this helps a bit!  Everyone's garden etc is all different.  My tortoises are quite small as well.  Jonathan