Quote:
Originally Posted by jimothy
Although our two spur thighed (iberas) are only 4.5 months/30grams at the moment, we are planning on re-scaping the garden this year and want to plan ahead for when they are big enough to go outside.
We live in central London but are lucky enough to have a garden (about 10m long). I am worried about vicious predators! I have seen rats the size of squirrels and there are lots of foxes around.
Does anyone have any experience of keeping torts outdoors in an urban area? Will they need a completely protected roaming area as well as a hutch? Would you keep them outdoors at all, at what age/size?
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I dont live in a urban area, but have kept ibera for a very long time:0)
And I used for hatchlings outside a glass coldframe set on bricks with an opening somewhere where they can come and go as they please. Only the heat from the sun, as they did not have any extra heat other than from the glass. I live in Kent so temps not that different:0)
I always check that my tortoises are in the coldframe at night, and if you are worried you can always cover the gap at night to stop predators. In their enclosure I planted dwarf fruit trees and low growing dwarf hebes for cover and to stop large birds landing in their enclosure. I have used this system for over 30yrs and it has worked really well.
If you can enclosure all, then you should be well protected. But its no so easy to do:0)