How much food?

[Gaelle]

Thanks guys, excellent clarification!

[Alan1]

I have yet to be convinced by this. Indoors my torts get far more excercise than they do outside. They go round and round their indoor enclosures but outside they tend to just do a lot of basking and not a lot of excercise really unless it's a really hot day

[Star]

That's probably because they are cold?????

If you had good quality outdoor heating for them, then there is no reason why they shouldn't be more active...?

My set up has a heated area inside the night house.....also, above the enclosure is a Perspex UV allowing roof...this produces a type of green house effect....they are outside 24/7 and I can honestly say that they are extremely active (not sure if its anymore or any less to indoors).

If your tortoises are placed outside, that without adapting the area, such as you do with your indoor enclosure, then you will find your tortoise slows down....As with your indoor enclosure, you need to try and produce a climate that mimics the wild.....this can prove more difficult with an outdoor enclosure, but not impossible.

[Alan1]

No it's not the cold, even when the air temps are not great it's still hot in the sun. People always tend to go by air temps and not temps on the ground which is often 40c even in April. Indoors they are on a continual escape mission but outside they are more relaxed in the bigger area, they do wander about but not in the way they do indoos round and round and climbing the walls. If they were too cold which they are on non sunny days they would just go into their shells or in their hides.

Where did you get the perspex UV allowing stuff Marie? We've not found anything other than the Plexiglass Alltop which is about £400 a sheet or something, that's the stuff Jonathan's coldframe is made of.

When I say a really hot day I mean stifling hot, way beyond the normal sunny summer day. They start wall climbing even outside on a day like that. If it's a 90c day then it's well over 120 on the ground. I posted a pic a while back of the thermometer at 54c on the ground

[Star]

Hi Alan,

Sorry........only just seen this question... I got it from these people, here is the number to call....it isnt to expensive at all and you need to ask for the sun bed type

My roof is designed to be removed....which I like, as I enjoy seeing them, but also, with the roof left on, it stops the rain and the kids when they kick the ball around, from entering the enclosure

Its lovely stuff, It also comes in different thicknesses and the best part, is that it is cut to size all included

I can't believe you lot haven't seen it before, it was recommended on the tt site I think, or one the same as that.....

[Alan1]

Ah yes the sunbed stuff. It was available I think but there was some reason we didn't go for it but can't remember what that reason was now I think it may have been that it wasn't thermal like the Plexiglas Alltop stuff, not sure now. It was material to make a coldframe type thing that Johnathan now has that we were after at the time. The basic clear storage boxes from poundstretcher also let through UV according to Red Foot Marg.

My torts are not completely inactive outdoors as they are not out if too cold but indoors they don't act naturally because they are always on the go and that to me is not what they do in the wild. In the wild, young torts spend most of their time hiding which is what mine do when outdoors, bask, eat, sleep, bask, eat sleep and a bit of sneaking about. This is what I mean by getting more excercise indoors

[16 shells]

I am in on this one, for the reason of tort tables, are they after say four hours, with lamp on , in a room too stuffy, as in bad air. Temps read ok, for some reason usually after noon, my Hermans went nuts climbing, racing around, they were in the small bedroom. They are still outside, with heat/uv in the hut, and acting normal, i have extended outside with a good September here, and not looking forward to tables. When the table was in the garage, last year from October, same again normal activity. Is it common for them to race about in tables, like they are on E numbers.
Paul

[Alan1]

Mine certainly do it even though the temps are correct but they also did it outside when it was really really scorching hot and stuffy. maybe it's an air humidity thing, maybe bowls of water or a bucket of water in the room might help, doubt it though as there is already the water dishes and a full watering can

[16 shells]

It could be a humidity thing, the mini heatwave we had, thinking back they seemed a little restless, when i watered the area a bit to cool down, they settled better. Just an observation
Paul