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Old 30-05-2017, 01:51 PM   #1
Ludrup
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Default Weatherproofing outdoors?

Hi

I have two Hermann's who are just settling into life in their outdoor enclosure. What worried me is the wet weather here in the UK. I know Med torts are supposed to have a dry substrate. How do your torts manage being out in the rain and having their enclosure wet, or do they just stary burrowed/indoors?

Many thanks

L
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Old 30-05-2017, 02:06 PM   #2
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Hi

I have two Hermann's who are just settling into life in their outdoor enclosure. What worried me is the wet weather here in the UK. I know Med torts are supposed to have a dry substrate. How do your torts manage being out in the rain and having their enclosure wet, or do they just stary burrowed/indoors?

Many thanks

L
Mine have the choice to be out whatever the weather:0)
You will find they will be out if the weather is warm and raining, they enjoy the rain to drink. If its raining and cold then they stay in their housing.
As for the ground being wet, it never stops my iberas being out. They tend to go to slabbed or stony areas, where they warm up. As long as they are not on wet grass all the time they will be fine. Wet soil is not a problem, as in the wild it rains where they naturally live.
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Old 30-05-2017, 02:09 PM   #3
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That's great. Exactly what I'd hoped. Thanks

L
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Old 30-05-2017, 11:40 PM   #4
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Hi Ludrup. I think it's a good idea for them to have the option of going under cover into some kind of housing.

Wet and cold conditions are not what Mediterranean tortoises come across except in winter. Once or twice isn't going to do any harm but if it's for weeks on end, which can easily happen where I live even in summer, it's not a good idea.

Sandy lives in the south east corner where they have water shortages and suchlike. We never get those..........
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Old 31-05-2017, 09:35 AM   #5
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Hi Ludrup. I think it's a good idea for them to have the option of going under cover into some kind of housing.

Wet and cold conditions are not what Mediterranean tortoises come across except in winter. Once or twice isn't going to do any harm but if it's for weeks on end, which can easily happen where I live even in summer, it's not a good idea.

Sandy lives in the south east corner where they have water shortages and suchlike. We never get those..........
Berkshire is not that far from me, so has the same sort of weather as I do.
And hermans in France, can have very wet times even in the Summer months. And colder at night. Not as same as here, but not that far off. When its too hot tortoises just hide away.
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Old 31-05-2017, 02:59 PM   #6
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I just looked a load of weather sites and it was really interesting. I couldn't find anywhere in the southern part of France that has anything like the amount of rain that UK (even the south) has. And temperatures both day and night are much higher as well but there is a huge amount of variation in the UK.

What surprised me though is how wet it is in Dalmatia and the Balkans, both places where there are tortoises. Croatia and Slovenia has the wettest weather in Europe and quite a bit of it falls in the summer.

The south of France and Corsica (which is my reference point) are bone dry and hot for at least 4 months a year. And yes the tortoises there do spend a lot of time in hiding as Sandy says. They come out morning and late afternoon only.

So although I don't quite agree with Sandy there is no doubt that some places where it's really wet also have tortoises in them.
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Old 31-05-2017, 05:16 PM   #7
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I just looked a load of weather sites and it was really interesting. I couldn't find anywhere in the southern part of France that has anything like the amount of rain that UK (even the south) has. And temperatures both day and night are much higher as well but there is a huge amount of variation in the UK.

What surprised me though is how wet it is in Dalmatia and the Balkans, both places where there are tortoises. Croatia and Slovenia has the wettest weather in Europe and quite a bit of it falls in the summer.

The south of France and Corsica (which is my reference point) are bone dry and hot for at least 4 months a year. And yes the tortoises there do spend a lot of time in hiding as Sandy says. They come out morning and late afternoon only.

So although I don't quite agree with Sandy there is no doubt that some places where it's really wet also have tortoises in them.

Well my daughter live in a village called Trets, which is between Marseilles and Nice, and I can tell you when it rains it rains there. My daughters boss can always tell when I go out there, as it rains:0).
I agree it does depend on where you live in the UK, as in the SE its not uncommon to have hose pipe bans. Although this has not happened over the last few years.
If you have clay soil which can get really bogged down with water, then you can have a problem with wet. But other soils are not such a problem as they can drain the water away.
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Old 31-05-2017, 07:32 PM   #8
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I've got the clay here Sandy. I've tried to improve the drainage but I can still get standing water in the garden if its rained persistently. I don't know Trets but where your daughter lives is a nice part of the world and there are a lot of hours of sunshine down that way. Must make up for the downpours a bit!
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Old 31-05-2017, 08:47 PM   #9
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I've got the clay here Sandy. I've tried to improve the drainage but I can still get standing water in the garden if its rained persistently. I don't know Trets but where your daughter lives is a nice part of the world and there are a lot of hours of sunshine down that way. Must make up for the downpours a bit!
Well it will dry up quite quickly. But they do have days continually of rain.
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Old 01-06-2017, 03:31 PM   #10
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Clay is a nightmare , water just sits on it and even when it is absorbed its either damp for days or massive cracks appear in the heat. I did think very arid conditions in these areas which is why I consoled myself when weeds are in a little short supply they are still pampered ! ...I think Wolfgangs (I don't know him personally of course), book presents as sooooo arid bush like. CB
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