Ideas on how to get night temps down ?

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by sandy

I understand what you are saying, but too many keepers panic at the mention of "large birds, rats, tortoises getting stolen" if they think like this, then tortoises are not really for them. Tortoises need to be free roaming as far as possible. You cant guard against everything. You can do things outside to make it as safe as possible. My tortoises have been outside 24/7 for the last 34yrs. In different areas of the SE. And I just ajust my gardens accordingly.
I have had panics when tortoises get where they shouldnt etc, but thats all part of keeping them.
A tortoise being kept inside, in what is a small enclosure (compared to what they can have outside) most of the year is not what tortoises are all about.
You wouldnt do this to a cat or a dog?

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[Catwoman63]

My dog is at home all day while I'm at work, my sister pops in at lunchtime tho, and she does just fine, owners keep their animals to give (or try to give the best in life they can) each and every one of us 'restricts' their free roaming, even if you have a 100ft garden they are still restricted then they are in the wild, it is not right people get judged because they haven't got a 100ft garden or they work and their dog is at home, or they keep birds in cages, we all keep animals 'restricted' to the wild. If I choose to bring my animals in at night for fear they may get stolen then I am being a responsible owner, and no one should be judged for that, a vast majority of owners do not let them free roam all day and night but does that make them wrong and not fit to have any animals? Dog owners take their dogs for a walk on a lead..is that not right? They cannot run free then can they? X

[yuna1971]

But what about the people that have hatchlings...or don't have that person to keep an eye. The working 9-5 people? Should they be exempt from ever owning a tortoise? xx

[sandy]

Originally Posted by yuna1971

But what about the people that have hatchlings...or don't have that person to keep an eye. The working 9-5 people? Should they be exempt from ever owning a tortoise? xx

My hatchlings/smaller tortoises are outside 24/7 too.
I have worked 9-5 and they still went out.

[Pussygalore]

I didn't put my hatchlings out and leave them at this house but did at the last simply because here I didn't have a small enclosure that they couldn't get out of. They had a small movable wire lidded run and I'd keep checking they were all still there, to be honest though after a couple of hours they'd get tired and dig down I'd then bring that back into the house. At the last house I made them a 'garden' out of an old butlers sink with soil, plants etc and a wooden framed wire lid, they couldn't dig out of the sink and it was an ideal size for tinies, they'd be out all day there. You do need something very secure though as a hatchling the size of a 50p will dissapear so quickly and get out through the smallest gap. Mine were also sold before they got to be big enough to go into a more regular sized enclosure, mind you we spent many hours on hands and knees looking for the hermans and they were a year plus.

[becciwales]

Forums - the best place to get good advice and information, at least its relevant, not what you'd get from a pet shop. The down side: the judgement brigade!! Every forum I've been on is the same, rabbits, guinea pigs and this is no different. It must be nice to be so perfect that we can be so judgemental. We all do our best for our animals and we all love them or we wouldn't be on a forum for them, but, Catwoman is right, they're not free, they're pets!! They're all restricted by boundaries. As are we! I've read it countless times on here, the UK has no native wild tortoise, not its natural habitat then? So the artificial light and heat given is to do our best for them! All anyone can do is their best. I'm no expert, I don't have my own tort yet but am trying to learn as much as possible. We all do our best, we shouldn't be bashed for it.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Pussygalore

I didn't put my hatchlings out and leave them at this house but did at the last simply because here I didn't have a small enclosure that they couldn't get out of. They had a small movable wire lidded run and I'd keep checking they were all still there, to be honest though after a couple of hours they'd get tired and dig down I'd then bring that back into the house. At the last house I made them a 'garden' out of an old butlers sink with soil, plants etc and a wooden framed wire lid, they couldn't dig out of the sink and it was an ideal size for tinies, they'd be out all day there. You do need something very secure though as a hatchling the size of a 50p will dissapear so quickly and get out through the smallest gap. Mine were also sold before they got to be big enough to go into a more regular sized enclosure, mind you we spent many hours on hands and knees looking for the hermans and they were a year plus.

You can also use rabbit cages too!

[sandy]

Originally Posted by becciwales

Forums - the best place to get good advice and information, at least its relevant, not what you'd get from a pet shop. The down side: the judgement brigade!! Every forum I've been on is the same, rabbits, guinea pigs and this is no different. It must be nice to be so perfect that we can be so judgemental. We all do our best for our animals and we all love them or we wouldn't be on a forum for them, but, Catwoman is right, they're not free, they're pets!! They're all restricted by boundaries. As are we! I've read it countless times on here, the UK has no native wild tortoise, not its natural habitat then? So the artificial light and heat given is to do our best for them! All anyone can do is their best. I'm no expert, I don't have my own tort yet but am trying to learn as much as possible. We all do our best, we shouldn't be bashed for it.

Its not being judgemental, just proving that if you try hard you can make a tortotises life a lot easier.
Some people take advice as critisisum if they dont like the advice.
Also some are just too scared to make the changes, as they like it as it is.
Which is fine for them, but there are other ways of doing things.
When I first kept tortoises, I had the same fears as others, but seeing them in the wild, changed my mind.
And yes we all have boundries, but keeping them inside most of the time, is not a boundry, its the keepers fears. If its the keepers fears that are making the boundries, its not fair on the tortoise.

[Catwoman63]

I agree with good advice given, most of the time it's not taken as judgemental but when someone says people should not own animals if they don't keep them a certain way of the adviser then that's being judgemental, there was a comment made about not giving a thought to the mental status of animals, I have birds in cages, torts in caged enclosures, dog at home all day, so I took a comment in this thread as being judgemental, we should not be saying that if you have fears about birds, foxes, thieves then don't keep torts, I would love to let mine out all and night be at home all day with them and my dog, but some of us have to work to pay for them, I'm looking forward to my redundancy in October then ill be at home more with all of them as that's what I want to do, I just hope that I can carry on affording to keep them all.....anyway sorry to go on, but we should just be careful what we say to people, a little thought there as well x

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Catwoman63

I agree with good advice given, most of the time it's not taken as judgemental but when someone says people should not own animals if they don't keep them a certain way of the adviser then that's being judgemental, there was a comment made about not giving a thought to the mental status of animals, I have birds in cages, torts in caged enclosures, dog at home all day, so I took a comment in this thread as being judgemental, we should not be saying that if you have fears about birds, foxes, thieves then don't keep torts, I would love to let mine out all and night be at home all day with them and my dog, but some of us have to work to pay for them, I'm looking forward to my redundancy in October then ill be at home more with all of them as that's what I want to do, I just hope that I can carry on affording to keep them all.....anyway sorry to go on, but we should just be careful what we say to people, a little thought there as well x

Thats fine you as I, am entitled to their opinions.
I think of the tortoises not the humans, tortoises cant speak for themselves. Only if we watch and allow them to do their thing:0)
Nothing I have said is judgemental, unless you dont like what is being said.
There are plenty of things on here I dont like, but choose not to comment, as this sort of reaction happens:0)