In or out?

[Jennie]

As its getting colder outside I'm worrying more about putting Marigold in her outside enclosure.
But it must be pretty dull staying in the tortoise table all the time even if its lovely and warm.
There is only so much I can do to make her table interesting, I have areas outside in her enclosure where she can shelter but its still only going to be the ambient outside temperature.
I see others here have outside spaces for Spurthighs so am I being over cautious worrying she will get too cold outside?
Which is better, being warm inside or enrichment & stimulation outside?

[Nina]

Hi Jennie,

This is a dilemma that we all have this time of year. If possible I try to get a balance of a bit of both on days like we've been having. So I warm them up well indoors under the lights and then put them out. They do retain their heat for quite a while, and when their shells are feeling cool or cold I bring them back in for another warm up and put them out again. They say that if you can be outdoors in a t-shirt then your tortoise can be out, but I find they can be out for short periods even if you have to wear a long-sleeved shirt.

The other problem is the angle of the sun. My garden is in shade a lot now because the sun is getting lower and behind some trees a lot of the time. I think a lot depends on whether you are going to hibernate Marigold this year. I can't remember now when you got her, but if you haven't had her for a year then you should probably keep her awake. The reason for this is that tortoises have to be in the best health to hibernate and it often takes quite a while before you know them well enough to know if they are off-colour.

If you are going to keep her awake this winter then I think you need to fool her into thinking it's a bright summer's day, so indoors with bright lights. You're right that they can get bored indoors, so you can try and put some stuff in her table to interest her -- big rocks to walk around, moving dishes and things around, adding a second level so that she can walk up and down to it -- I can tell you how to do that), etc. But you're right in thinking that there is only so much you can do.

Outdoors if it's cool and dull if she is out there for any length of time she might well go into hibernation mode and not want to eat or wake up in the mornings. Sorry if we've been through this before (my memory is failing me!), but if you do plan to hibernate I can send you lots of information on how to do it (winding down, the hibernation itself, and waking from hibernation) -- just let me know.

Nina

[Jennie]

Thank you Nina, I was unsure about hibernation this year. I have only had her since May and I'm trying to find contact details for the previous owner to see if she hibernated with them.
With fences & other houses my garden gets limited sun which is why I was concerned about temperature.
Also with work I'm not always able to pop her in & out depending on her temp. so I guess it'll be more table time from now on.

I have been thinking about adding an extension to her table, with an upper level etc. Thought it would be easier while she hibernated but that might not happen!

She is enjoying a little garden time today though.

[Nina]

I think your plan is a good one. I would always recommend a second level (and the sleeping area can be underneath it). The top level doesn't need to be very big -- just enough for her to stand on it and have some space for turning around. I feed mine up there, so they are always running up and down the ramp to see if there are any treats for them. The upper level on my table is too big, so the space underneath is almost wasted because mine often don't choose to sleep there (have attached a couple of photos). So if I did it again I would make the upper level smaller.

Love that photo of Marigold outdoors, and I remember the lovely area you created for her, near that tree. I'm very surprised that she hasn't already demolished that blue/green succulent that is in the first photo -- mine would have eaten it to the ground straight off (but they are greedy little devils).

Nina[attachment=0]IMG_9953 (Copy).JPG[/attachment][attachment=1]Top level. Ramp just rests on wall.jpg[/attachment][attachment=2]planting and stones on lower level.jpg[/attachment][attachment=3]m_IMG_9496.jpg[/attachment]

Nina

[Jennie]

Your table is full of interest & inspiring ideas.
I was wondering if there is a page with table pics here? Its really interesting to see all the different set ups and ideas that Ive seen so far on various posts.

Marigold hasnt shown any interest in the succulent, I thought she would. So I bought some nice air plants for her table only to find they were much more to her taste and there were bits of chewed up air plant everywhere!