Gorgeous creatures! I had a desert tortoise as a little kid, purchased in 1968 in Central CA. Wallace lived in my parents backyard, and reigned over their big vegetable garden, for nearly 30 years. When it started to dig in for hibernation, we'd put it in a cardboard box lined with straw, and put it in the garage in a shelf that we'd walk by almost daily- so that we could hear the scratching to get out when Spring arrived. Wallace was approx. double the size of your two.
I recently got a desert tortoise in November (my friend rescued him from getting accidentally sprayed with weed killer) he is about maybe half the size if not a little smaller than your tortoises. I'm new to tortoise care as well (and happen to live in Phoenix) would you say now is a safe time for me to transfer him to outdoor living? I have had him in a glass terrarium since I got him but I want him to have more room. I just want to make sure I build him a safe, appropriate enclosure so that he doesnt get lost, hurt, or too cold. How do you deal with lighting or heating?
March/April is the time of year when you can safely transfer him/her outside. In fact they will thrive so much more with real sunlight vs the UVB reptile bulbs that are provided for indoor lighting. The biggest thing is making sure he is safe. At that size they are very susceptible to attack from large birds, cats, dogs, etc... So it's imperative that they be enclosed in something that they can't burrow out of. That being said, this area also must get adequate sun without baking the little guy like a potato. These are native species to AZ, but when you confine them to an area, they must be able to thermoregulate. They do this by either digging a burrow, or by you providing an artificial burrow. So you need the perfect little micro environment that gets enough sun but isn't an oven in the dead heat of the summer. Once they get bigger, you can let them roam your yard as long as you don't have dogs or a pool that they can fall into. When kept outdoors, they don't need any artificial lighting, and as long as they have a sufficiently deep/insulated burrow, they shouldn't need any artificial heating. If I could give one piece of advice, don't move him/her outside until you've planned and built that suitable enclosure. Before I had a permanent outside enclosure, I built a little 4'x4' frame made of 2"x4"s that I would set in the grass so they could roam and eat for a few hours every day. He/she will thank you and you'll have that piece of mind of not worrying about him all the time.
So here are the measurements from 2 years ago when the video was shot vs. today. Luke 4/24/18 - Weight 199 grams, 74.5 mm wide, and 95.5 mm long Carapace 5/17/20 - Weight 445 grams, 98.2 mm wide, and 127.5 mm long Carapace Leia 4/24/18 - Weight 139 grams, 67.2 mm wide, and 85 mm long Carapace 5/17/20 - Weight 290 grams, 83.7 mm wide, and 111.7 mm long Carapace
Gorgeous creatures! I had a desert tortoise as a little kid, purchased in 1968 in Central CA. Wallace lived in my parents backyard, and reigned over their big vegetable garden, for nearly 30 years. When it started to dig in for hibernation, we'd put it in a cardboard box lined with straw, and put it in the garage in a shelf that we'd walk by almost daily- so that we could hear the scratching to get out when Spring arrived. Wallace was approx. double the size of your two.
Beautiful shells! Love your enclosure
Beautiful creatures..
Great looking enclosure.
cute torts.
Cool
I recently got a desert tortoise in November (my friend rescued him from getting accidentally sprayed with weed killer) he is about maybe half the size if not a little smaller than your tortoises. I'm new to tortoise care as well (and happen to live in Phoenix) would you say now is a safe time for me to transfer him to outdoor living? I have had him in a glass terrarium since I got him but I want him to have more room. I just want to make sure I build him a safe, appropriate enclosure so that he doesnt get lost, hurt, or too cold. How do you deal with lighting or heating?
March/April is the time of year when you can safely transfer him/her outside. In fact they will thrive so much more with real sunlight vs the UVB reptile bulbs that are provided for indoor lighting. The biggest thing is making sure he is safe. At that size they are very susceptible to attack from large birds, cats, dogs, etc... So it's imperative that they be enclosed in something that they can't burrow out of. That being said, this area also must get adequate sun without baking the little guy like a potato. These are native species to AZ, but when you confine them to an area, they must be able to thermoregulate. They do this by either digging a burrow, or by you providing an artificial burrow. So you need the perfect little micro environment that gets enough sun but isn't an oven in the dead heat of the summer. Once they get bigger, you can let them roam your yard as long as you don't have dogs or a pool that they can fall into. When kept outdoors, they don't need any artificial lighting, and as long as they have a sufficiently deep/insulated burrow, they shouldn't need any artificial heating. If I could give one piece of advice, don't move him/her outside until you've planned and built that suitable enclosure. Before I had a permanent outside enclosure, I built a little 4'x4' frame made of 2"x4"s that I would set in the grass so they could roam and eat for a few hours every day. He/she will thank you and you'll have that piece of mind of not worrying about him all the time.
Koool setup!!!!!!
Thanks Kevin! We tried to give them a cool place to live while they’re so little. Hopefully we can let them roam the yard once they get bigger.
@@MilneFamilyLights Hi I was wondering if you could share the excel spreadsheet id like to track the growth of mine as well? Thank you.
How old are they now? When is your next video?
What is that vine plant you have inside that enclosure? Does Home Depot sell it?
How much in pounds?
How big are they now?
So here are the measurements from 2 years ago when the video was shot vs. today.
Luke
4/24/18 - Weight 199 grams, 74.5 mm wide, and 95.5 mm long Carapace
5/17/20 - Weight 445 grams, 98.2 mm wide, and 127.5 mm long Carapace
Leia
4/24/18 - Weight 139 grams, 67.2 mm wide, and 85 mm long Carapace
5/17/20 - Weight 290 grams, 83.7 mm wide, and 111.7 mm long Carapace
@@MilneFamilyLights how big are they now
@@ivangutierrez3507 mine are so much larger. I wonder why? Check them out ua-cam.com/users/GingerVegas
Jesus saves! Repent and trust Him!
Prayer request here!