Hi guys, as a newbie can someone advise me on how best to look after a leopard tortoise in the summer months - what I want to know is do I need to keep the basking lamp on overnight now it is getting warmer. Also during the day is it ok to put my tortoise in the conservatory where the light is natural and therefore do not need the uv light or basking light on. I will be getting an outdoor run also but in the next few weeks until the temeprature warms up outside I was going to put him in the conservatory for a few hours a day in his tortie table-

At the moment he is in the dining room with UV and basking on all day and basking on all night - do I need to have this on all the time ????

There many more experienced keepers than me on this site. But personally I put a digital thermometer outside - through the winter once they are warm I put them out above 10oc on the ground for a short while.

In the summer they go out after warming for the rest of the day.

Mine are all big though

Indoors I keep the temp at 26 - 30 oc during day and 20-25 oc during night. Their basking area is 30oc.

As I said I have only had mine 2 years and have only recently joined the forum. Still learning loads myself.

to the forum.

I don't keep leopards so can't help you on their outdoor care but can tell you that you will still need uvb in the conservatory (as uvb doesn't penetrate glass) and a basking light for your tort. Be careful that your conservatory doesn't get too hot though and that he has a cool area for him to retreat too... I know mine is starting to heat up now with just the small rise in temp we've been having.

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Hi Conservatories can get horrendously hot, also the glass will not allow UV to penetrate, so they would still need a UV source.
Night time you don't need a basking lamp so long as the temps don't drop too much. During winter my heating is on 24/7 so my house never drops below 20c. If your their table gets cold, below 18c or thereabouts a ceramic heat emitter or a tube heater like the type you see in greenhouses would be an option, that way there is no light on, just the heat to prevent them getting too cold.

I tested the temps in my conservatory last year, and even with the door open it was far too hot to have put the Leopards in.

A greenhouse with auto vents and with access to a protected enclosure would be a better option, if it was possible for you.

I agree with the others about the greenhouse, potentially its an oven!
Depending on the size of your tort you have a few options for the summer. If its below say 10cm then it will lose body heat very quickly. so you will need a snmall outdoor area heated and protected from any sudden cold/rain. Maybe a small dog kennel or a small bike shed with a heat lamp and uv lamp fitted, or a combined mercury vapour bulb. You could fit a small coldframe or greenhouse onto the shed to provide a heated area. A rabbit run ( with a heated hide area) is ideal for smaller torts as it offers protection from predators like birds, Alternatively if you have lots of space and money then get a big greenhouse, this will do your leopard for as long as you like. Mine is 8x6 and is used to house three sub adult leopards during the day. I have two powersun lamps and a heater set to come on if the temps drop below 18c. they will go outside to graze all of the time, even in the winter, but not for long!
If you are going to be in the garden/at home all the time you tortoise is out then you can get away woith ust putting it out with out heat for an hour or two at a time, but only on days when its comfortable for you to wear just a tshirt. unless its bigger of course and then they retain the heat much better. just warm him well first to charge his batteries!

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