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There's a good possibility of drastic relocation for me sometime in the next ten years. I was just wondering where, within the U.S., do you think is a good area for raising tortoises (mostly Mediterranean species) outdoors year round?

I currently live in upstate N.Y., which is a very poor climate, as there is often snow on the ground six months out of the year.

I just have so many great plans for permanent outdoor tortoise pens that I wouldn't dare build here (since my torts live indoors almost all year round), and I would love to be able to keep torts virtually rent free, with food grown within the enclosure, and heat provided by the sun.

So do my torts.

Southern California is the place to be My buddie's sister found my current Russian wandering around a school playground AFTER it came out of hibernation. He's in a 4x8 outside now, and he's diggin' it. If I didn't forget to water every day, the plants would probably stay alive, too. ;P

Sounds pretty good out there in southern california (and arizona, for the other poster). My one main question is, what kind of severe weather do you guys get out in the south west?

Here (at the opposite end of the country) we have terrible winters, complete with blizzards, ice storms, etc....aka: terrible for reptile owners (especially when the power goes out). What do you get down there? Quakes? Tornadoes? I'm not familiar with the weather outside of my state

I guess when my education is finally completed (looks like it's going to be a long time!), I can search for jobs out there. That would be an ideal situation... to find a job in a warmer climate. I'm planning on being a teacher of music (preferably band or orchestra in public schools...if anyone cares), and maintain all of my side jobs that I make a living from now, like teaching drums/percussion, playing drums/percussion, and of course, working with reptiles.

I am so jealous of people that have the ability to work with their tortoises outdoors like that. Right now I've just started trying to keep my torts outdoors, because it's cheaper, seems more enriching for them, and I love the idea of having the torts be more self-sufficient (so I don't have to provide them with heat, light, food, etc.). Plus, I love to build things, and in my summers my favorite thing to do (beside practicing and playing gigs) is to work outside building things. I'd probably build a new pen every year if I had the money. Unfortunately with winter taking up the majority of the year, this is a poor area for me to live.

Hey, maybe then the UVB goons can give me a break (since I don't use UVB lights in my indoor enclosures).

During the summers it's in the 100's regularly. No other real bad weather.
During the winter my torts live outside with access to heated houses. They graze when the temp is 65 and up. That's almost everyday of the year.

I second the heat.

We used to have rain..but, we don't get that any more.

Every once in awhile we get wind. Hot wind. Yay.

Then..there's some more heat..

It can get chilly in the winter every two out of 30 days or so, but my tort usually just digs down during that, or chills in his house.

Other than that..it's pretty hot. (Not diggin' the heat!)

Lizards like it though!

I'm complaining because it's too cold here, and you're complaining because it's too hot there. I'd take hot over cold though (hate having to put on tons of clothes, jackets, etc just to go outside, and I hate having to keep my reptiles indoors).

How do the torts like the heat? i'm assuming they probably come out mostly during the early and later hours of the day, and go in hiding when the heat is at its peak?

Also (and this is a question for both of you guys), what native wild life do you guys get that cause problems with the torts? Around here it's definitely raccoons, coyotes, the occasional bobcat, etc. and of course, birds of prey (hawks, etc.). What do you get? Any issues with venomous snakes or insects in the warmer climates?

hehehehe - Ryan has never experienced 3 months of blast furnace temps... you can never take OFF enough clothes to cool down, the opposite of your problem.

However your torts will do much better in the S California or Arizona sun that they do indoors in upstate NY without proper UVB!

the UVB goon

Sorry, wildlife? What's that? Have you ever BEEN to Southern California?

Haha, think of the suburbs. Now multiply that over 200 square miles. That's what I live in the middle of.

I have seen raccoons down in our wash area ("river" and we have plenty of hawks, but they've been nothing to worry about thus far. I have a ton of cats, but they just like to watch the tort as is. My cage is topped..(picture below) but to be honest, that top sucks.

My tort comes out early morning and suns up, eats his food, then burrows back down under his house. He's pretty lazy. He comes to my voice now, though, so I guess it can't be so bad!

Oh, poisonous animals..none really. No rattlers or anything, not unless you want to go for a hike. My part of So Cal likes to destroy anything that isn't a domestic cat or dog, so I don't really have to worry about any of that.

I'm jaded, I should have never traveled.