u/AccomplishedOne1052

Hello everyone!

I have two Testudo marginata hatchlings (9-10 months old) and I’d love some advice on heat wave management and summer housing logistics. We still have about 2.5 months of summer ahead. I have my apartment is ~5 min away by car to the outside enclosure (at my grandparents yard) and stays at a constant 25–28°C I have a smaller house near the outside enclosure where the temp is around 22-26 °C

My current setup all attached in photos:

•	Outdoor enclosure (200×100 cm) in my grandparents’ yard, some lavender and denser grass patches but not much shade overall
•	Small plastic tub (55×38 cm) – already built, with heat lamp + UVB (last 2 photos)
•	OSB wood enclosure (~100×60 cm) – almost finished, also with heat lamp and possible uvb 

I’m planning to add 2 water dishes and terracoco (coco choir) to hide in the their mini house(made by wood can be seen in the photos) în the outdoor enclosure so they can self-regulate a bit.

Question 1: Is 32–35°C in the shade dangerous for juveniles?

We’re having a heat wave here in Romania with shade temperatures hitting 32–35°C. My routine on hot days:

•	7–8 AM: Stop by before work, let them out into the outdoor enclosure
•	11–13h: Move them inside the outbuilding (22–26°C), food and bath
•	16–17h: Move them back outside
•	19–20h: Bring them in for the night

Is this schedule reasonable, or would it be less stressful to just keep them inside the whole day when it’s that hot? With a terracoco soil wood hide available, could they self-regulate enough to stay outside safely, or is 32–35°C in the shade just too much regardless?

I don’t want to leave them overnight outside due to possible predators, I live in a city but anything is possible.

Question 2: Which summer housing option is best?

I have 3 options (but I’m open if you have any new idea):

Option 1 -> Everything at grandparents’ (my current preference): The OSB enclosure with both heat lamp + UVB stays in the outbuilding at grandparents’. Daily routine: I let them out in the outdoor enclosure before work. On normal days I leave them outside until evening, then bring them in for the night – no lamps on overnight, they just sleep. On heat wave days (32–35°C+ in the shade), I move them into the OSB enclosure at midday (11–13h) for a bath with heat lamp + UVB on, then back outside around 16–17h until evening. Speaking of which on slightly cooler heat wave days, is it actually okay to leave them outside all day with just a small shelter filled with terra coco (coconut coir substrate) and water dishes, or should I always bring them in at midday regardless?

Option 2 –> OSB enclosure at my apartment, plastic tub at grandparents’: The OSB with UVB + heat lamp goes to my apartment. The plastic tub stays in the outbuilding at grandparents’ with heat lamp only (no UVB, since that goes with the OSB). On heat wave days I’d use the plastic tub for the midday break – but with no UVB available there, is that a problem for a 2-hour midday stay? Also, my apartment stays at 25–28°C constantly – is that too warm at night with no cooler period?

Option 3 –> Plastic tub at my apartment, OSB at grandparents’: The plastic tub with UVB + heat lamp goes to my apartment. The OSB stays in the outbuilding at grandparents’ with heat lamp only (no UVB). Same concern as Option 2 – no UVB during midday breaks at grandparents’. And the 55×38 cm plastic tub feels quite small even for short stays at my apartment on bad weather days.

But the weather in Romania is very changing now it was a heat wave, next week can be only rain with 20-26 Celsius degrees.

So main questions:

1. Heat management: Is 32–35°C in the shade genuinely too hot for 9-10 month old marginata, even with a terra coco shelter and water available? Or can I leave them outside all day until evening and just bring them in at night? On cooler days (under 30°C, like next week’s forecast), I’m actually leaning toward keeping them at my apartment in the OSB enclosure and leaving the plastic tub + outdoor enclosure at grandparents’ for the hotter days – does that kind of flexible approach make sense?
   2. Best option overall: Between the three options described above, which would you recommend for the remaining 2.5 months of summer? Or if you have a completely different suggestion, I’m open – though building another full wood enclosure isn’t currently an option financially.
   3. Transport stress: For Options 2 and 3, I’d be moving them by car (~10 minutes) on a daily or near-daily basis. How stressful is this for juveniles this age, and would it be better to leave them somewhere for 2 days at a time rather than moving them every day?

I want to add this plant on my outside enclosure. Is it safe to be planted there? Should I place it there with its own pot or should I replant it on the soil? It’s for a shop, should I wash the roots? It’s almost July now, it’s safe to plant it in the soil? The temperature outside it’s around 34+ Celsius in Eastern Europe.

Hello! I’m looking for some honest feedback on my two Marginated tortoises (Testudo marginata), Versace and Rurchi. They are about 9 months old now. Lately, I’ve been a bit paranoid about their shell growth. They didn't hibernate this winter (since they were too small), and looking at their recent weight check, they’ve been growing pretty fast. Back in Dec/Jan they were around 27-29g, and now they are at 78g and 94g.

I’ve attached some photos from different angles (including side views). I think I see a very slight raise on their scutes, but I can't tell if it’s normal captive growth for Marginateds or the start of pyramiding. Their breeder says they look totally fine and healthy, but I’d love a second opinion from you guys.

I fed them from store: endives, Romain lettuce, lamb lettuce (valeriana) and from my garden: dandelion, clover, plantago. I gave them food in the mornings and after the warm bath. (I hope I don’t overfed them). I have an uvb tub and a heating bulb. I gave them warm baths every day minimum 5 min. But usually 10-20 mins. Sometimes even 30 mins. At 30-33 Celsius water temp.

They have an enclosure 55 cm x 35 cm (plastic box) but now I’m working în making a 100x60 cm one (ocb wood) can I put inside pound foil made of pvc for humidity? And I made them an outside enclosure 200x100 cm, but they don’t have enough shadow I think (only 1 lavender but it’s almost dried, I moved it from another part) and I planted 6 hibiscus outside but are too small to make shadow for them. Inside the enclosure outside they have dandelion and clover.

But the main question is still do I overfed them? What should I do to keep their shells ok? Is it the Versace’s (nr 13) shell pyramiding? Please help me!