Keeping Exotic Pets Outdoors

There’s something quite appealing about the idea of being able to keep exotic pets outdoors – at least for some of the year. For the committed reptile fan particularly, having a few fleet-footed lizards scurrying around or a tortoise or two bulldozing their way through the herbaceous border conjures up wonderful images of the Mediterranean – even if it is only within the confines of an enclosure.

Keeping these sorts of animals as semi-liberty pets outdoors is not without its problems, but with a little care and thought, it can add to your enjoyment of your pets – and they’ll get the benefit too.

Tortoises

A tortoise or two roaming around a well secured garden used to be a very common sight in the days when they were readily available in pets shops. Now the free trade in European tortoises has been brought to an end – and quite rightly – they are seldom seen, but during the warmer months both they and some of their hardy relatives will enjoy the opportunity of some real sunshine.

The best way to achieve this is probably a suitable outdoor enclosure on the lawn with a tortoise hut for shelter – a bit like a rabbit hutch and run. You won’t need to cover it over, but it is important to make sure that the edges are at least twice as high as your biggest tortoise is long. While they won’t be hopping out, tortoises are surprisingly adept at escaping – so check them regularly to make sure they’re not trying to climb over the edge or burrow underneath it.

Make sure that there’s plenty of shade available – even a British summer can sometimes be too hot for them to be in direct sun – and give them water and they should be fine, but remember to bring them in before it turns too chilly at nights.

Terrapins – especially ones from Europe or other temperate parts of the world – can be kept outdoors in ponds during the summer, but these fast-moving animals are possibly even better escapologists than their bigger land-living relatives, so make sure your fences are secure. Remember the voracious appetites of these creatures too; don’t put them in a pond with newts or small fish!

Lizards

Although some kinds of lizards – especially the smaller European Lacertids and their kin – are able to tolerate the British climate well enough, keeping them outdoors is fraught with difficulty – but it’s not impossible, if you are determined. The best kind of enclosure will test your brick-laying skills, however, since these fast and active lizards are remarkably good climbers and only well constructed walls with a 12 inch (30cm) or more horizontal overhang around the top edge is likely to stop them from making good their escape. You’ll also have to keep an eye out for local cats, who seem to find their scurrying run irresistible – usually with disastrous consequences.

On balance, if you want to have outdoor lizards, it’s probably an awful lot easier to settle for a slow-moving chameleon or two in the confines of a secure greenhouse.

Amphibians

Terrestrial amphibians lend themselves to being kept outdoors in a suitably sized cold frame, but even they are pretty good at getting out and exploring the rest of the garden, if you give them half a chance – and they only need a very small hole.

Site your cold frame in a cool spot shaded from too much direct sun, on level ground and make sure there are no gaps underneath the frame, or that’s likely to be the last you’ll see of your salamanders. Give them plenty of hiding places, a good sized water container and periodically water their home to keep it moist enough for their taste and they should do well.

Whatever species you decide to keep outdoors, never underestimate their ability to get out of their home – and disappear seemingly into thin air. Allowing non-native species into the wild is never something to be encouraged, however accidentally it happens – and besides, half the fun of pet ownership is being able to watch your animals go about their lives. Keeping exotic pets outdoors – even for the short summer months – is no different.