The reason for this blog are many conversations that I have had with turtle owners in Central Europe. I was often told: “In summer - when it's nice and warm here - my animals are in the garden. When it gets cold, hibernation will come anyway."

Let's take a closer look at this statement. The animal in question is the Greek tortoise (testudo hermanni). In the natural habitat of this reptile, solar radiation over the year is over 200 watts / m². That is an impressive 80% more than in Germany (110 watts / m²). The summer in Central Europe is easy to describe in comparison to the Mediterranean region: too short, too humid and too cold (I thank a good friend for this quote). Our reptile friends are cold-blooded animals and therefore a sufficiently high temperature and light intensity (including UV light) is essential for survival. Warmth and light are the fuel for our reptiles. In the case of turtles in the garden, this can easily be ensured by a plexiglass raised bed (e.g. Alltop)...

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