10 Year old Sulcatas and sleeping in the winter

[Lisa Tucker]

Hello, I am new to the forum and really need advice/help. We rescued a 10 year old, 115lb Sulcata from a 10x10 yard. It was just grass and dirt with a dog house. I have a fairly large yard with lots of shrubs and bushes. We bought an oversized dog house and put a heat lamp in there and he has decided to bury himself under one of our shrubs (he's been getting partially wet). I was told they don't hibernate but he's been buried for 4 days and just came out today to get some sun. Is this ok for him or should I try harder to coax him in his house?

 

[Tom]

Hello, I am new to the forum and really need advice/help. We rescued a 10 year old, 115lb Sulcata from a 10x10 yard. It was just grass and dirt with a dog house. I have a fairly large yard with lots of shrubs and bushes. We bought an oversized dog house and put a heat lamp in there and he has decided to bury himself under one of our shrubs (he's been getting partially wet). I was told they don't hibernate but he's been buried for 4 days and just came out today to get some sun. Is this ok for him or should I try harder to coax him in his house?

Hello and welcome.

There is no "coaxing" him about it. He must be put in his warm house every night or he could die. This is a tropical species and it doesn't get cold like it does here where they come from.

A dog house with a heat lamp is not going to work. Dog houses are not insulated enough, too tall inside, and the doors are much too tall and big. Heat lamps will slow burn the top of the carapace and they will not warm the air or the bottom of the tortoise enough. You need to make something like this:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
Or this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/search/11418940/?q=my+best+night+box&t=post&o=relevance

 

[Lisa Tucker]

Thank you so much for the quick response. I really appreciate it. Looks like we'll have to build a new house. Hoping we can get him in his old one for now, we can barely pick him up he's so heavy. Do you recommend the Kane mat?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi Lisa

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much for the quick response. I really appreciate it. Looks like we'll have to build a new house. Hoping we can get him in his old one for now, we can barely pick him up he's so heavy. Do you recommend the Kane mat?

Yes. Those in combination with the radiant heat panels overhead work very well.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Lisa and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Lisa , I have the Kane heat mats , and they are working out well for me !

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Lisa!

What kind of shelter did the tortoise have in his old house?

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to Forum, Lisa. You can usually use food to coax a sulcata. Hibiscus flowers work pretty good for this. Try getting him into the house and locking him in for a night. It might take a few nights, but he will eventually go in on his own.

 

[Lisa Tucker]

Hi Lisa
View attachment 193461

 

[Lisa Tucker]

Thank you all so much. First I was wrong, we have a infrared 90Watt light in his house it wasn't a heat lamp thankfully. He wouldn't be bribed with food so we had to pick him up and put him in his house. We'll see what happens today when we get home, if he stays or leaves. He's been going in his house every night since we brought him home but for the past 5-6 days he's been sleeping outside. We thought it was maybe due to the fact he was never able to before. He was in a small yard with a small hand built wood house that he had outgrown. We're going to work to build Ruffio a smaller insulated house to keep him happy. Thank you all for welcoming me to the forum. I really appreciate all the advice.

Have a great day!!!!!!

 

[Tom]

Thank you all so much. First I was wrong, we have a infrared 90Watt light in his house it wasn't a heat lamp thankfully. He wouldn't be bribed with food so we had to pick him up and put him in his house. We'll see what happens today when we get home, if he stays or leaves. He's been going in his house every night since we brought him home but for the past 5-6 days he's been sleeping outside. We thought it was maybe due to the fact he was never able to before. He was in a small yard with a small hand built wood house that he had outgrown. We're going to work to build Ruffio a smaller insulated house to keep him happy. Thank you all for welcoming me to the forum. I really appreciate all the advice.

Have a great day!!!!!!

Any incandescent bulb is a heat lamp. What you need to do is put a thermometer, or the remote probe of a thermometer, between the lamp and his shell to see how hot it is getting. Let it cook under the lamp for a good hour or two so you can really see what temperature the lamp is getting up to at that height. Then place your thermometer or probe down on the ground, next to the tortoise.

In most cases the top will be too hot and the bottom will still be too cold.