Adopting a sulcata..need alittle advice

[Keeper]

In 3wks ill be bringing home a sulcata from a rescue and while ive done alot of reading/research i still have a few questions id like to get cleared up before he arrives. I have other snakes and lizards but this will be my first tort and hes a big boy already at around 16".
I am in Ohio so obviously i cant put him outside just yet as it is freezing out there so he will be going in a pen in a spare room. My plan is to make a roughly 6'x8' pen from 2x8s w/ vinyl on the floor and some type of hide at one end. Ill be using an arcadia tube UVB w/ a flood light for basking.
I spent alot of time going over the info on the sulcata station site and only today found out on this forum that that info isnt entirely accurate.
While ive done alot of reading im sure ive missed things so feel free to post links if the answers to my questions are found in other threads. I have read through the care sheets but they seem to focus mostly on young sulcatas and im not really finding info on what to do and what they need when theyre larger. On to the questions..
1) Is the pen i have planned acceptable? Is grass hay ok as substrate? some say yes some no.. Does substrate matter at this size? Would a layer of mulch be better?
2) The room he'll be in doesnt drop below 70 so will i need any heat at night or is that fine?
3) This one may sound alittle stupid but I see in many threads that 100 is a good basking temp for young torts and i assume thats measured from the basking rock since theyre so small. Since mine will be bigger should i be measuring from where the top of his shell is? What is the ideal basking temp for bigger torts?
4) I wasnt going to use any mazuri(sulcata station says no!) but i see that almost everyone on here seems to use it. Is this not like a junk food as most processed reptile pellets are?
I would really appreciate any help or opinions..

 

[mike taylor]

We put a rock or something the size of the tort yo adjust basking temperatures . The bigger you can make a enclosure the better . Most of us have sheds or small houses set up . We feed mazuri as part of there dietary needs . So feed grasses and weeds . Here is a pictures of how my guy is set up in winter.

 

[Keeper]

I intend to move him outdoors and build a shed once its nice but for the next few months he'll be inside w/ us.
As cold as it gets here i know we'll also need to make a house in the garage or outbuilding for future winters.

 

[mike taylor]

O yes a out building is a must have . I really don't like heat lamps for the big guys . Have seen to many with burns to the top of the shells. If you can use a oil filled heater . To get air temperatures up not just one spot . You are going to be surprised that your big guy will come out in winter as long as the sun is out . We have seen them run around in the snow .

 

[gustaf]

Mike taylor that looks like a nice set up. Can u tell me what you use in ther for heating? I think i see a temp probe connected to what looks to a be a thermostat. Do you have some sort of overhead heat?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

1. Acceptable? Not to me. 6x8' would make a fine size outdoor sleeping box in a warmer climate, but that is WAY too small for a 16" tortoise to live in day and night. They need room to move. 10x20 or larger would be more appropriate. Either substrate will work fine for a tortoise that size.
2. I like to keep mine warmer than that at night, but 70 shouldn't harm one that size as long as its not damp, and they can really warm up during the day.
3. This is the problem with a large tortoise indoors. If a typical basking lamp is far enough away to not burn the top of the carapace, it will not be warm enough to warm the rest of the tortoise. I don't have experience housing large tortoises indoors over a frozen winter, so I'd rather let someone who has advise you here. Heat mats are often part of a warming strategy for larger tortoises.
4. I wouldn't feed Mazuri everyday, but it works great as a supplement to other foods. I usually feed it to mine twice a week. Often I mix it with other greens. ZooMed grassland food is a decent one too.

Here is a diet sheet for sulcatas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-76744.html

 

[mike taylor]

There is a small heater on a shelf . With a small fan pointing down . That is a thermostat on the wall to control the heater . I got two plastic shoe boxes on the shelf full of water for humidity . Plus I have him a water bowel in there . In the summer I have the fan on the wall going plus one more on the other side to keep air moving . It works pretty good but the winters here aren't bad .

 

[Keeper]

Thank you for the responses. I just want to make fully clear that i do not intend to house him indoors any longer than necessary but i have no other option right now since it is Jan in Ohio and building a proper outdoor living space just isnt really doable right now. Im not 100% sure of the measurements of the bedroom he'll be in so 6'x8' was really a guesstimate i suppose and i do plan to make the indoor pen as large as possible. He will also get roaming time in larger rooms. I realize none of this is 'ideal' but i have to work with what i have right now.

 

[Laura]

why get a sulcata now if you cant house it right? maybe you should wait? sorry...
I think its great you are here seeking info and you will learn a lot.

 

[sibi]

Look, cut the OP a break. He already said it's temporary and I don't think the sully will be damaged because he doesn't have 50 feet of grazing/moving space. It will be less than 3 months when spring will come to Ohio at which time he will build a suitable house for his sully.

Keeper, just remember to keep temps above 80 degrees, if possible, and keep humidity high (80%). Get a good UVB light that will radiate heat at 100 degrees from the top of his carapace to the light source. And, give him an out if he wants to because he may just ram the side of his enclosure to get out. At that size, he can put holes in your doors and walls if he's restricted from getting outside, even if it's for a few minutes. I've got two sullies that are 16 and 17 inches, and I have them in a shed for the winter. I live in Florida; so, I have good temps in the winter, but, sometimes my sullies want to get outside even if the temps are 35 degrees. I give them a few minutes then return them to the shed. They can't destroy the walls because it durock (cement walls), and they can't break threw the door because it's a metal door. BUT, one day they just may destroy the shed unless I give them a way outside during the day. Keep that in mind.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Sibi, this guy is 16". Do you still keep them in 80% RH at that size?

 

[sibi]

Yep. They get dry, and even though I have two bowls of drinking water, they still want it humid. Just today, one of them was pacing back and forth and ramming the door despite the cold temps outside. I took some of the moss that I placed in his hide and wet it, rung it out, and put it back in his hide. He went straight in and calmed down. I get about 50% humidity most of the time, and it's not enough that I have a humidifier and a 5 gallon water bucket in the shed. They are more comfortable when humidity is at 70-80%

Sibi, this guy is 16". Do you still keep them in 80% RH at that size?

 

[argus333]

grass hay is not good substrate better go with cypress mulch. easy to clean and keep humid.

 

[mike taylor]

I have hay in my tortoise house and it slowly disappears hummmmm I wonder what is happening to my hay . I do find it in some smelly bails latter . Ha ha just joke around but its true he eats it . I can tell you you have to keep an eye out because it will mold . Im going to build him a bigger house this summer with no floor and put it on the high side of the enclosure and test things out .