ofafeather
Member
Any thoughts on a minimum for a 20” Sulcata?
Help to prepare for 15 y/o Sulcata foster/adoption
- Thread starter ofafeather
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ofafeather
Member
What thickness plywood? Can I make a free-standing enclosure?
1/2 inch works fine to line the wall.
What do you mean free standing? I was thinking we were talking about a room size enclosure. Even a full room size enclosure is very small for and adult sulcata
ofafeather
Member
We have a lot of open space which would likely need to be subdivided and would need to work around floor vents and doorways. We don’t ultimately know where she will end up yet so we are looking at various options and the ability to move into another location in the house if it is better. If it can be somehow freestanding we have more options.
BajatheChickenMan
Active Member
I didnt know that about the corners, would rounded corners be better? I'm currently in the early stages of planning/building the outdoor enclosure.
I say this with all due respect and humor...but you just don't have a clue what keeping an extremely strong dinosaur in your house might be like... I simply cannot imagine putting my Sulcata in a room...any Sulcata that I have kept has lived here...
keeping Sulcata the size you are describing would be exactly what it would be like to keep a rhinoceros in your bedroom...The wild animal smell...and the giant poops...any larger Sulcata that I kept in that shed would put their face in a corner and dig...making a scraping noise on the plywood that my neighbor complained about...a very loud scraping noise...I may be wrong but a 20" 15 year old Sulcata should weigh closer to 100 pounds...have you seen it? See the cinder block I use? Those are a quick and easy fix for an outside pen. You DO have a yard?
This is Mary Knobbins...does your tort look like her?
another thing...Sulcata in the wild walk for miles every day grazing along the way...all that walking aids in digestion, how is that new tort gonna get that daily exercise in a room? I love Sulcata and would like to see this tort go to a loving family...but you also must also be able to provide for their basic physical needs...exercise is a major one...Please think carefully about this, it may not exactly be the best thing for that tortoise...but those of us here will support you no matter what your decision may be...
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Yes, that is quite a coincidence. Your location sounds like it might be in Ancramdale. Is that correct? Have you lived there long? What road are you on? Maybe you know some of my friends or patients.
Just FYI, I started the Sharon Dental Associates in Sharon, CT 1973 and the Copake Dental Group in Copake, NY 1986. In 1987, I moved the Copake practice to Pine Plains, NY and renamed it the Pine Plains Dental Group which I later sold to Dr. Edman who is still running it (or was as of 2021 or so).
ofafeather
Member
Open to all feedback and suggestions. Haven’t seen her yet but based on growth chart stats we’ve seen, she seems to be in the normal range at 15y/o 20” and 35lbs.
We have about 2 acres of open outdoor space and will build an outdoor enclosure including a box/house. We are in winter here. Morning temp today was 13F. She will most likely need to spend winters indoors, which seems common in the Northern climates, and will certainly need upwards of 4-6 weeks indoors by the time we get her for the weather to warm enough for her to be out. I don’t want to rush and make permanent space for her without having time to evaluate and adapt so would feel better about a somewhat temporary indoor solution. There’s also a chance that we may only be fostering, though that’s not the outright intention.
Is Mary Knobbins able to stay out year round? I don’t think we would be able to manage it with our temps.
ofafeather
Member
Further research shows that there is no good standard and that size/weight vary considerably so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
One of the moderators here had Dudley...20 years old 120+ pounds, my Bob at 17 years old was over 100 pounds, and frankly, there are so many young over 100 pounders here on TFO I'd get a headache writing them all. So I was/am relating to you what is my experience in 20 years with Sulcata.
I probably should have said something about my personal experience but I didn't think it was necessary...I actually know what it's like to keep Sulcata in the north...The PacificNorthWest...
This is where my Sulcata live in the Winter...
I have operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue...I stopped recently. Anyhow, I know exactly what it takes to keep Sulcata in the North. But evidently I misunderstood you as I thought you were adopting this tort. I apologize
ofafeather
Member
@Maggie3fan Thanks for providing more info. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Our hope is to be able to adopt and we’re going in with that in mind. As I mentioned, we currently only have third hand information on this Sulcata so that’s all we can use as our basis for now. Not having seen her, we are only taking their word that she’s actually a Sulcata! That didn’t occur to me but I just read an old thread about someone who was given 2 tortoises they were told were Sulcatas when they were actually Desert tortoises.
Can you give me an idea of your shed setup? We will probably go that route for the long term if it’s feasible. Have you had to bring them in on severe days? Sometimes when we get cold snaps it can be in serious negative territory - fortunately not that often - but we do have stretches in the teens and single digits. I’m also curious about your experience using cinder blocks to build the enclosure. Any tips would be appreciated.
In the mean time, we need to find a suitable way to house her until we can get her outside. My understanding is that she is currently living in small quarters for the winter (don’t know the details but cobbled-together Rubbermaids were mentioned) so hopefully we can at least start with something significantly better than that and move towards ideal.
Any information, helpful experience or insight is appreciated.
Can you give me an idea of your shed setup? We will probably go that route for the long term if it’s feasible. Have you had to bring them in on severe days? Sometimes when we get cold snaps it can be in serious negative territory - fortunately not that often - but we do have stretches in the teens and single digits. I’m also curious about your experience using cinder blocks to build the enclosure. Any tips would be appreciated.
In the mean time, we need to find a suitable way to house her until we can get her outside. My understanding is that she is currently living in small quarters for the winter (don’t know the details but cobbled-together Rubbermaids were mentioned) so hopefully we can at least start with something significantly better than that and move towards ideal.
Any information, helpful experience or insight is appreciated.
I can't say rounded corners are better. But I can't think of any reason not to use them if you want.
ofafeather
Member
I'm going to recap because I know that it's easy to miss things in a longer thread:
-We live in the Mid-Hudson Valley in NY (right on the border of CT & MA)
-We are fostering/adopting what we have been told is a 15y/o, 20", 35lb female Sulcata tortoise
-All information about this tortoise is third hand - we haven't seen her or spoken with the current keeper, who we have been told has had her for about 10 years
-We have a good amount of property - at least 2 acres - and plan to build an outdoor enclosure
-We need at minimum, reasonable temporary INDOOR housing for the next several weeks (probably 6 weeks or so). This will not be IDEAL but we hope it will be much better than her current situation as we move to a more permanent solution
-We were planning to build a night box but maybe a more substantial shed like @Maggie3fan has might be a good long term solution for winter housing.
We currently have about 10 days to prepare so, please help:
-Prepare temporary housing - what can we do for the first few days? plan for 4-6 weeks?
-Plan to start outdoor enclosure as soon as possible
-More long term plans including a timeline
Thanks to all for their previous posts and future info and insights.
-We live in the Mid-Hudson Valley in NY (right on the border of CT & MA)
-We are fostering/adopting what we have been told is a 15y/o, 20", 35lb female Sulcata tortoise
-All information about this tortoise is third hand - we haven't seen her or spoken with the current keeper, who we have been told has had her for about 10 years
-We have a good amount of property - at least 2 acres - and plan to build an outdoor enclosure
-We need at minimum, reasonable temporary INDOOR housing for the next several weeks (probably 6 weeks or so). This will not be IDEAL but we hope it will be much better than her current situation as we move to a more permanent solution
-We were planning to build a night box but maybe a more substantial shed like @Maggie3fan has might be a good long term solution for winter housing.
We currently have about 10 days to prepare so, please help:
-Prepare temporary housing - what can we do for the first few days? plan for 4-6 weeks?
-Plan to start outdoor enclosure as soon as possible
-More long term plans including a timeline
Thanks to all for their previous posts and future info and insights.
I keep sulcatas where the winters are cold. Not every winter is the same, some have very cold spells that may last a couple weeks. Some are very snowy and some with no measurable accumulation. So when planning the outside setup think about the worst weather conditions that might hit you. I have 4 sulcatas that live outside all year from 4 to 28 years old. They each have there own heated house. They usually venture out to eat and wander around a bit most days and then go back in to warm up. In a cold environment I feal the most important thing to do right is properly insulate the house to not only save electric but just in case there's a power loss or some other emergency it will keep the heat in the house up for a longer period of time. Each house has 3 different heat sources that are independent from each other. I use Stanfield heat mats but most forum members use the Kane mats. Electric oil filled radiator heaters are important and work fine. Chicken brooder, heaters from Tractor Supply work as a radiant heat panel. It looks like a turned off flat screen TV even when it's heating. I have a CHE in 2 of the houses.
Hey Len, my daughter lives in Gloucester Virginia...
That's quite away from me. I haven't been down to that area for a long time. Gloucester County used to be mostly farmland with a small population. Don't know what it's like today.
Is this type of flooring appropriate for an outdoor enclosure? Can you post an example of the type you mean? I'm wondering if it would be easier to clean in Charlie's house. About half the floor is covered with a heat mat that doesn't stay put very well. Maybe this kind of flooring would anchor the heat mat.
I don't have any scrap pieces to take a picture of. Yes this type of flooring is perfect for an outdoor enclosure. Easy to clean and water proof. I got it at Lowe's or Home Depot. It's very durable too. Walker has been living on it since 2008 and it still looks good. What I do with heat mats is secure the mat to a piece of plywood that's a bit larger than the mat. Then either screw the plywood down to the floor or using angled brackets and secure it to a wall. The flooring you are looking for should be advertised as for use in wet rooms or water proof.
ofafeather
Member
@Len B All great information. Thank you! I read one of your older threads on a night box build. Seems like it’s really well thought out and constructed.
