Sulcata in cold climates?

[Delilah1623]

Today I took in a sulcata from a guy who was "moving" and couldn't take him with. Although I admire sulcatas I never thought to own one because I live in WI so it would live inside for most of the year.... but I was afraid he'd go to someone that just thought it was cool to have a giant tortoise so I agreed to take him. Has anyone raised a sulcata in a cold climate like this? My gut feeling is that I should house him through the winter and then try to find a home for him somewhere warmer in the summer. I have the space and ability to care for him but as cool as he is I feel like it would be selfish to keep him here. He is still on the smaller side, I am guessing around 8" and was being kept in a 40 gallon tank. I have put him into a 5' kiddie pool for now but he is stressed so I haven't actually measured or weighed him as of yet.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Delilah1623]

I mean find him a permanent home next summer, not to move him back and forth. I reread it and realized it might be unclear. We're already in the 40 ' s here so I am not comfortable shipping at this time.

 

[Delilah1623]

Forgot a pic (= I've never seen one in "per son" before and I'm blown away by how gorgeous he is

 

[wellington]

It is of course up to you, whether to keep him or not, but there are a lot of sulcatas, leopards like mine that live in WI, IL, MI etc. It all depends on what you can afford to do for him and are willing to do. They can be just as happy and healthy living inside a proper size and temped enclosure for winter. If you go the extra step and build him an insulated, heated shed for winter, he can also be allowed to wander outside in the snow, when he gets bigger then he is now and will go back into his shed to warm up. There are quite a few pics in past threads of sulcatas in the snow.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

That's a good looking tortoise.

 

[Delilah1623]

I had no idea they would go out on the snow. That's pretty cool! I will do some more research and see what I can find.... my chicken coop is in my garage with a door to their run that gets closed at night. I could look to do something similar for him on the other side of the garage....

I once transferred 1700 miles to my company's other office because my hometown is not pet friendly AT ALL and I couldn't find a rental here that would accept my dogs after my divorce and I couldn't buy a place until our house had sold... so I will pretty much do anything for my pets lol. We are now back in our home town in a new house and all together so it was worth it!

And thank you Cowboy! He has some pyramiding but overall is just beautiful and seems very healthy.

 

[wellington]

Well then, I think he found himself a good perminent home. I agree with Cowboy very nice sully. I would love to see a closer pic of his face, His eyes look different and really pretty.

 

[Delilah1623]

Well then, I think he found himself a good perminent home. I agree with Cowboy very nice sully. I would love to see a closer pic of his face, His eyes look different and really pretty.

I will try to get some better pictures in a couple days. He has been hiding since I brought him home so I'm going to leave him a for a few days.

 

[Prairie Mom]

The fact that you are worried about being "selfish" to keep him, makes me want to give you a big bear hug! Because it sounds like you are such a devoted pet-mom, I sincerely hope you can keep him. I have a young sulcata and am in FREEZING weather too. I understand exactly how you feel. It just seems wrong to have these sweet little beasties in such harsh elements. It definitely poses a whole heck of challenges! We found our sulcata wandering in a recent snow storm and no one claimed her. We plan to keep her forever and are already planning crazy construction projects in our garage work room to build a nice indoor enclosure for her during the winter and cold evenings. Right now, she's living in an ugly enclosure made of 3 giant Tupperware covered with aluminum to keep in the heat & humidity. It's still a struggle to keep up her temps, so my husband is working on a big closed chamber made of spare closet doors. On days when it is too cold outside, we exercise her in the EXACT kiddie pool you have yours in right now We put food all around the pool and she wanders around snacking. It's going to be a process for us and probably will be for you too. Hopefully, the more work we put in, the more our torts will thrive.

Anyway, it sounds like he is LUCKY to have landed in your care. If you decide to keep him, we can form an Arctic Sulcata club and post lots of photos and tips & tricks for keeping our beasties warm and exercised through the winter

 

[Jodie]

Nice looking tortoise. Hoping you can keep it. Like others have said it can be done. I am in Spokane WA, and keep Leopards. A bedroom in my house has been turned into a tortoise room.

 

[Delilah1623]

Thank you (= you are all so sweet here. I guess I have a lot of research and thinking to do but maybe it is more doable than I thought at first!

I've been involved with cat and dog rescues for many years and told my boyfriend the other day that in a few years once I've learned more I'd like to start a tortoise rescue. Then this sulcata came along i told him it looked like it was starting earlier than planned.... He looks at me and says "you say that but I just feel like we're just getting you another tortoise."...

Maybe this guy can be the rescue mascot or something.... lol

 

[stojanovski92113]

What a beautiful tortoise you came across! I hope things work out for the both of you

 

[Delilah1623]

I'll have to get a better look at his eyes once he settles in. They gave me the whole set up he was in and it was a coil bulb so hopefully his eyes are alright.

 

[lismar79]

I have a year old sulcata and I'm in ohio, frozen cold ohio.... I have a 20x20 devoted tort room and my 4lb 8 inch beauty is in a 6x3 enclosure for now. If you have time and some $ it can be done! I'm building a barn and green house combo for my baby next summer. Heated floors and oil filled heater. Do the research and keep the baby if you can, sounds like he will have it pretty good with you.

 

[argus333]

i keep 4 sulcatas outside all yr. here in nj. i really only let the biggest male wonder out in snow, he is 18 + inches. the rest are 16 to 15. i find it risky as there are snow days that are 32 degrees and snow days that are -18 here. if sun is out and on the warm side i let him out. even with snow on ground other wise they live in 6x8 ft heated triple insulated shed wit 22 ft x 14 ft greenhouse. if they eat a ton of hay an grass it ferments in stomach and acts like a small heater. good diet is key if u plan on this route!

 

[smarch]

I'm glad keepers in colder climates exist. I don't yet own a Sulcata, but some day I hope to rescue one, up here in MA. And I know it'll be hard and a hassle and a lot of money, but I am willing to put it in and am glad that people are keeping in colder climates successfully. I'm young so I still live at home with my parents, but my ideas of keeping revolve around 2 things, Either I make a garage work as a tortoise winter home... although that may be a lot to convince the future family that a car has to stay in the snow because of the tort or get/build a large shed-like thing as a barn for a house, that is a appeals more since I guarantee after reading many Sulcata owner stories that he's try and succeed in crashing through a garage door, and the keeping a car in the snow thing probably wouldn't fly, and if I build the tortoise barn it could attach to his outside pen so in warm months he would already be where he needs to be.

Yeah that didn't really answer any questions but I just wanted to share

 

[Prairie Mom]

I'm glad keepers in colder climates exist. I don't yet own a Sulcata, but some day I hope to rescue one, up here in MA. And I know it'll be hard and a hassle and a lot of money, but I am willing to put it in and am glad that people are keeping in colder climates successfully. I'm young so I still live at home with my parents, but my ideas of keeping revolve around 2 things, Either I make a garage work as a tortoise winter home... although that may be a lot to convince the future family that a car has to stay in the snow because of the tort or get/build a large shed-like thing as a barn for a house, that is a appeals more since I guarantee after reading many Sulcata owner stories that he's try and succeed in crashing through a garage door, and the keeping a car in the snow thing probably wouldn't fly, and if I build the tortoise barn it could attach to his outside pen so in warm months he would already be where he needs to be.

Yeah that didn't really answer any questions but I just wanted to share

I love older homes and a lot of the older houses where we live have "work shops" attached to the garage. Most people call them storage rooms. We plan on building a whole warm indoor environment for our sulcata in our attached work room. So, who knows, you may be able to make something like that work for your future house, Smarch

 

[smarch]

I love older homes and a lot of the older houses where we live have "work shops" attached to the garage. Most people call them storage rooms. We plan on building a whole warm indoor environment for our sulcata in our attached work room. So, who knows, you may be able to make something like that work for your future house, Smarch

Yeah part of that will also rely on if the future house actually has a garage haha, one never can know until they get to their home. Honestly I want to build mu home if I can (my dad built ours now and i'd love his help and expertise to customize MY home to fit me, and if that's the case I'd make that workshop/storage area nice and big in the back and have the pen pop out the back of the garage for warm weather. There's so many ifs but its reassuring so many other keep in colder climates successfully, because when I initially decided I wanted to take on a sulcata I had the immediate "uh oh, its cold here" realization. I couldn't go bigger than sulcata though its just impossible!

 

[Delilah1623]

We were in the low 70's today so I brought him/her out for a bit and was able to get a couple pictures. Do the eyes look strange? They look small to me and almost like the skin is closing around them.... They had a coil CFL bulb hanging straight down and I'm wondering if it did some damage. Any thoughts?

 

[wellington]

Not sure, couple photos from the front. I see what you mean, but not sure if it's just the way he's looking if just the way his eyes are. However, any damage from the coil bulbs have seemed to go away after some time of not using them, so I wouldn't be too concerned. He is very nice looking though.