Tortoise table or ground ? What should come next ?

[Bee62]

Yes, Dudley goes out rain, sun, or col d. But when it's cold he doesn't stay out long.

How warm is it in his house ? ( I saw your thread about his new house )

 

[Yvonne G]

Between the pig blanket on the floor and the 250 watt brooder bulb hanging from the ceiling, the overall ambient temp i s in the upper 70s. But it's much hotter directly under the light and on the pad.

 

[Big Charlie]

How do yo raise Big Charlie ? Do you got him as a hatchling ? How and where does he grow up ? That would be interesting for me although your climate is much more better for a sulcata tort I think.

I got him as a hatchling. At the time, there wasn't a lot of correct information about how to raise him. I kept him in an aquarium with a screen top for awhile. I remember using a red light at first. I changed that out for a CHE fairly early on, just because I didn't like the red light - it didn't seem natural. I bought packaged food but didn't use it more than once or twice because it smelled bad. I had guinea pigs so I fed him a lot of the same stuff. We started having financial problems so instead of buying lettuce every week, I started collecting weeds for food, not realizing that was healthier for him, and probably also for the guinea pigs. We lived on a ranch so nothing had been sprayed. I put him outdoors a lot in a kiddie pool, and sometimes just let him roam around. I didn't have any guide that told me he needed room to roam but it didn't seem like he would be very happy in a tiny aquarium so I made sure he got out most days. I soaked him daily for the first year or so because I did get a care sheet when I bought him that recommended it. The way the care sheet was written, it sounded like the soaking was to help harden his shell. It didn't seem like it was something he needed long-term so I quit it after about a year. I didn't provide any humidity.

We moved before he was 5. It was summer and I hadn't made plans for him, so I just dumped him in a small fenced yard temporarily. He promptly dug a burrow. He seemed content, so I opened the gate for the yard and let him have access to the entire yard, once I made sure there weren't any holes he could escape through. I set up a heated area on the patio for him and only turned on the heater when he used it, either on very cold nights or when it rained.

I didn't discover the forum until years later when we went on vacation and I asked my son to take care of him. My son discovered the forum and told me about it. I remember him telling me that tortoises needed water. I didn't think he needed extra water! Luckily he had been getting it for years by drinking out of the dog's water bowl.

Now of course, Charlie has a heated night box that he uses every night in the winter. During the summer, he sleeps wherever he wants to. My husband accuses me of spoiling him because he still thinks Charlie would survive without provided heat. My husband also tells me Charlie doesn't need a water dish, and that he won't eat anything that isn't good for him.

We are very lucky that the climate makes it relatively easy to raise a sulcata here. If I lived in a cooler climate, I would have a barn rather than just a night box. The night box is kept at 80F. Before it was well-insulated, I think it wasn't warm enough all the time because he didn't come out every day. It is really important to make sure they get warm enough after they eat so they can digest their food.

 

[Bee62]

@Big Charlie

Thank you very much for the detailed description how you raised Big Charlie. It is a really interesting story. It seems that you have done a lot of things right without knowing. Luckily you got the advice to soak the little tort.
Big Charlie is a beautiful big tort. Don`t hear on what your husband is telling you. You are knowing better what is the best for your big "baby".
I hope in a couple of years I can proudly present my own grown up torts being beautiful and healthy like your Big Charlie.

Thank you again.