Sulcata-legal in TN? & care questions

ive recently moved to Tennessee from Miami Fla. google searches are just confusing me more.. I need advice. Whenever I google search, I’m not even able to tell if I can have my girl here

I got crazy fingers and posted before I could read and edit. There is a lot more to the story. I wasn’t able to fix it in the 15 minutes I had to edit

On the first note, the best I can tell is that my tortoise is a non aggressive, non invasive class 3 species. She is a 60lb sulcata. Does anyone know if there is a yes/no answer to this? Can I keep her here in Tennessee?

The climate here is a huge change for all of us. We’ve built her a heated and insulated shed. It’s always at least 85 degrees inside. She leaves when it’s 40 degrees outside. Does she know what’s best for herself? Should I lock her inside or bring her inside when it’s cold out? Should I take her back to Miami? She has a place there but, I’m sceptical on giving her up to the “rescue\breeder” that wants her..

Any adive will be great, I’m sorry the post is so wrong.

Darkmornings said:

I got crazy fingers and posted before I could read and edit. There is a lot more to the story. I wasn’t able to fix it in the 15 minutes I had to edit

On the first note, the best I can tell is that my tortoise is a non aggressive, non invasive class 3 species. She is a 60lb sulcata. Does anyone know if there is a yes/no answer to this? Can I keep her here in Tennessee?

The climate here is a huge change for all of us. We’ve built her a heated and insulated shed. It’s always at least 85 degrees inside. She leaves when it’s 40 degrees outside. Does she know what’s best for herself? Should I lock her inside or bring her inside when it’s cold out? Should I take her back to Miami? She has a place there but, I’m sceptical on giving her up to the “rescue\breeder” that wants her..

Any adive will be great, I’m sorry the post is so wrong.

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Keep her outside enclosure 80-85 always and have a night box she can sleep in inside the enclosure. The night box needs to be heated also. I would lock her in at night and let her out in the morning to graze and then put her back in. They don't always go in by themselves, so you will have to put her in. @Tom is a great resource for all things tortoise. He can answer all your outside enclosure questions.

Welcome to the forum! Please post pics of your tort and enclosure.

Several keepers on this forum keep Sulcata on even colder climates.
I'm sure someone will give you the help you need soon.
By the way....It was 86 today in Dade county.

ZEROPILOT said:

Several keepers on this forum keep Sulcata on even colder climates.
I'm sure someone will give you the help you need soon.
By the way....It was 86 today in Dade county.

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Lol, it’s 36 here. I want to go home to the Redlands

Darkmornings said:

Lol, it’s 36 here. I want to go home to the Redlands

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We both know that Tennessee is better.

Why is this posted in CONTESTS?

The law you're talking about was repealed. It is legal to have a sulcata in Tennessee.

We bought a pre made rubber shed. We blew lamp into the holes. We dug a cinder blocks depth into the ground. Then w

DeanS said:

Why is this posted in CONTESTS?

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im sorry. I was having a crazy finger moments. I think everything’s about my post is wrong but, I really do need help and if I new how to move itto the thread that I would get the most help, I would

I never noticed...

Not to worry. . . it has been taken care of.

This is a very rough image of her new home. We made it based loosely on a you tube video we saw. It’s a rubber made shed with spray insulation in its sides. We dug out a foot of earth under it and the bottom sides are lined with more spray insulated cinder blocks (she won’t stop digging). Under the foot of dug out ground, we put a layer of insulation board and the real plastic bottom that went with the the shed on top of it. We have a thermometer that reads her temperature in her shed and also the temperature of the house by the window. The thermometer in her shed reads a lot different from the one in my window. Any suggestions?

What is a hide box? Is it like the shelf that we made on the left half of her space? At first we tried a cardboard box but she dug it to pieces in a day. I throw Timothy hay in there and she sleeps on it. The video said she would eat it?? If I put it anywhere else she digs or shovels it out the door.