Building an outdoor tortoise enclosure for a sulcata

[TortoiseMamaof03]

Hi guys, I'm building an outdoor enclosure for my two sulcatas(they are only 2 1/2 yrs old) and I was trying to find a safe thick plastic/rubber to put inside of their house. But something that won't attract the heat from the heat lamp too much.... Any ideas? Because I know they like to dig because I hear it when they scratch the side of the enclosure sometimes. Also, BEST substrate to be using! They just got over uri and reptibark has alot of dust that gets into their nares... Any opinions would be appreciated! Thanks in advance! 😘🐢🐢🐢

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

I don’t use rubber just plywood and I don’t use substrate ether just a little bit of dry dirt sprinkled on the plywood so the feces doesn't stick.

 

[Tom]

Hi guys, I'm building an outdoor enclosure for my two sulcatas(they are only 2 1/2 yrs old) and I was trying to find a safe thick plastic/rubber to put inside of their house. But something that won't attract the heat from the heat lamp too much.... Any ideas? Because I know they like to dig because I hear it when they scratch the side of the enclosure sometimes. Also, BEST substrate to be using! They just got over uri and reptibark has alot of dust that gets into their nares... Any opinions would be appreciated! Thanks in advance! 😘🐢🐢🐢

What size are they? They should never be housed in pairs. You need to separate them ASAP.

You don't want plastic or any kind of liner on the bottom of a sulcata enclosure. They will shred it and likely eat the pieces.

Orchid bark must be kept damp. If it is dusty, you have let it get way too dry.

Respiratory infections are typically caused by low night temps, as most people don't keep sulcatas warm enough. However, dry dusty substrate can produce symptoms that looks similar to a RI.

I use the native dirt in my outdoor enclosures, even for small babies. No need for substrate. Inside the night boxes, I use dirt exactly how NorCal tortoise guy explained.

Here is an example of a night box that would separate your two, but still leave only one night box to heat:

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Or you can build two of these if that is better for your situation:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.