Do they know?

[Oldbro]

enough to get out of the sun if outside in a large area. My 4500 gram Sulcata wanders endlessly but never heads for cover/shade. Is there a concern about over heat in summer sun? He has much cover to go to with water . Should I mist an area he roams?
He also eats ANY turd he finds, bird, deer, dog any kind.

 

[TammyJ]

Do you give him food apart from what he finds on his meanderings? If so, you could make sure you put it deep in the shaded part of the field so he at least stays in the shade to consume it?

 

[ryan57]

enough to get out of the sun if outside in a large area. My 4500 gram Sulcata wanders endlessly but never heads for cover/shade. Is there a concern about over heat in summer sun? He has much cover to go to with water . Should I mist an area he roams?
He also eats ANY turd he finds, bird, deer, dog any kind.

Fortunately mine at 135g (3 months) cannot eat deer and dog poop but bird poop is the favorite.

 

[Oldbro]

He gets a large plate of mixed greens, vegetables and pellets. Will not touch grass. Turds are a passion, have to watch him close. He can find the most ancient load buried deep in the lawn.

 

[Tom]

enough to get out of the sun if outside in a large area. My 4500 gram Sulcata wanders endlessly but never heads for cover/shade. Is there a concern about over heat in summer sun? He has much cover to go to with water . Should I mist an area he roams?
He also eats ANY turd he finds, bird, deer, dog any kind.

No they don't always "know", and sometimes they will overheat and die. In their own enclosure that they have been in many times and are familiar with, they will usually take to the shade when they get warm enough. When roaming loose in a large area that they are not familiar with, they don't seen to know where to go sometimes.

About the feces: There isn't much you can do about birds or errant wildlife traipsing through your pen, but try to eliminate it with fencing and motion activated lights and sprinklers. There should not be a dog pooping in your tortoises enclosure. They need separate areas. Likewise, some dogs will eat tortoise poop. Not good.

I saw a study on wild leopards and "mammal feces" made up a significant portion of the diet for at least part of each year. I would assume ungulate pellets, but carnivore feces might also be eaten opportunistically. I think soaked Mazuri pellets simulate this to a degree. This is likely why they also do it in captivity, but foreign animals and plants in a foreign land might yield a disastrous results compared to what happens in the wild in the native rage.

 

[wellington]

I don't bother trying to keep wildlife out. But do not let them eat dog poop. If you give your dog any medication that is really bad for the tort to be eating. Simple fix, do not let dog ever go into torts area.