First time Sulcata keeper in need of help!

[GaiaSulcataLover]

I have recently adopted an almost 3 year old female Sulcata Tortoise, and I feel that I am way in over my head here, either that or I am just overthinking things. My issue is figuring out lighting and heating and am hoping any Sulcata experts can come to my rescue! I currently have a exo-terra 8’ aluminum reptile dome (can be used with bulbs 150w max) with a porcelain/ceramic socket attached to a lamp stand sitting approximately 20inches above a 40 gallon exo-terra tank. During the day time (10am-10pm) I turn it on with my 80w Zoo-Med POWERSUN Mercury Vapor Heat/UVB/UVA (all in one) bulb. At night (10pm-10am) I screw in my 100w Zoo-Med Repticare ceramic Infrared heat emitter. So here are my questions:



1. Is my Exo-Terra aluminum reptile dome fixture safe to use with a 100w ceramic heat emitter?



2. What wattage ceramic heat emitter should I be using for my Sulcata at night? Is 100w too much?

(Temperatures in my enclosure with my 100w get up to about 85-90 Fahrenheit)



3. What wattage Zoo-Med PowerSun heat/UVB/UVA bulb should I use for my Sulcata? Is 80w too little (temperatures in my enclosure with my 80w get up to about 80–85 Fahrenheit)



4. Is there any additional heating/lighting requirements I am missing?



Also any additional tricks, tips and ESPECIALLY recommendations (like how to make/find a hide large enough for a Sulcata) for setting up the best possible Sulcata Tortoise enclosure would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[wellington]

A three year old unless severely neglected should be way too big for a 40 gallon.
Post pic of the tortoise, measure its length from head to tail of the bottom shell only.
A 40 gallon is barely good for a hatchling.

 

[Yvonne G]

Also, you won't be able to sex the tortoise until it gets t be 10 or 12 nches front to back, maye more.

 

[Maggie3fan]

But in the mean time you can read on this...

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

 

[Tom]

I have recently adopted an almost 3 year old female Sulcata Tortoise, and I feel that I am way in over my head here, either that or I am just overthinking things. My issue is figuring out lighting and heating and am hoping any Sulcata experts can come to my rescue! I currently have a exo-terra 8’ aluminum reptile dome (can be used with bulbs 150w max) with a porcelain/ceramic socket attached to a lamp stand sitting approximately 20inches above a 40 gallon exo-terra tank. During the day time (10am-10pm) I turn it on with my 80w Zoo-Med POWERSUN Mercury Vapor Heat/UVB/UVA (all in one) bulb. At night (10pm-10am) I screw in my 100w Zoo-Med Repticare ceramic Infrared heat emitter. So here are my questions:



1. Is my Exo-Terra aluminum reptile dome fixture safe to use with a 100w ceramic heat emitter?



2. What wattage ceramic heat emitter should I be using for my Sulcata at night? Is 100w too much?

(Temperatures in my enclosure with my 100w get up to about 85-90 Fahrenheit)



3. What wattage Zoo-Med PowerSun heat/UVB/UVA bulb should I use for my Sulcata? Is 80w too little (temperatures in my enclosure with my 80w get up to about 80–85 Fahrenheit)



4. Is there any additional heating/lighting requirements I am missing?



Also any additional tricks, tips and ESPECIALLY recommendations (like how to make/find a hide large enough for a Sulcata) for setting up the best possible Sulcata Tortoise enclosure would be GREATLY appreciated!

Hello and welcome! We are glad you are here, and we want to help you.

I'll answer your questions directly, but these really aren't the right questions. At three years old you should be thinking about outdoor housing and a heated night box, but we will get to that...

Answers to your questions:
1. No. CHEs make tremendous amounts of heat. Get out of the pet store and go to the hardware store instead for most of your tortoise supplies. Get a 10inch aluminum domed, ceramic based, heavy duty corded light fixture form Home Depot for about $13. You also need a thermostat to run it with. These are found online for about $20-30.
2. Only you thermometer can answer this question. The thermostat solves this problem. You can use a 250 watt CHE with a thermostat, because the thermostat keeps it from overheating the enclosure. A 100-150 is usually suitable, but once you get the correct sized enclosure, you might need two or more of these.
3. You should not use a MVB (powersun) over a sulcata. They cause pyramiding and they are unreliable in several ways. I will link a thread for you that explains all the heating and lighting, in addition to the thread that Maggie linked for you.
4. Yes. There are four elements to heating and lighting. Read this thread, and then come back with all your questions. At that time, after your head stops spinning, we will get your all sorted out and on the right path to a healthy tortoise:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

I have recently adopted an almost 3 year old female Sulcata Tortoise, and I feel that I am way in over my head here, either that or I am just overthinking things. My issue is figuring out lighting and heating and am hoping any Sulcata experts can come to my rescue! I currently have a exo-terra 8’ aluminum reptile dome (can be used with bulbs 150w max) with a porcelain/ceramic socket attached to a lamp stand sitting approximately 20inches above a 40 gallon exo-terra tank. During the day time (10am-10pm) I turn it on with my 80w Zoo-Med POWERSUN Mercury Vapor Heat/UVB/UVA (all in one) bulb. At night (10pm-10am) I screw in my 100w Zoo-Med Repticare ceramic Infrared heat emitter. So here are my questions:



1. Is my Exo-Terra aluminum reptile dome fixture safe to use with a 100w ceramic heat emitter?



2. What wattage ceramic heat emitter should I be using for my Sulcata at night? Is 100w too much?

(Temperatures in my enclosure with my 100w get up to about 85-90 Fahrenheit)



3. What wattage Zoo-Med PowerSun heat/UVB/UVA bulb should I use for my Sulcata? Is 80w too little (temperatures in my enclosure with my 80w get up to about 80–85 Fahrenheit)



4. Is there any additional heating/lighting requirements I am missing?



Also any additional tricks, tips and ESPECIALLY recommendations (like how to make/find a hide large enough for a Sulcata) for setting up the best possible Sulcata Tortoise enclosure would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

This is the current set up I have, the tank, the reptile dome fixture and Gaia (My Sulcata) were sold to me as “a set” from a local exotic animals shop. I’m not going to say I necessarily “rescued her” as she was bought from that reptile shop as a hatchling by some college kid who was hiding her in his dorm, she was then returned to that same shop about 2 and a half years later because the college found out she was being kept in the dorm. The previous owner and after being returned, the shop as well had her in this tank (probably most of her life she has been in this tank) They offered to sell her off to me for a lowered price as people usually only wanted the babies. The shop keeper, a self-proclaimed “Sulcata expert” who had been keeping Sulcatas for “over 30 years” said she’d be fine in this 40 gallon tank for at least the next 20 years or so. I knew that was BS from the get go as I’ve wanted a sulcata for over a decade and had done enough research to know that this tank couldn’t possibly house her for more than a few years at most (if that) This shop is also the one that told me she is female, however true that may or may not be. She was in a rather sorry state there (already had pyramiding starting in her shell, shop owner said this was normal, I know it is not) and all I knew was that I wanted to get her out of there and some place better, hoping that place could be with me as a part of my family. I had already known that this reptile shop had given me misinformation before even purchasing her, now I’m seeing that just about everything they told me was wrong.

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

A three year old unless severely neglected should be way too big for a 40 gallon.
Post pic of the tortoise, measure its length from head to tail of the bottom shell only.
A 40 gallon is barely good for a hatchling.

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

Not sure if I measured her currently, but here are some pictures, she seems to be a little under 8inches, not sure if this considered small for her age, my reply to my post explains her background, she seemed neglected when I found her.

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

Also, you won't be able to sex the tortoise until it gets t be 10 or 12 nches front to back, maye more.

I’m just going off of what the reptile shop had told me, but places like that are infamous for misinformation unfortunately.

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

But in the mean time you can read on this...

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

Thank you so much! My main issue (and the reason my head feels like it’s spinning when I do research for her) has been that everything I read from multiple different sites all contradict one another, so this is greatly appreciated!

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

Hello and welcome! We are glad you are here, and we want to help you.

I'll answer your questions directly, but these really aren't the right questions. At three years old you should be thinking about outdoor housing and a heated night box, but we will get to that...

Answers to your questions:
1. No. CHEs make tremendous amounts of heat. Get out of the pet store and go to the hardware store instead for most of your tortoise supplies. Get a 10inch aluminum domed, ceramic based, heavy duty corded light fixture form Home Depot for about $13. You also need a thermostat to run it with. These are found online for about $20-30.
2. Only you thermometer can answer this question. The thermostat solves this problem. You can use a 250 watt CHE with a thermostat, because the thermostat keeps it from overheating the enclosure. A 100-150 is usually suitable, but once you get the correct sized enclosure, you might need two or more of these.
3. You should not use a MVB (powersun) over a sulcata. They cause pyramiding and they are unreliable in several ways. I will link a thread for you that explains all the heating and lighting, in addition to the thread that Maggie linked for you.
4. Yes. There are four elements to heating and lighting. Read this thread, and then come back with all your questions. At that time, after your head stops spinning, we will get your all sorted out and on the right path to a healthy tortoise:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

This is honestly probably the FIRST reliable source of information and most straightforward answer that someone has provided me, thank you so so much. I have only had her maybe less than 2 weeks at this point, and I am truly trying my best to give her the best and only the best in terms of living conditions and diet. I always say “Your not rescuing something if you’re putting it in the same or worse conditions than what you rescued it from.” I would love to give her an outside enclosure, but it is not possible in my current neighborhood to do so. I will look into these provided sources and come back with a new and better informed set of inquiries. Once again, thank you so much

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

This is the current set up I have, the tank, the reptile dome fixture and Gaia (My Sulcata) were sold to me as “a set” from a local exotic animals shop. I’m not going to say I necessarily “rescued her” as she was bought from that reptile shop as a hatchling by some college kid who was hiding her in his dorm, she was then returned to that same shop about 2 and a half years later because the college found out she was being kept in the dorm. The previous owner and after being returned, the shop as well had her in this tank (probably most of her life she has been in this tank) They offered to sell her off to me for a lowered price as people usually only wanted the babies. The shop keeper, a self-proclaimed “Sulcata expert” who had been keeping Sulcatas for “over 30 years” said she’d be fine in this 40 gallon tank for at least the next 20 years or so. I knew that was BS from the get go as I’ve wanted a sulcata for over a decade and had done enough research to know that this tank couldn’t possibly house her for more than a few years at most (if that) This shop is also the one that told me she is female, however true that may or may not be. She was in a rather sorry state there (already had pyramiding starting in her shell, shop owner said this was normal, I know it is not) and all I knew was that I wanted to get her out of there and some place better, hoping that place could be with me as a part of my family. I had already known that this reptile shop had given me misinformation before even purchasing her, now I’m seeing that just about everything they told me was wrong.

Hello friends, first I would like to extend a deep appreciation for all those who replied, sincerely thank you. I just finished both reading the provided sources and having a good long cry afterwards because learning all I have today and knowing now how bad of a space I have her in really hit my core. I am back post-cry with determination and am starting up a plan to build a new enclosure myself. I do not know how to build things, at all, in the slightest, so I will need some help to avoid further misinformation (and sorry for having to rely so heavily on you all for help, I have no one and no where else to go besides google and this forum) Due to my personal circumstances and neighborhood/climate restraints I will be building an indoor enclosure. I am literally starting from square one here. Would anyone happen to know and/or have a source that could guide me, preferably in a step by step process on how to build a 10ft x 5ft (this is as big as I can really accommodate in my house) wooden box-like floor enclosure?

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

Hello friends, first I would like to extend a deep appreciation for all those who replied, sincerely thank you. I just finished both reading the provided sources and having a good long cry afterwards because learning all I have today and knowing now how bad of a space I have her in really hit my core. I am back post-cry with determination and am starting up a plan to build a new enclosure myself. I do not know how to build things, at all, in the slightest, so I will need some help to avoid further misinformation (and sorry for having to rely so heavily on you all for help, I have no one and no where else to go besides google and this forum) Due to my personal circumstances and neighborhood/climate restraints I will be building an indoor enclosure. I am literally starting from square one here. Would anyone happen to know and/or have a source that could guide me, preferably in a step by step process on how to build a 10ft x 5ft (this is as big as I can really accommodate in my house) wooden box-like floor enclosure?

Sorry, I meant 5ft x 5ft, that is as big as I can accommodate in my current circumstances. It’s not ideal but am hoping will be better than the 40 gallon tank which will is not even half that size. Hopefully within the next few years when I have my own living space I will be able to build the 10ft x 10ft (minimum size but if life and finances allow I’ll go even bigger) enclosure. But for now, 5ft x 5ft seems better than nothing.. and hopefully is a step in the right direction.

 

[wellington]

I'm afraid if you can only do a 5x5 now, you will be neglecting her in the near future as she should grow quite big before your couple years of getting your own place. Likely a year or less she will need to be outside. Do you realize in like two years or so she will likely need a heated night box or shed and live outside 24/7?
I think you might need to reconsider keeping her and re-home her until you actually have the proper room to give to a large tortoise.

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

I'm afraid if you can only do a 5x5 now, you will be neglecting her in the near future as she should grow quite big before your couple years of getting your own place. Likely a year or less she will need to be outside. Do you realize in like two years or so she will likely need a heated night box or shed and live outside 24/7?
I think you might need to reconsider keeping her and re-home her until you actually have the proper room to give to a large tortoise.

If you are able to, look on my profile on here, I have actually just put up a post explaining her back story and mine, in hopes of finding her a new suitable home. Getting her was not a decision I took lightly, I just really wanted to get her out of the situation she was in when I found her, honest. Letting her go is not a decision I am taking lightly either, all I truly want is for her to have the best. That’s all I’ve wanted since I first saw her, I really genuinely wasn’t trying to get a tortoise at this point in my life, and definitely not a Sulcata. Raising a sulcata was always something I had aimed to do way way later in my life. You are 100% correct and I agree with everything you just said, if you or anyone reading this knows someone who can give a beautiful, super active and super friendly Sulcata an amazing home, please let me know.

 

[wellington]

If you are able to, look on my profile on here, I have actually just put up a post explaining her back story and mine, in hopes of finding her a new suitable home. Getting her was not a decision I took lightly, I just really wanted to get her out of the situation she was in when I found her, honest. Letting her go is not a decision I am taking lightly either, all I truly want is for her to have the best. That’s all I’ve wanted since I first saw her, I really genuinely wasn’t trying to get a tortoise at this point in my life, and definitely not a Sulcata. Raising a sulcata was always something I had aimed to do way way later in my life. You are 100% correct and I agree with everything you just said, if you or anyone reading this knows someone who can give a beautiful, super active and super friendly Sulcata an amazing home, please let me know.

Good for you for doing the right thing by her. It will be much better for you in the long run too if you can wait until you are better prepared.
Totally understand why you got her though and glad you cared enough to do so.

 

[Tom]

Hello friends, first I would like to extend a deep appreciation for all those who replied, sincerely thank you. I just finished both reading the provided sources and having a good long cry afterwards because learning all I have today and knowing now how bad of a space I have her in really hit my core. I am back post-cry with determination and am starting up a plan to build a new enclosure myself. I do not know how to build things, at all, in the slightest, so I will need some help to avoid further misinformation (and sorry for having to rely so heavily on you all for help, I have no one and no where else to go besides google and this forum) Due to my personal circumstances and neighborhood/climate restraints I will be building an indoor enclosure. I am literally starting from square one here. Would anyone happen to know and/or have a source that could guide me, preferably in a step by step process on how to build a 10ft x 5ft (this is as big as I can really accommodate in my house) wooden box-like floor enclosure?

We are all here because we love tortoises and love talking about them and learning about them. You found the right place.

Shame you can't figure out something outside. Your climate is just perfect For sulcata this time of year, and pretty darn good in spring and fall too. What about something like this that you could put a lock on?

With a heated shelter for night time, and some shade for day time, your tortoise could be outside all day in your hot humid weather. This would greatly reduce the effects of the pyramiding.

Its pretty simple to build some 18 inch tall walls on a sheet of plywood. Then add some legs on casters, and then you could roll it around if needed. If you aren't handy that way, find someone who can help. Hire a handyman, or ask a friend or neighbor? Family?

The issue with your indoor plan is that there is no way to heat and humidify an open table. Even in your humid climate, its nearly impossible to maintain any humidity with heat lamps, ceramic heat emitters for night time, and even more so when you turn on your home A/C in summer or heat in winter. An open topped enclosure is like trying to heat your house in winter with no roof on it. Its just physics. It can't work. Living in these open topped dry conditions is what caused the pyramiding in the first place. Did you learn that yet? Pyramiding is not caused by food, or UV, or lack of UV, or calcium, or any of the things you might have googled. Pyramiding is CAUSED by growth in conditions that are too dry. Your new tortoise needs monsoon conditions. Warm and humid.

Finally, more bad news, but don't worry too much about this one. There is nothing you or anyone can do about it now, except exactly what you are doing, which is housing, feeding, heating, and caring for this tortoise correctly now. I just wanted to address something brought up earlier. When started correctly and raised correctly, they are typically around 18 inches and 30 pounds by this age. It is pretty common to see them smaller, and you have already seen all the reasons why. This is not necessarily a big deal, and with good care, your tortoise will soon grow into the giant he/she was meant to be.

 

[GaiaSulcataLover]

Good for you for doing the right thing by her. It will be much better for you in the long run too if you can wait until you are better prepared.
Totally understand why you got her though and glad you cared enough to do so.

Hey, a lot of (if not most) Sulcatas bred and sold don’t even make it to their first year. This gal has survived at least 3, she’s just astounding to me. Whatever few hundred dollars I lost, I don’t mind. I will always love her and I will always do what’s best for her. I enjoyed our little time together so much, she made me feel closer to my dad who’s not around anymore. I will always remember her, because when she leaves my home she won’t leave my heart in the slightest. Not that you asked but a cool little fact nonetheless, I am Hindu and in Hinduism tortoises (not turtles but specifically tortoises) are considered incredibly sacred animals and also thought to bring incredible good luck and prosperity into the house. Kinda neat right? She is sacred, all our tortoise friends are! Thank you so so much to you and to every single person who tried to help, I will always come back to this forum, especially when I get to the point in my life where I can properly have my own enclosure and lovely tortoise friend. ♥️

 

[SinLA]

How well do you believe the pet store wasn’t telling you a sob story to make you buy the tortoise? I honestly find it hard to believe that is a 3yo sulcata kept without the right heat, light, or humidity? The 3yos I see on Craigslist that have terrible care (albeit with natural sunlight here in SoCal) all look like hand grenades.

Honestly, it sounds to me like you were a mark and a good salesperson knew what to tell you to separate you from your funds. Check back with that store regularly. See if a month from now they have another tortoise with the same story.