If you build it he will come

[tikifrog]

Winter is coming and I'd like to get a sulcata acclimated to using a heated house at night. What would be a good way to coax an >80# tort to leave his scrape seek the box for shelter?

 

[Yvonne G]

I have never allowed Dudley to spend the night outside. I got him when he was 35lbs and he's now a little over 100lbs. Every night, if he wasn't in his house, I would pick him up and put him in his house. It got so that he eventually would go there on his own. Glad, too, because there's no way I could lift him now!

So my only suggestion would be for you to "encourage" him to go into his house every night and don't let him use the scrape.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You need to 'make' him put himself to bed every night. Start by pointing him in the direction you want him to go then kicking (lightly) his back feet. Every night at the same time point him in the right direction and kick at his back feet. Sometimes using a broom will help, by sweeping his back feet. But you need to do the same thing the same way every night at the same time. Bob is also 80 pounds and every night at 7PM he hauls himself off to his sleeping box, you would train your guy by repetition...

 

[tikifrog]

Thanks for the responses. He does seem to respond to my "herding" him about the yard so I'd suspect he would respond favorably. Do you close the door on them until they go to bed on their own? Would disallowing access to the favored scrape be a good idea? Are there pics of your torts posted anywhere I could see them?

 

[moswen]

there are several pics of maggie's sulcata "bob," i know i've seen a few since becoming a member. just search bob or king george 111 and you'll find him. i don't own a large sulcata yet (they're still babies) but when they get bigger i plan on keeping the door closed at night during winter months. it's an unnecessary risk (in my opinion) to allow him to leave his nice warm house and be out half the night and get him an upper respiratory infection. from my knowledge of torts and sulcatas (which is really only about 6 months lol) if you blocked his favorite scrape he'd just dig around the blockage or find a new one... they seem to be stubborn and singularly minded.

 

[Laura]

making his current hidey hole less pleasant or not accessable is a good idea as well. if it is getting cool at night and you place him inside and show him how nice it is.. he will probably use it himself. I dont lock mine in at night.. they dont leave. they sleep. they get themselves up when they want to in the morn. On really cold days, they dont come out.

 

[Tom]

I do it the same as Laura. The only exception for me is rainy nights. On rainy nights mine get out of their boxes and go sit right out in the open in the rain, no matter how cold it is. Gives me a heart attack every time. Now I lock them in, if I think its going to rain. (almost never here).

 

[tikifrog]

Just thought I'd post an update:

I filled in the scrape and positioned the tort box on top of the area. Tommy now comes and goes on his own. He comes out when the sun is shining and basks and forages for a while, but goes right into his box when the temp drops.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I am glad you worked it out with him. Bob would always rather sleep where it is warm and cozy.