Is Sulcata Tortoise OK for my Climate??

[kansas77]

I have large fenced backyard with plenty of trees, bushes, and grass; as well as a 10'x6' shed that I will convert to a heated area for the winter.

However, I live in Kansas where the daytime weather during the summer is consistently in the 90's, occassionally reaching over 100, and the winter months are consistently in the 30's to 40's, occassionally dipping below 0 at times. The other 5-6 months of the year is usually moderate and pleasant.

My question is do you think I could make a happy home for a Sulcata, or not? If not, is there a large tortoise species that you would recommend for me?? I appreciate any feedback

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Also, forgot to mention that it's no problem for me to reinforce fencing and prevent digging underneath as I understand these are a must-have either way!

 

[ra94131]

The high temperatures should not be a problem for a Sulcata, if you provide shade.

Your winter lows could be an issue, but with a suitable insulated and heated tortoise box many people have overcome this. (Check out some of Tom's outdoor builds.)

Keep in mind that younger tortoises, particularly under a year old, will probably need to be indoors in a closely controlled the majority of the time.

 

[Tom]

You situation is not as bad as some, but not as good as others.

I would like to see a larger indoor area if the tortoise will have to spend months "indoors" over winter.

Any species can be kept anywhere in the world with enough time, effort and expense. It is all a question of how much time, effort and expense YOU want to spend.

 

[kansas77]

It's always an option that I can add to the size of the shed for the winter, especially as it gets larger. Is there a preferred minimum size for the heated winter shed you would suggest? Also, do sulcatas typically dig large holes in the yard, and do you have any suggestions to prevent digging underneath the fences (how deep? materials?)?

 

[Tom]

Good questions.

There is no established, universally agreed upon enclosure dimension. Generally everyone will agree, the bigger the better. For a tortoise housed inside over a frozen winter, 100x100' would not be too small, but that just is not practical. If a tortoise had to spend several months inside a 20x20' shed, but still got out on warm enough days, and spent time in a large outdoor yard for the other warmer months of the year, I would feel like it was an okay situation. This is just my "feelings" on the matter. Others may see it differently.

About the digging: Some of them dig a lot. Some of them never try to dig at all. Mine will give it a go once or twice a year. If I don't want them to dig, I will pull them out, fill the hole in and put a large heavy object in that spot for a couple of weeks. Like a big paver or some cinderblocks. Last summer I decided to let them dig and live underground until the fall when the ground gets too cold. I didn't want them anywhere near the foundation of any walls or buildings, so I started a hole in the middle of the yard for them. They ignored my started hole for three weeks, then one day I saw the tell tale dirt flipping from a distance. Three of my adults teamed up and worked in shifts all day long on it. On day three I caught all of them above ground and sent a skinny kid down there with a long string to measure it. In just THREE days they had reached a depth of 17'. By the end of the summer the burrow had been extended to 22' and they had added some "passing lanes" along the sides. In the fall I covered it up with a sheet of plywood, a lot of dirt and some slumpstone blocks. I uncovered it in early July of this year and they started using again right away. The point of the whole rambling story is this: Some don't dig. Some can easily be discouraged from digging. If you provide a good above ground shelter, they are less prone to digging. And finally, if you don't want then to dig in the wrong spot, but don't mind them digging, then "help" them get started in the "right" spot.

They don't generally dig laterally. All of the North American sulcata burrows that I have seen, and been in, go down at about a 30-40 degree angle and then gently turn to the right. Don't know why they din't go left, but I'd love to find someone with a sulcata in the southern hemisphere and see if they dig to the left down there. So they don't really dig to get under a fence, but they might start their dig up against the fence, if you let them.


I have a horrible internet connection right now, but do a forum search for "Daisy's New Enclosure", "RV's Burrow" and "Sulcata Burrows", to see some threads on the subject.

 

[kansas77]

Thanks guys for the helpful information!