looking into getting a sulcata

[setlab]

I'm looking into getting a sulcata and am brushing up on my tortoise knowledge lol. I live down in the Florida pan handle and in the winter months it can get down to freezing during some nights. Now I'm anticipating having a gigantic tortoise that I know can't be outside during the winter. My main concern is just what kind of shed I'm going to have to build and what it will do to my electric bill running heat lamps and fans 24/7 for a 100 lb tortoise. How hard will owning a sulcata hit my wallet in the winter months? And if I decide to go with a smaller hatchling instead of fostering one, how many years should I expect it will take to grow big enough to let loose in the yard 24/7?
Sorry in advance, I'm sure you guys see these questions all the time.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the Forum. I live in Southern California, so I am sure that my weather a little is different than yours. Certainly a lot dryer. I do get freezing nights in the winter and lots cool days. On the average my weather is probably cooler than yours. My 5 year old sulcata lives outdoors all year. He has a heated and insulated night box to go into. It is about 6' long x 4' wide and is 2' tall. Here is a link to the design I followed to build mine so that you can get an idea of what one is like. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/ On cold or rainy days he stays inside of it. He will come out even on cool days that are sunny to graze and to warm up in the sun. By cool I mean temps in the 50's or 60's. I can't say that I have seen any impact on my electric bill heating his house. I know there is some. The key is to insulate the house and seal it so that the heater doesn't need to run much at all. The house is positioned in the shadiest part of the yard because overheating in the summer sun is a bigger concern than heating it in the winter. My sulcata was 2 years old when he went outside to live full time. He was 10-11 inches long back then.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Joe linked the first box for you, but check this one out too. I like this one best for a single tortoise:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/

I move mine outside full time once they are around 10" or so. This takes only a year or two with a well started baby. My night temps are below freezing all winter long, but they stay nice and warm in those insulated boxes.

Read these BEFORE you get a hatchling:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

The night boxes are great, however, I don't like to have to reach in and bend over to clean them out(I'm old and creaky), so I built an actual insulated shed:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/dudleys-rebuild.111350/