Moving a Sulcata

[JuliaS]

Hello!

My fiance was gifted a Sulcata tortoise from his parents six years ago. His name is Frank and he is a wonderful guy. When my fiance moved in with me to a cooler climate last year, he opted to have Frank stay with his parents under the care of his father. Frank recently became ill and we think it might be best to keep Frank with us now. However, our property is not well-suited to a tortoise's needs and the climate here is cooler than where Frank is used to, as we live almost in the mountains whereas Frank is used to a purely desert climate. Does anyone have any tips on how to move a Sulcata? Also, any enclosure tips? We have a space that we can prepare for him that has access to both water and electricity (though it will require an extension cord and a long hose). We also have plenty of cinder blocks for an enclosure and the ability to plant some grasses and plants for him eventually.

I am feeling as though this enclosure will be sub-par for some time, but it is all we have. I just want to be sure that he is properly taken care of from now on. Really any tips or ideas will be appreciated. I am completely new to the tortoise world and my fiance mostly had him indoors when he was caring for him.

 

[KronksMom]

I don't know much about sulcatas, I'm really just replying to bump your thread so some people who do know better will see this and respond. @Yvonne G @maggie18fan ? When they do, I know they will have a lot of questions, but maybe you could start by telling them how old and big Frank is and what type of enclosure you're going to be trying to create. He's going to need warmth, so you'll definitely need to build him something like a heated night box. Try going to our sulcata section and reading all the threads pinned at the top. Those will be good starting places for someone new to the world of tortoises. And hopefully someone who knows there stuff will come along soon to answer your post.

 

[KronksMom]

@Tom Maybe you could help

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

You’re temperatures don’t Seem Bad? You’ll need to make a Night Box so he can Warm up during those cold Nights. How big is your tortoise?
The tortoise will eat Grass and Weeds.

 

[Tom]

Hello!

My fiance was gifted a Sulcata tortoise from his parents six years ago. His name is Frank and he is a wonderful guy. When my fiance moved in with me to a cooler climate last year, he opted to have Frank stay with his parents under the care of his father. Frank recently became ill and we think it might be best to keep Frank with us now. However, our property is not well-suited to a tortoise's needs and the climate here is cooler than where Frank is used to, as we live almost in the mountains whereas Frank is used to a purely desert climate. Does anyone have any tips on how to move a Sulcata? Also, any enclosure tips? We have a space that we can prepare for him that has access to both water and electricity (though it will require an extension cord and a long hose). We also have plenty of cinder blocks for an enclosure and the ability to plant some grasses and plants for him eventually.

I am feeling as though this enclosure will be sub-par for some time, but it is all we have. I just want to be sure that he is properly taken care of from now on. Really any tips or ideas will be appreciated. I am completely new to the tortoise world and my fiance mostly had him indoors when he was caring for him.

What size is Frank? Do you get snow there?

 

[JuliaS]

What size is Frank? Do you get snow there?

We do get the occasional snow storm (about one day of snow per year). It is super hot here right now, as it is SoCal, but it does get really cold in the winter.

Frank is 6 years old and weighs about 40 lbs.

With all of this being said, I am very excited to bring Frank into our yard, but the future is scary. He will get much larger, I know. And the weather may be too dangerous for him once winter comes around. I also fear for the wind, which may blow unwanted things into his enclosure (the neighbors have pine trees nearby). When the weather gets cold, will I be able to keep him in the garage most of the time to keep him safe?

I am a perpetual worrier and I am definitely worried that I am going to unintentionally harm Frank because I do not have the proper setup.

 

[Tom]

We do get the occasional snow storm (about one day of snow per year). It is super hot here right now, as it is SoCal, but it does get really cold in the winter.

Frank is 6 years old and weighs about 40 lbs.

With all of this being said, I am very excited to bring Frank into our yard, but the future is scary. He will get much larger, I know. And the weather may be too dangerous for him once winter comes around. I also fear for the wind, which may blow unwanted things into his enclosure (the neighbors have pine trees nearby). When the weather gets cold, will I be able to keep him in the garage most of the time to keep him safe?

I am a perpetual worrier and I am definitely worried that I am going to unintentionally harm Frank because I do not have the proper setup.

Its not easy to keep a giant tropical reptile in a cold climate.

Do you have the ability to heat the garage to 80 degrees at floor level all winter? How big is the garage? Any cars in there? I have a family friend in Ohio that put heated floors in his garage so his Harley wouldn't freeze in winter. Not kidding.

 

[JuliaS]

Its not easy to keep a giant tropical reptile in a cold climate.

Do you have the ability to heat the garage to 80 degrees at floor level all winter? How big is the garage? Any cars in there? I have a family friend in Ohio that put heated floors in his garage so his Harley wouldn't freeze in winter. Not kidding.

There are no cars in the garage, just a bunch of stuff that needs to be donated. The garage is a one car (not sure of exact dimensions) I do not have the ability to purchase heated floors. However, I am able to get a heat lamp, heat mat, and UVB lamp for the colder months. I just don't know how much room I should clear out in the garage. Will he be fairly inactive during the colder months? Or will he just be upset and want to go back outside?

Another option I have is to make him an insulated shed outside. I've been looking at some trashcan boxes that I can turn into a nice and affordable shed. And then if it gets really, really cold I can still have the option of bringing him into the garage. Does this sound doable or will I have to rethink this idea?

 

[Rex1718]

It’s not the prettiest, but this is my sulcata’s night box. I use the oil filled radiator heater to keep the air temp in the 80s, and the tortoise heat pad for a hot spot of about 100 degrees.
Just showed you mine to give you some ideas. Tom has some great treads on how to build night boxes.

 

[Tom]

There are no cars in the garage, just a bunch of stuff that needs to be donated. The garage is a one car (not sure of exact dimensions) I do not have the ability to purchase heated floors. However, I am able to get a heat lamp, heat mat, and UVB lamp for the colder months. I just don't know how much room I should clear out in the garage. Will he be fairly inactive during the colder months? Or will he just be upset and want to go back outside?

Another option I have is to make him an insulated shed outside. I've been looking at some trashcan boxes that I can turn into a nice and affordable shed. And then if it gets really, really cold I can still have the option of bringing him into the garage. Does this sound doable or will I have to rethink this idea?

Is your climate like mine? Some cold rainy days in winter, but mostly sunny days that creep into the 60 and 70s, with occasional winter daytime highs in the 80s during warm spells? Cold nights in the 30s and 40s typically?

 

[Maggie3fan]

We do get the occasional snow storm (about one day of snow per year). It is super hot here right now, as it is SoCal, but it does get really cold in the winter.

Frank is 6 years old and weighs about 40 lbs.

With all of this being said, I am very excited to bring Frank into our yard, but the future is scary. He will get much larger, I know. And the weather may be too dangerous for him once winter comes around. I also fear for the wind, which may blow unwanted things into his enclosure (the neighbors have pine trees nearby). When the weather gets cold, will I be able to keep him in the garage most of the time to keep him safe?

I am a perpetual worrier and I am definitely worried that I am going to unintentionally harm Frank because I do not have the proper setup.

Stop worrying and look forward to a big adventure in keeping Sulcata. Sulcata are so freakin easy to care for...here's a couple of pictures of my Sulcata pens in the PacificNorthWest



just showing you it doesn't need to be fancy...just safe and warm...

 

[Markw84]

The mountains on the north side of San Bernardino is not that bad a climate for a sulcata. You can certainly make that work. You just get a little colder than @Tom in the winter, but not like the northern states. A good outdoor enclosure with a well constructed night box will work well for you. Do not try to convert a trashcan box or rubbermaid shed. Build a well insulated night box similar to the post a few posts above by @Rex1718 . Tom has some threads on how to build these.

Moving is not much of a problem. Give him a nice warm, long soak to try to get as much poop out as possible first, the put him in a strong tub in your car. I like it covered to keep it dark. You will have a mess when you get home, but nothing that won't wash off!

 

[Tom]

Here are the night boxes Mark mentioned:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Here is the 4x8 rendering of Tom's Night Box. With Exploded view.

This is a rendering I did based off of @Tom 's heated night box enclosure. Its probably not a 100% accurate. Door is offset to one side for my personal needs but can easily be moved. Let me know if you see any issues with it. Feed back appreciated. High res renderings can be downloaded here...

tortoiseforum.org

What You'll Need to Build A Night Box

I just typed up a list of the needed supplies to build a night box and thought I'd copy paste it here: For sulcatas, I make the doors 26x16". This will fit all but the largest of large males for their entire life. If you end up with one of the giants, you will eventually have to make another...

tortoiseforum.org