New foster mom for Sulcata Tortoise

[AnaEPTX]

Hello All,
New member here. We are fostering a large Sulcata in El Paso, TX. I think she weighs about 40 lbs. Looking for a lot of beginner's advice. The owner brought a dog house with heat lamp, we have been turning it on when the overnight temps get below 65. Also owner would feed lettuce, broccoli, and fruit occasionally. Not so sure this is a good diet. Have bought some grassland tortoise food pellets and tried moistening it but tortoise isn't interested. She does graze on our Bermuda grass, but it will be going dormant soon. Also, some of our winter days can be pretty cold, thinking I might need to design some type of pen in the garage? Any advice is appreciated, I'm looking for books at our local library and on Amazon.

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Here is the best book u will find. Read thru and come back with questions. Good luck and welcome!

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Would help if i left the link lol

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

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Heres a great thread for a night box also

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...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hello All,
New member here. We are fostering a large Sulcata in El Paso, TX. I think she weighs about 40 lbs. Looking for a lot of beginner's advice. The owner brought a dog house with heat lamp, we have been turning it on when the overnight temps get below 65. Also owner would feed lettuce, broccoli, and fruit occasionally. Not so sure this is a good diet. Have bought some grassland tortoise food pellets and tried moistening it but tortoise isn't interested. She does graze on our Bermuda grass, but it will be going dormant soon. Also, some of our winter days can be pretty cold, thinking I might need to design some type of pen in the garage? Any advice is appreciated, I'm looking for books at our local library and on Amazon.

The owner has fallen victim to the usual wrong care info. We will help you give this tortoise better living conditions and foods.

This is a tropical tortoise species. The night temp shouldn't drop below 80. And heat lamps will burn the top of the carapace at this size so they shouldn't be used. Chubbs linked one box for you. Here is another:

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

They can sometimes survive colder temps, but it is not good for them, and not all of them survive. I set the thermostat at 80-82 for most of the year. I turn it down to 70 when the days here are near 100 every day in summer. In winter I set the thermostat to 86-88, since there is no other way for the tortoise to warm up on a cold overcast winter day.

The main diet should be grass, or grass hay. It will take time to make this transition, and the appetite will drop off quickly if you don't keep the tortoise warm day and night. They should never be fed fruit. Lettuce and broccoli are not good foods. Most grocery store greens are not great for them as standalone foods. Grocery store foods need to be amended. The Grassland food is great, but like ay new food, you'll need to spend weeks to introduce it. In time the tortoise will like it, but almost never right away.

Questions welcome.

 

[AnaEPTX]

The owner has fallen victim to the usual wrong care info. We will help you give this tortoise better living conditions and foods.

This is a tropical tortoise species. The night temp shouldn't drop below 80. And heat lamps will burn the top of the carapace at this size so they shouldn't be used. Chubbs linked one box for you. Here is another:

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

They can sometimes survive colder temps, but it is not good for them, and not all of them survive. I set the thermostat at 80-82 for most of the year. I turn it down to 70 when the days here are near 100 every day in summer. In winter I set the thermostat to 86-88, since there is no other way for the tortoise to warm up on a cold overcast winter day.

The main diet should be grass, or grass hay. It will take time to make this transition, and the appetite will drop off quickly if you don't keep the tortoise warm day and night. They should never be fed fruit. Lettuce and broccoli are not good foods. Most grocery store greens are not great for them as standalone foods. Grocery store foods need to be amended. The Grassland food is great, but like ay new food, you'll need to spend weeks to introduce it. In time the tortoise will like it, but almost never right away.

Questions welcome.

Thank you, was working on constructing a new night box.