new here..

[MandyB]

hi!
well I finally did it, I bought myself a baby sulcata tortoise! I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I have been fascinated by these guys for some time but always hesitated because of my location (North Dakota) yep...it gets pretty cold up here! But being as I am a home owner I feel I can provide adequate space for the little guy when it comes time that he is not so little! We have an extra room in the basement and after we leave this house I am hoping our next home will have a roomy heated garage for the winter months. I just ordered today from LLLreptiles so I am impatiently waiting for the lil guys arrival! Right now I have a 10 gallon tank set up with the UV bulb, heat pad, water dish and half log to hide in. I know this tank will only be ok for him for about 5 minutes though! Any suggestions on housing that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I was debating possibly building one myself out of wood...just curious how well heat would stay in it if the bottom were plastic or wood? I'm assuming you wouldn't want to use a heating pad for that?

 

[Scawtey]

I also just got a 1 year old and had a 10 gallon tank. Everyone on here told me to go out and get a rubbermaid container from walmart or something, so I was able to get a 55 gallon rubbermaid for 10$. That's pretty costly compared to a 55 gallon tank that costs some 200$.

I put my heating pad under it and will be checking the temps when I get home from work today since it was only his first night in the new tank.

I will be moving to a homemade turtle box eventually where I can also plant different things for him to eat, but for his size right now, I think what I have will be sufficient until he's a little bigger.

 

[wellington]

Hello and WELCOME. Yes a 10 gallon is way to small. Please read the threads at the bottom of this post. They will help you raise a healthy, happy, smooth sulcata. You will need uv lighting, a lot of us like the MVB, gives heat and uv. Also a Che will give heat for night time without light. Also they need humidity to grow smooth and a varied diet of dark leafy greens. The threads below will help with all the right temps and humidity needed. Good luck.

 

[MandyB]

well that makes me feel a little better about it that yours is a year old and not super huge yet! What type of rubbermaid do you have? Like a shorter sided one? I will have to look around for that.

@wellington - i will def be reading up as much as possible to make sure he grows healthy and happy =) I do have a 50 watt blue day bulb right now and plan to add a night bulb. What is a Che? is that a type of bulb or something else? I only bought the 10 gallon tank because it was a kit and made more sense than buying it all separately.

Also - i am currently growing butter lettuce and radishes among other veggies in my garden, are these ok to feed him? I am going to add some grass too and suggestions on what type? And I have read that timothy and alphalfa (sp?) hay is good too since they need like 80% grasses in their diet and can't live on lettuce.

 

[MandyB]

well that makes me feel a little better about it that yours is a year old and not super huge yet! What type of rubbermaid do you have? Like a shorter sided one? I will have to look around for that.

@wellington - i will def be reading up as much as possible to make sure he grows healthy and happy =) I do have a 50 watt blue day bulb right now and plan to add a night bulb. What is a Che? is that a type of bulb or something else? I only bought the 10 gallon tank because it was a kit and made more sense than buying it all separately.

Also - i am currently growing butter lettuce and radishes among other veggies in my garden, are these ok to feed him? I am going to add some grass too and suggestions on what type? And I have read that timothy and alphalfa (sp?) hay is good too since they need like 80% grasses in their diet and can't live on lettuce.

THANK YOU for the welcome, and the helpful tips!

 

[MandyB]

well that makes me feel a little better about it that yours is a year old and not super huge yet! What type of rubbermaid do you have? Like a shorter sided one? I will have to look around for that.

@wellington - i will def be reading up as much as possible to make sure he grows healthy and happy =) I do have a 50 watt blue day bulb right now and plan to add a night bulb. What is a Che? is that a type of bulb or something else? I only bought the 10 gallon tank because it was a kit and made more sense than buying it all separately.

Also - i am currently growing butter lettuce and radishes among other veggies in my garden, are these ok to feed him? I am going to add some grass too and suggestions on what type? And I have read that timothy and alphalfa (sp?) hay is good too since they need like 80% grasses in their diet and can't live on lettuce.

 

[MandyB]

Ok, am i doing this wrong?? I am trying to respond and I can't see my response! I have reposted it a few times so I'm sorry if it is showing up over and over! This board is confusing!

 

[Jacqui]

Ok, am i doing this wrong?? I am trying to respond and I can't see my response! I have reposted it a few times so I'm sorry if it is showing up over and over! This board is confusing!

Sorry. The problem is, until you have five approved posts, they do not automatically appear. This helps cut down on unwanted spam posts.

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well that makes me feel a little better about it that yours is a year old and not super huge yet! What type of rubbermaid do you have? Like a shorter sided one? I will have to look around for that.

@wellington - i will def be reading up as much as possible to make sure he grows healthy and happy =) I do have a 50 watt blue day bulb right now and plan to add a night bulb. What is a Che? is that a type of bulb or something else? I only bought the 10 gallon tank because it was a kit and made more sense than buying it all separately.

Also - i am currently growing butter lettuce and radishes among other veggies in my garden, are these ok to feed him? I am going to add some grass too and suggestions on what type? And I have read that timothy and alphalfa (sp?) hay is good too since they need like 80% grasses in their diet and can't live on lettuce.

A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter, it puts out heat but no light.

Radish leaves are fine as is the butter lettuce. Sometimes the radish leaves do not go over too well with a lot of tortoises. As with all foods, feed everything in moderation and a wide variety of foods. Not meaning each meal must be a variety of things, it could even be just one item. Just don't feed the same thing every day for two weeks. Instead perhaps this week your feeding some of the butter lettuce, next wee maybe you buy a bunch of collard greens, the week after maybe you find a source for weeds (like dandelions and plantain), ect..,

Hatchlings tend to like the softer green plants and then you kinda slowly keep offering some of the dried hays into their diet. Often at first just cutting it up small and using it like a dressing over their regular food.

 

[MandyB]

Thank you!

 

[Laura]

Housing a large, sometimes destructive tortoise in the garage all winter, can be very challenging.. as well as a basement.. its also very expensive, and you will need a back up plan for when the power goes out, in ways to keep them warm.. you have time to plan... but these big guys really do best outdoors, they need space, and sunshine to thrive. If you have a yard, start planning for a loafing shed type structure. It have a covered outdoor area and a indoor area. That will give the animal a choice. They can stay in where it is heated well, or wander outside in the covered area. Iv'e heard of some that actually plow thru the snow! The cheapest part of owning them,, is them! Enclosures and supplies are what will cost you. and Food in the winter! you will learn a lot here, and I'm glad you found us.

http://www.turtlerescues.org/sulcata_challenge.htm not meant to scare,,, but you need to read this...

 

[MandyB]

I don't think keeping it outdoors from dec-march is an option, it can get below -30 with windchill here, that is flippen cold!! Hopefully someday our family can relocate somewhere warm but not anytime soon. I do plan to keep him mostly outdoors when the weather allows, I have a big fenced in back yard with plenty of room to roam. I knew getting into this it would be a challenge, but I am up for it!