New home need advice

[critterhaven]

Hello, I am new to the forum. I own a russian tortoise, and soon to be getting a sulcata. (He is a rehome) I have been studying sulcata so that I could get one in the future, but well the future is now. lol

Anyways here goes he/she is about 12 yrs old and 50#. I live in the great state of Wisconsin, and this time of year it is getting really cold outside. So I know that is on off limits plan. So I have clean out and office space. I put up 2 ft boards, around the room to keep the damage to a min. The space is 5ftx8ft I plan on when I home to let him out and roam my kitchen to get more exercise. But what I am wondering about is substrate. There is alot out there in the way of babies on tort tables. but this a big one and will not fit on the table. So I am wondering what to use for sustrate, a soaking pool/water bowl, and toys? Do you guys add toys for them to push around?
Thank you for your all your help.

 

[reptylefreek]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your "new" sulcata. Its good to hear your doing your research, sounds like its gonna be a long winter for you. Someone should be along soon to give you great advice, but we love to see pix.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not sure how sulcata-keepers in WI take care of their tortoises in the winter, but most owners of the larger sulcata try to rig something up outside for them. Also, I've heard of them being set up in the basement. I think if you have him in the room like you're planning, then you allow him out to wander the house, you're going to be sorry. If they realize that they can get out of their winter enclosure, they just worry the walls, and worry the walls, until they either break them down or you get sick of the noise and let them out. I'm hopine someone with a larger sulcata who lives in a really cold climate will jump in here and give you some help.

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

Do you own the house? Use the room you have set up for him as your 'shed' like others do and cut a hole in the wall to the outside and install a doggie door. That way he can go out and in at will.
Since he wont be grazing, what do you plan on feeding him?
I would use a substrate for a inside the house, room. pile some hay in the corner. and I also dont think you are going to want a 50 lb tort wandering around your house.. the damage it can do and be done to it when things fall over and get pushed around..
Contact a zoo in a cold climate and see how they do it.

 

[chadk]

Yes, wandering the house does not sounds like a great plan. But I know some who do it... Just know that they will shred sheet rock and scuff up wood on all corners. They'll knock over end tables and maybe try to eat your carpet\rugs and other things. But my biggest concern would be the poo and pee that they will drop about anywhere anytime and drag around as they walk through it.

For substrate in the small room, i'd go with some sort of good quality hay (timothy or orchard grass maybe). Check your local farm supply \ feedstore. That way you have a good supply of healthy tort food and it will absorb some of the droppings... Getting some sort of water dish that won't be knocked over or finding a way to soak it from time to time will be tricky...

 

[Laura]

For water.. since you wont be able to bury a lid in the ground.. you can use a kiddie pool, and cut down one side big enough for a tort to climb in and have a few inches of water in it. its going to spill tho.. but you might be able to build a ramp up to it to make it less so..

 

[critterhaven]

Thank you everyone. I put 2ft plywood around the room to keep him from damaging the drywall. I plan on to let him roam when I am home to watch him and allow more exercise. Come spring I plan on building a fence and shed for him to live in, but now it is too cold to do this. I am using the top of a dog crate for a hide, and a rubbermaid container cut down to allow a pool/water source. Do tortoises need things to climb over/play on? dry drift wood, rocks? My russian has these, but I am wondering are they nessary for the sulcata? As for food, I am mowing my lawn before in snows and bagging that up and sticking it in the freezer. (will this effect nutritional value?) I do not use chemicals on my lawn. And then I am also getting timothy hay from our local feed store.
Our local zoo has two large galapogos (sp?) toroises and they house them inside all winter. In a huge room they had built just for them. I hope I am off to an okay start here. i just want the best for Tank

 

[tortoisenerd]

My concerns with him roaming the house are: lack of heat, damage to walls/furniture, things on the ground such as even hair or things dropped that the tort will eat and maybe choke on, obstacles, the tort not liking going from free roam of the house to being stuck in the room, poop/pee, and the tort not feeling secure by having an enclosure that feels like home when it is roaming. I think this will be quite the challenge. Do you know for sure the tort eats hay? Yes, timothy is good. Some Sulcatas if not raised on it, will not eat it.

Do you have kids or other pets besides the Russian? How is the Russian housed?

Grass does not freeze well from what I've been told. It turns into a big mush. You may have better luck with indoor pots and trays of seeds using grow lights, but you need to grow a lot! If the tort eats hay, that's fine with supplements of any weeds you can get (dandelions are a favorite of many torts), a few lettuces, organic flowers (like hibiscus), squash/pumpkin, and Mazuri Tortoise Diet and/or Grassland Tortoise Food. Mazuri comes in 25 lb tubs at feed stores; they can order it (by Purina). Some people will use it as a huge part of the diet, but I think it's better as a smaller part of it. If it doesn't eat hay, you may have to resort to grocery greens. Not the best diet for a Sulcata....

Get as much info as you can from the previous owner. This will prove helpful.

As for the "toys", it depends how the Sulcata is currently housed. If it is outside with a lot of space, expect it to be ramming walls and be very upset to be stuck in a room. If this is better than it had before, than it may not need much. Some will play with red rubber balls. The more you give it to do, the better, but that's tough indoors! You could build ramps and things for it to walk around. If you can break up the line of sight that will help so the tort doesn't see it's entire world in one glance.

What are you doing for heat and basking in the room? Will you heat the whole room to the high 70s for example and then have a 250 watt Mercury Vapor Bulb for a basking area up to 95 with areas around it in the 80s? You would need to hang the bulb from the ceiling, not a stand, so it doesn't get knocked over and catch fire with the substrate.

Best wishes and good luck! Wow.

 

[Laura]

Grass is just like hay.. dont freeze it of bag it.. Dry it out and store it. Or find a feed store and get some floor sweepings or buy a bale IF you have Dry place to store it. BUT some torts wont eat it.
Walmart and other stores sell small bags of Timothy hay for Rabbits. MUCH cheaper if you buy a large bale at the feed store.
How are you heating the room?