New Member Intro! (Have some questions)

rehpotsirhc

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Hi and welcome, sounds like Andy has a lovely new home.
There is a lot of old information still circulating on the internet and from pet shops and even some vets but the care sheet linked above will tell you everything you need to know about diet, temps etc. and if you follow that your tort should thrive.
I thought the tail looked female too as males tend to be longer and thinner but I could be wrong.
Depending on your winter climate and temps s/he may need a heated night box but members nearer to you will be able to advise on that. Tom has posted some good designs that he uses so it may be worth looking at those to be ready for colder days and nights.
Thank you! Thats actually one of the things I was wanting to research more. I live in Arizona, so its burning hot most the year, but in Nov and Dec the nights will reach 40 - 35 f. I will certainly look for those posts.
 

Ray--Opo

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5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Yeah, I think Andy will stick just fine.

Yes, thank you VERY much! I can't imagine the challenge when she gets larger like yours.

Fortunately I had heard a tiny bit about this before. First week she was in a large wire dog kennel thing, on the grass under a tree, but I had some fencing panels with small gaps, so I made a little 15 × 15 enclosure for now, with fence on three sides and a wall on the fourth that provides nice shade. Dug little trenches in the grass and laid the panels on their sides, burying them about 16 inches down. That leaves about 2 or 3 feet above ground. As soon as the sun rises she eats grass, then proceeds to stand on and shake every inch of the fencing, or ram it, take a nap in a little hide area, awaken, rinse and repeat, all day, haha.

I try to let her roam the whole garden while I'm feeding and watering other animals for an hour a day at least as well. She gets it in her mind to either go east or west into areas where the fence lines aren't very secure at the bottom and lead to neighbors or horse pasture. Zoom, off she goes. I pick her up and carry her all the way to the other side, she eats a bit, gets her direction, then zoom! Off to the same area of the day, over and over and over, lol. She sure seems to have an eye for the weak points. No digging yet though.

Today she was free roaming and shaking the fence to her secure area. Either side she's on, she just doesn't seem to like those guys. ?

I'm terrified she will make it out somewhere and if so, she blends into the Arizona desert really really well.. I can't imagine trying to find her. Gonna do my best to prevent that.
Before we put up a fence in the backyard. Opo would always be determined to go to the neighbor's yard. I know the feeling of continuing to retrieve him all day. Thankfully we have a fence now. He is to big to pick up. But he is relentless, always checking the gates. To see if they are open.
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Thank you! Thats actually one of the things I was wanting to research more. I live in Arizona, so its burning hot most the year, but in Nov and Dec the nights will reach 40 - 35 f. I will certainly look for those posts.
Definitely a heated enclosure. There was just a posting about a owner of a sulcata. Who lives in Arizona, for the last 6 years they were letting their sully go down in it's burrow. During the winter time, thinking it was hibernating. The condition they explained sounded dire. Blind and losing weight, of course they only posted 1 day. When they heard the bad news that sullies don't hibernate and need to be at least 80°. We never heard from them again.
 

rehpotsirhc

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Before we put up a fence in the backyard. Opo would always be determined to go to the neighbor's yard. I know the feeling of continuing to retrieve him all day. Thankfully we have a fence now. He is to big to pick up. But he is relentless, always checking the gates. To see if they are open.
Haha, I'm glad to hear this level of determination and relentlessness is natural. Opo looks absolutely beautiful! How old is he or she?
 

rehpotsirhc

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Definitely a heated enclosure. There was just a posting about a owner of a sulcata. Who lives in Arizona, for the last 6 years they were letting their sully go down in it's burrow. During the winter time, thinking it was hibernating. The condition they explained sounded dire. Blind and losing weight, of course they only posted 1 day. When they heard the bad news that sullies don't hibernate and need to be at least 80°. We never heard from them again.
Oh no.. yeah, I'm not sure I saw that post but I did see a post about blindness and somebody thinking their burrowed sulcata was hibernating somewhere. Very sad.

I intended to create something to give the option for a warm spot, no matter what, just to be safe. I just wasn't sure about heat pads or lamps or what I'd do. I plan to research and construct something this coming week. I will be hunting down the suggested Tom posts.
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Look into a RHP(radiant heat panel). Opo's winter box has the RHP and a Kane mat. Here in Florida, I think last winter there were 5 or 10 days Opo didn't come out. Even days when it was in the upper 40's or mid 50's and sunny. Opo,s shell would heat up to the mid 80's in the sun. He seems to know when it's to cold for him outside of his enclosure.
 

Ray--Opo

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5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Yes it was the thread about frozen eye. ?
 

TammyJ

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Joined
Jun 21, 2016
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7,119
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
Haha, well as a joke I was calling her Andy Dufresne, like the Shawshank Redemption character, cause she obviously escaped from somewhere, and is always testing her enclosure walls.

Might have to rethink that one now if he is a she. Lol.
Loved that movie!!! Keep the name Andy...why not? Way to go Unisex.
 
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