New owner of a large female sulcata

[EppsDynasty]

@Maggie3fan ..... Killer. I am wanting to put a shed like this in EVERY tortoises enclosure. I am not liking small houses that I can not go in .... without crawling. As well as you said the torts move around at night, it would be great for our torts to have room like that at night.

 

[Maggie3fan]

@Maggie3fan ..... Killer. I am wanting to put a shed like this in EVERY tortoises enclosure. I am not liking small houses that I can not go in .... without crawling. As well as you said the torts move around at night, it would be great for our torts to have room like that at night.

It was a garden tool shed...I hired a carpenter to outfit it...so it's insulated floor ceiling and walls...there's 2 doggie doors each with its own pen...I could not have done what I have with bigger torts here w/out that shed...

 

[EppsDynasty]

It was a garden tool shed...I hired a carpenter to outfit it...so it's insulated floor ceiling and walls...there's 2 doggie doors each with its own pen...I could not have done what I have with bigger torts here w/out that shed...

I (expletive) love it .....Just so ya know I'll have this pic in my head when I do ours...Thanks!

 

[vladimir]

I (expletive) love it .....Just so ya know I'll have this pic in my head when I do ours...Thanks!

Based on feedback from members here I put this together this fall - it's currently 85F in there

Planning an outdoor winter sulcata shed

Hello, In the spirit of my previous thread planning an indoor enclosure: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/planning-new-indoor-enclosure.163087/ It's been 5 years since Vladimir moved into that enclosure, and it's clear he's outgrown it now. I'm hoping to buy/build a shed to convert to an...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[SallytheSulcata]

Here some more photos of sally (62lbs)
A couple question I have are
which way do we measure her shell?
Is there anyway to tell roughly how old she might be?
How much bigger will she get?
is there anything I can do to make her shell nicer (like shiny or cleaner)
Is that brown spot a concern?
and lastly is there any concern you guy might see that should be brought to our attention?

 

[SallytheSulcata]

Update 2 on the house
Any and all advice, suggestions, and critiques welcomed
1st off I redid the insulation ( previous we had 1/2 inch insulation with 1/16 plastic panel as a liner and we wasn't to worry about gaps )
Now we have added 1 inch insulation to the previous 1/2 inch and lined it with plywood filling all the gaps with expanding foam and sealed with silicone caulk.
We went with an 80 watt RHP that is mount to the roof
I still have to finish the door, insulate the roof and redo the wiring for the heating elements.

Should the RHP be placed right above the heating pad ?

Will post better pics tomorrow once it's finished

 

[Tom]

Should the RHP be placed right above the heating pad ?

Yes.

Which way do we measure her shell?

Place a tape measure up against a wall and then lay Sally on top of it with her head/shell right up against the same wall. Lok straight down over her butt onto the tape measure.

Is there anyway to tell roughly how old she might be?

Not really. Obviously an adult, so at least 6 or 7, but maybe as old as 15 or 20.

How much bigger will she get?

Females usually top out at 60-80 pounds, so she might gain another 20 pounds at the most over time.

Is there anything I can do to make her shell nicer (like shiny or cleaner)

Soak and scrub it with a soft brush. Rub on some cold pressed coconut oil.

Is that brown spot a concern?

No. That is abrasion from breeding. Normal on females.

Lastly is there any concern you guy might see that should be brought to our attention?

She's a looker. So smooth. Be careful that no one steals her. It happens all the time. The house looks great. Your thermometer will tell you if you need more heat or not.

Keep and eye on the wear and tear on the bottoms of her feet with the concrete. If it wears through, its a bad deal.

 

[SallytheSulcata]

Yes.


Place a tape measure up against a wall and then lay Sally on top of it with her head/shell right up against the same wall. Lok straight down over her butt onto the tape measure.


Not really. Obviously an adult, so at least 6 or 7, but maybe as old as 15 or 20.


Females usually top out at 60-80 pounds, so she might gain another 20 pounds at the most over time.


Soak and scrub it with a soft brush. Rub on some cold pressed coconut oil.


No. That is abrasion from breeding. Normal on females.


She's a looker. So smooth. Be careful that no one steals her. It happens all the time. The house looks great. Your thermometer will tell you if you need more heat or not.

Keep and eye on the wear and tear on the bottoms of her feet with the concrete. If it wears through, its a bad deal.

Thanks for the reply
Once the house is finished we will be moving it to the dirt hopefully she won't get mad at us for moving it

 

[SallytheSulcata]

Gonna move the house tomorrow and finish the wiring once it's in its final place
But I got the roof insulated, finished the door put a rubber seal to the roof and even added a cam
The temp is perfect and we are very happy to know that everything is working well so far

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome
You'll only get the best up to date advice here from people who only have our torts best interest at heart.

 

[SallytheSulcata]

Hi and welcome
You'll only get the best up to date advice here from people who only have our torts best interest at heart.

this forum has provided so much valuable info and we have only been here for a few day. It is awesome that this place is so friendly and helpful.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Gonna move the house tomorrow and finish the wiring once it's in its final place
But I got the roof insulated, finished the door put a rubber seal to the roof and even added a cam
The temp is perfect and we are very happy to know that everything is working well so far

Very nice, great job!