New Sulcata and its Enclosure

[ekm5015]

Just got a 12 week old Sully from Marc at the turtle source this week. I have been meaning to put up pictures of him and his living quarters for a few days and just got aroudn to it now.

First a pic of the young tort:

This is his home...for a couple years. It is 4'w x 4'L x 2'h. He is only living in a section of it for now though. This section is about 18''wide by 48'' long with a ramp for him to climb. Let me know what you guys think. By the way...the reason for the sideways tank is so I could keep his humid hide warm at night. I attached a heater to the underneath of the tank and placed a plastic tupperware container on the warm area inside the tank.

There are two 2'x4' screen doors that open on hinges. One side also has a 2'x4' piece of plywood that opens and closes to adjust the temp. I would have gone open top, but then there would be a cat issue.

The top half of this picture is where he is living for now. The fish tank blocks the ramp to the bottom level of the cage. He will eventually be allowed to roam the entire enclosure.

This is the entire enclosure from the opposite side.

Inside the tank is a heated humid hide. Also his dish of greens.

Here is a video of him/her eating if you are interested:Baby Eating Dinner

 

[Yvonne G]

Aw, what a cute little guy. Your habitat was pretty inventive. I really like it. Also, using the small aquarium on its side like that might turn out to be a very good idea, what with the humidity issue and all.

 

[Tom]

Hey this is very clever and innovative. I bet we are going to see some neat stuff from you in the next few years. Well done. Nicely designed, thought out, and built.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Very nice! So glad you built big and are only using part. Make sure you pour water on that substrate as needed and mix it up to keep it damp but not wet. That may be daily under a heat source and every 2-3 days in other parts, but really varies. You want to be able to pick up a handful and squeeze it and have it hold shape, but not have water come out. I'd use a larger slate tile for the food to give the tort space to push it around and keep it off the substrate, and wear down the beak & nails. Make sure you use pure calcium powder on the food daily. What temps are you getting, and with what bulbs? See my comments on the heat pad on your other thread. Awesome job. Have fun and take lots of baby pics!

 

[chadk]

Looks awesome.

Only 2 suggestions: spag moss in the hide to help hold the moisture better. And 2, temp\humidity gauges so you can monitor and adjust the basking area (100-110), Cool end of 75-85, warm end of 80-90. I like a warm humid hide and a cool dry hide. Both will substrate that they can dig in.

 

[DAC8671]

I LIKE IT!

 

[Isa]

Very nice enclosure, I love it. I like the terrarium idea

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Wow, you clearly did your homework first! Your tortoise is a lucky critter and will likely reward you by growing large and healthy with a smooth shell.

Was there a name attached to this little munchkin?

 

[ChiKat]

Very creative!! I love it. I wish I was handy enough to build something like that!

 

[TortieLuver]

Very nice! He or she will be very happy in that setup.

 

[ekm5015]

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I will be adding some spag moss to the hide as well as a few humidity gauges to monitor humidity more closley.

 

[goReptiles]

Looks nice. I like how you planned for the future. He'll definitely get enjoyment out of the area as he grows. How did you seal the wood to be water-resistant?

 

[ekm5015]

Looks nice. I like how you planned for the future. He'll definitely get enjoyment out of the area as he grows. How did you seal the wood to be water-resistant?

A few coats of water based polyurethane did the trick.

 

[rbigshow01]

I'm not a sulcata owner yet but that enclosure looks very good I'm impressed good job. I need to build me one of those lol

 

[terryo]

What a great enclosure. You thought of everything.....even room to grow. I love it.

 

[Crazybirds]

Great Job very inventive!!! I got my Yellowfoot from Marc...very pleased!

 

[movealongmosey]

I really like it too it'sa tiny thing now but your sully is gonna get BBIIGG!! I also got a redfoot from marc, he's a great breeder indeed. Did he send any sphagnum moss with your tort?

 

[Livingstone]

Lots of hard work there!!

How did you heat the humid hide? Is it a heat pad under the glass terrarium?

How tall are the walls on the upper level?