new sulcatta

[Shawntheplumber]

Hello everyone. I just got a 12" sulcatta. He is great. Is it ok to move him around with me? like take him to my shop during the day, and bring him in the house at night. I am not sure if its ok to handle him like that all the time. I am also going to be building enclosures and need some advice.

 

[wellington]

He should be outside grazing all day if he wants and sleeping in the shade when he wants, not roaming around the floor of your shop or house
So no, it's really not okay.

 

[Shawntheplumber]

He should be outside grazing all day if he wants and sleeping in the shade when he wants, not roaming around the floor of your shop or house
So no, it's really not okay.

what is the reason?

 

[wellington]

As I already stated, grazing outside. Also, they need their own proper home. Too many get hurt or killed roaming the floors of ours houses. We seen it quite a few times on here over the many years. Stepped on, head closed in door, tort eats stuff in floor, on and on. They are not a dog that would do fine going to your shop.
They need to be able to be a tortoise, outside when temps are right and doing what they like to do, roam, eat and sleep.
Also, tortoises do not like change, specially older ones. Each time you take it back and forth, he has to get adjusted the the now new enclosure and then he's ripped out of it daily to get put into yet another new enclosure. Very stressful when in new territory and takes quite a while for them to get used to that routing, if they ever do, so now he lives a stressed life which can make him sick or dead.

 

[Shawntheplumber]

As I already stated, grazing outside. Also, they need their own proper home. Too many get hurt or killed roaming the floors of ours houses. We seen it quite a few times on here over the many years. Stepped on, head closed in door, tort eats stuff in floor, on and on. They are not a dog that would do fine going to your shop.
They need to be able to be a tortoise, outside when temps are right and doing what they like to do, roam, eat and sleep.

im a bit confused. is it unhealthy for the tortoise? you are assuming i my house is dangerous, it is not. my yard is not the desert. i live in michigan so i need to plan for the cold. what about food…. all fruits and vegetables or is tortoise pellets ok ?

 

[Shawntheplumber]

another thing is the light. does the metal halide bother them? should i let him soak once a day to get him to poop? i want to keep him happy, with what i can offer. i rescued him from a guy that kept him in a tiny box.

 

[wellington]

You need to read the care sheet under the sulcata section.
No fruit
Tortoise safe weeds and flowers, grass, hay, tortoise pellets, optunia cactus pads just a few items you ne
ed to feed.
Mercury vapor bulb and metal halide should not be used they are too harsh on the shell. Incandescent flood bulb for basking and radiant heat panels or Kane heat mat with heat about it or portable oil filled radiator heater for winter and day and night heat when needed.
Yes, unhealthy for your tortoise. Everyone's house is dangerous for the tortoise to be walking around on the house floors. They need their own enclosure. If you are dedicating a room to a tortoise then they can walk around on the floor but because the whole room would be used and set up just for them
He needs a clay saucer big enough for him to get into to self soak and too drink. His size you can soak once or twice a week, but more often will not hurt. You want to try and get 80% humidity in the enclosure or at least in the hide he sleeps in.
I know Michigan weather, I'm from there and now in Chicago. He will need a large shed for winter when he gets a little bigger which will be next year or two.
He needs to be living outside during summer with a night box at night you lock him into for the night, let him out every morning
Read the sulcata section threads and caresheets. You have a lot to do and learn to get things right for him.

 

[SinLA]

Hi @Shawntheplumber, unfortunately a lot of people see the way to raise a sulcatta by seeing what people do online - there are lots of instagram and youtube "stars" who just let their tortoises roam free. And it can work, but what you don't see is when it doesn't. And that's what the people who have been on this forum for a long time see. You say "my house isn't dangerous" that right there shows you really aren't looking at the best way to raise one. Your house IS dangerous. They get stepped on, they can eat things that fall on the floor, they can walk over something accidentally that hurts them. When people say "houses are dangerous" they aren't referring to weirdo people who keep knives on the floor, they are talking about regular everyday houses just like yours - your house is no different than anybody else's house - but its still dangerous to a tortoise.

Unfortunately a lot of people get the idea that tortoises are easy to keep. They aren't, especially sulcattas. Many people keep them "badly" and they survive (or not) but they don't thrive. if you want to have a healthy thriving tortoise, you need to really read and absorb the extensive care sheets.

The fact is many many people get tortoises. If you read this board loan enough you'll see how many of them don't survive because people just do what they see online or whatever.

Also - this is what life with an indoor sulcata can be like. They don't show this on IG either...

 

[Tom]

im a bit confused. is it unhealthy for the tortoise? you are assuming i my house is dangerous, it is not. my yard is not the desert. i live in michigan so i need to plan for the cold. what about food…. all fruits and vegetables or is tortoise pellets ok ?

Hello and welcome. Please start here. This will explain a lot of what is being said here. Our goal is to help you wade through the sea of terrible sulcata care info and get you the correct info. There is a sulcata care sheet at the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Shawntheplumber]

You need to read the care sheet under the sulcata section.
No fruit
Tortoise safe weeds and flowers, grass, hay, tortoise pellets, optunia cactus pads just a few items you ne
ed to feed.
Mercury vapor bulb and metal halide should not be used they are too harsh on the shell. Incandescent flood bulb for basking and radiant heat panels or Kane heat mat with heat about it or portable oil filled radiator heater for winter and day and night heat when needed.
Yes, unhealthy for your tortoise. Everyone's house is dangerous for the tortoise to be walking around on the house floors. They need their own enclosure. If you are dedicating a room to a tortoise then they can walk around on the floor but because the whole room would be used and set up just for them
He needs a clay saucer big enough for him to get into to self soak and too drink. His size you can soak once or twice a week, but more often will not hurt. You want to try and get 80% humidity in the enclosure or at least in the hide he sleeps in.
I know Michigan weather, I'm from there and now in Chicago. He will need a large shed for winter when he gets a little bigger which will be next year or two.
He needs to be living outside during summer with a night box at night you lock him into for the night, let him out every morning
Read the sulcata section threads and caresheets. You have a lot to do and learn to get things right for him.

thank you

You need to read the care sheet under the sulcata section.
No fruit
Tortoise safe weeds and flowers, grass, hay, tortoise pellets, optunia cactus pads just a few items you ne
ed to feed.
Mercury vapor bulb and metal halide should not be used they are too harsh on the shell. Incandescent flood bulb for basking and radiant heat panels or Kane heat mat with heat about it or portable oil filled radiator heater for winter and day and night heat when needed.
Yes, unhealthy for your tortoise. Everyone's house is dangerous for the tortoise to be walking around on the house floors. They need their own enclosure. If you are dedicating a room to a tortoise then they can walk around on the floor but because the whole room would be used and set up just for them
He needs a clay saucer big enough for him to get into to self soak and too drink. His size you can soak once or twice a week, but more often will not hurt. You want to try and get 80% humidity in the enclosure or at least in the hide he sleeps in.
I know Michigan weather, I'm from there and now in Chicago. He will need a large shed for winter when he gets a little bigger which will be next year or two.
He needs to be living outside during summer with a night box at night you lock him into for the night, let him out every morning
Read the sulcata section threads and caresheets. You have a lot to do and learn to get things right for him.

thank you

 

[Shawntheplumber]

Hi @Shawntheplumber, unfortunately a lot of people see the way to raise a sulcatta by seeing what people do online - there are lots of instagram and youtube "stars" who just let their tortoises roam free. And it can work, but what you don't see is when it doesn't. And that's what the people who have been on this forum for a long time see. You say "my house isn't dangerous" that right there shows you really aren't looking at the best way to raise one. Your house IS dangerous. They get stepped on, they can eat things that fall on the floor, they can walk over something accidentally that hurts them. When people say "houses are dangerous" they aren't referring to weirdo people who keep knives on the floor, they are talking about regular everyday houses just like yours - your house is no different than anybody else's house - but its still dangerous to a tortoise.

Unfortunately a lot of people get the idea that tortoises are easy to keep. They aren't, especially sulcattas. Many people keep them "badly" and they survive (or not) but they don't thrive. if you want to have a healthy thriving tortoise, you need to really read and absorb the extensive care sheets.

The fact is many many people get tortoises. If you read this board loan enough you'll see how many of them don't survive because people just do what they see online or whatever.

Also - this is what life with an indoor sulcata can be like. They don't show this on IG either...

i dont watch youtube very much. i do want to do everything i can for this guy. do you have any pictures of your enclosure? i can give him what he needs. i just need direction. thank you for your advice. i will not let him walk on the floor anymore, i will remove the metal halide light, and no more fruit. what about if hes outside and it rains?

 

[Tom]

what about if hes outside and it rains?

The answer depends on the temperature, the enclosure, and what shelter is available.

 

[Shawntheplumber]

The answer depends on the temperature, the enclosure, and what shelter is available.

this is what i’m working on currently.

 

[Tom]

this is what i’m working on currently.

That is way too small for a 12 inch sulcata. That would be okay for a 4-6 inch sulcata. You need something at least 1000 sq. feet now, and much more room coming soon. Access to that lucious green grass would also be the best way to "feed" your new tortoise, as long as there are not the typical toxic yard chemicals applied.

You also need a heated night box for shelter. They use these in lieu of a burrow. Here are two examples with safe effective heating strategies:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org