New to all of this!

[Toaoe]

Hi! I recently came into possession of a Sulcata. He's approximately 5-6 yrs old(?) and ~7" Long by 5"across the broadest part of his back. I've been researching what we should do to make him/her comfortable. (S)He's currently living in a rabbit cage (about 30" x 20"), has some coconut coir/dirt substrate and eats Grassland Tortoise food pellets. (S)He has some pyramiding happening. I got him/her a large saucer and filled it with water bc I noticed (S)He was always trying to sit in her water dish, but didn't fit and so she's been hanging out in there (I fill it up with warmish water and put it under the heat lamp so she can chill in her "pool").
HOWEVER, I also recently bought a house and have discussed bringing him/her home with me with my husband. We live in Western NY, so a permanent outdoor habitat is not really possible at the moment, but we will be building a enclosed "summer home" for him outdoors.

So, I guess any and all info and help would be great.

For the winter home, I'm considering using Plexiglas and silicone sealant to create a large box on a wooden base (I realize it's not ideal, but neither is 3ft of snow and freezing conditions). I can use whatever substrate is best and feed him whatever is best. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[saginawhxc]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of tortoises.

First off, that enclosure is way too small for a sully that size. They really really need room to roam for digestion reasons.

There really are so many things to tell you here, but so much of it has already been said by much more experienced people indifferent threads. If you go to the sulcata sub forum there are some wonderful care sheets stickied to the top. Read and memorize them. Also search for a thread called "Beginners mistakes". Those threads are crucial to any sulcatas keeper.

I would link all of them, but I really don't know how to do that from my phone. Sorry.

I know all the information you are about to absorb will be overwhelming, but every single one of us was there at one time or another. We will help you through it.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. I completely second the first post in this thread. One more thing. As for snowy winters, when your sulcata has a few more years of growth on him/her, with proper heated housing, she will be able to go out side in winter, even in the snow, with a little proper care and housing from you. So, plan on a big winter enclosure indoor or out.

 

[Toaoe]

Hello and Welcome. I completely second the first post in this thread. One more thing. As for snowy winters, when your sulcata has a few more years of growth on him/her, with proper heated housing, she will be able to go out side in winter, even in the snow, with a little proper care and housing from you. So, plan on a big winter enclosure indoor or out.

That would be awesome! He's apparently very small for his age. We're not even really sure what his gender is. We have almost 3 acres of property, so there is definitely room for Tortoisetopia!

 

[JoesMum]

Hi

I'm sure @Tom will be along shortly with his vast experience of Sulcatas.

In the meantime, I suggest you read the following

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[MParsons327]

Welcome, I'm from western New York as well. Where about are you located?

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

Please post pics of your tort, which would enable us to help you/give you advise more easily.

 

[Jodie]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. Keeping a Sulcata in cold climates is a challenge, but can be done with with effort.

 

[Toaoe]

Also, thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! This is definitely a new experience for me, but I'm super excited to be on this journey!

Welcome, I'm from western New York as well. Where about are you located?

We're in Rochester, NY

 

[MParsons327]

I'm in the horseheads area. I work in Ithaca. So a couple hours.

 

[MParsons327]

Gotta get this guy some more space. My little one is about 5 months old and would probably go crazy if I gave him so little room to move about! Looking forward to pictures though!

 

[Toaoe]

I took him outside today! My husband and I are planning on building a greenhouse (with proper heating) and exercise pen in our yard. Like I said before, we have almost 3acres, so there's tons of room for expansion and all that. He still lives at work because we just closed on the house yesterday, so once we're all moved in and I've got his temporary indoor enclosure done, we can bring him home.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome

 

[MParsons327]

Good looking tort. I'm excited to see the greenhouse come together.

 

[PJay]

Welcome to the forum! I used to live in a small town just south of Rochester. I wonder if a Sulcata can plow snow?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a rather belated but heartfelt welcome to Tortoise Forum.