Not sure what i am doing....

[Maro2Bear]

Another thing to upgrade are your thermometer and humidity sensors. The ones you have look to be the standard Petco ones that don't provide accurate readings. Homedepot or Lowes sells Accurite guages that work well. Think about a point n shoot temperature gun. One of these is what u REALLY want. Night temps? Look to use a ceramic heating element that is controlled by a thermostat. Definitely need larger enclosure very soon. Good luck, there is lots of good info on this forum that will steer you away from trouble. Long warm soaks daily! Our sully takes his baths at 105f. 30-45 mins/day.

 

[the_newzie]

on the enclosure I am not finding dimensions... maybe I am not reading the right place, I am finding lots on lighting and moisture and substrata, but not size.... are there any recommendations or at least minimums or designs??? my husband is a carpenter and can make anything maybe a web page or something where I can see them and get an idea?

I would definitely check out the forum dedicated to enclosures on this site. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-enclosures.7/
Many people have posted their own custom builds or what they've been able to buy.
As far as minimum size, I think as big as you can possibly fit inside your home is probably the minimum (that's only half joking, if you always build with the minimum in mind, you'll find yourself having to re-build each year to keep up with your ever growing tort ).

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Krys, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Krys Newnum]

I would definitely check out the forum dedicated to enclosures on this site. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-enclosures.7/
Many people have posted their own custom builds or what they've been able to buy.
As far as minimum size, I think as big as you can possibly fit inside your home is probably the minimum (that's only half joking, if you always build with the minimum in mind, you'll find yourself having to re-build each year to keep up with your ever growing tort ).

I was more looking for the minimum for until she can go outside

 

[Krys Newnum]

T

Hi Krys, and welcome to the Forum!

Thank you

 

[the_newzie]

I was more looking for the minimum for until she can go outside

Totally understand and I hope no offense was taken to my little half joke. In all seriousness, it's awesome that you are doing so much for your little tortoise! If everyone who owned a tortoise was willing to put in the research and work that you are putting into your tort, the world would be a much happier place! All the information/misinformation that you get at first will drive you crazy!! It's just a matter of finding people who have the experience and benefiting from their years of trial and error. Speaking of people with experience (not me), here's a thread from @Tom (who's advice has been invaluable to me and my tortoise) that talks about size and set up of an enclosure for a sulcata.

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

The specific section relating to size is quoted here:
" Enclosure size:
Simply put: The bigger the better. I start babies in a 4x8' closed chamber. As a minimum, I would suggest no smaller than 48"x18" for a tiny hatchling. They need room to roam around. Once you put in the food and water bowls, the humid hide, and any decorations or potted plants, there is hardly any room left over to walk. Tortoises do not tend to do as well when stuffed into small enclosures. For a sulcata, even 4x8' is only going to last a year or two. You might get three years with it for a leopard or slower growing sulcata."

I hope this was helpful!

 

[Krys Newnum]

Totally understand and I hope no offense was taken to my little half joke. In all seriousness, it's awesome that you are doing so much for your little tortoise! If everyone who owned a tortoise was willing to put in the research and work that you are putting into your tort, the world would be a much happier place! All the information/misinformation that you get at first will drive you crazy!! It's just a matter of finding people who have the experience and benefiting from their years of trial and error. Speaking of people with experience (not me), here's a thread from @Tom (who's advice has been invaluable to me and my tortoise) that talks about size and set up of an enclosure for a sulcata.

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

The specific section relating to size is quoted here:
" Enclosure size:
Simply put: The bigger the better. I start babies in a 4x8' closed chamber. As a minimum, I would suggest no smaller than 48"x18" for a tiny hatchling. They need room to roam around. Once you put in the food and water bowls, the humid hide, and any decorations or potted plants, there is hardly any room left over to walk. Tortoises do not tend to do as well when stuffed into small enclosures. For a sulcata, even 4x8' is only going to last a year or two. You might get three years with it for a leopard or slower growing sulcata."

I hope this was helpful!

Thank you!!! And no offense taken

 

[Jodie]

what do you mean regular bulb?

Just normal incandescent bulb. Play with the watts and height to get the right temp.

 

[Alaskamike]

Hi again
I noticed you said your husband is a carpenter. Wow. That sure will help.

As you look at the various designs in the enclosure section. Keep in mind the size of your tortoise. There is a bit of a difference in a habitat for hatchlings and one for a juvenile

A word on growth. My young Sulcata "Tiny" was 2.3 lbs when I got him off Craig's list in Sep 2014. Now , 14 months later he is 9.5 lbs. more than triple his size from a year ago. And I've seen others that grew faster , when raised properly.

He gains between 5-8% / month.

A gal was keeping him in a Rubbermaid container on the floor of her kitchen w/o any UV or heat and feeding him mostly lettuce. She did put him in her yard a few times a week to munch grass so he at least got some sunlight. He was pretty pyramided and that has greatly improved.

He is now outside year round here with a heated hide box & a burrow.

They all grow at their own rates. And spurts are common. But as you think about your environment keep in mind the challenges size presents.

If you could manage a 4' X 8' wood enclosure it would last you for a few years. That's a full sheet of plywood.
That way you would not be building a new one every 12 months.

I realize that kind of room is not available in most homes. But if possible would be ideal right now. But anything would improve on a 20 gal long fish tank.

You're doing real good seeking out suggestions and advice. It is a bit overwhelming at first - but well worth the effort.

Sulcatas are so much fun ! Good fortune with him.

 

[Krys Newnum]

Just normal incandescent bulb. Play with the watts and height to get the right temp.

Another thing to upgrade are your thermometer and humidity sensors. The ones you have look to be the standard Petco ones that don't provide accurate readings. Homedepot or Lowes sells Accurite guages that work well. Think about a point n shoot temperature gun. One of these is what u REALLY want. Night temps? Look to use a ceramic heating element that is controlled by a thermostat. Definitely need larger enclosure very soon. Good luck, there is lots of good info on this forum that will steer you away from trouble. Long warm soaks daily! Our sully takes his baths at 105f. 30-45 mins/day.

thank you for the tip on the termostate and humidity monitors... they are the ones from petco but I already had them so that's what I used. and I give her a warm bath everyday for about 30 minutes or so. we are working on building her a new enclosure but like I said we just got her and tried to use what we had to make her happy until I can get the right info and such. she seems happy... but im not a tortoise so I don't know. however, I have a question when she sits in the soak she pulls her head way in and rubs her arms with it and pops her jaw.... is that good or bad? she also does it after she eats. its almost like she is annoyed by something...

 

[Krys Newnum]

Hi again
I noticed you said your husband is a carpenter. Wow. That sure will help.

As you look at the various designs in the enclosure section. Keep in mind the size of your tortoise. There is a bit of a difference in a habitat for hatchlings and one for a juvenile

A word on growth. My young Sulcata "Tiny" was 2.3 lbs when I got him off Craig's list in Sep 2014. Now , 14 months later he is 9.5 lbs. more than triple his size from a year ago. And I've seen others that grew faster , when raised properly.

He gains between 5-8% / month.

A gal was keeping him in a Rubbermaid container on the floor of her kitchen w/o any UV or heat and feeding him mostly lettuce. She did put him in her yard a few times a week to munch grass so he at least got some sunlight. He was pretty pyramided and that has greatly improved.

He is now outside year round here with a heated hide box & a burrow.

They all grow at their own rates. And spurts are common. But as you think about your environment keep in mind the challenges size presents.

If you could manage a 4' X 8' wood enclosure it would last you for a few years. That's a full sheet of plywood.
That way you would not be building a new one every 12 months.

I realize that kind of room is not available in most homes. But if possible would be ideal right now. But anything would improve on a 20 gal long fish tank.

You're doing real good seeking out suggestions and advice. It is a bit overwhelming at first - but well worth the effort.

Sulcatas are so much fun ! Good fortune with him.

we looked at a lot of them last night and I think we have settled on a 3'x4' triple decked wood design with plexi exterior, with housing and burrow on top level for better heat and moisture, exercise room on middle level (just substrate and water and room to walk, then basking rock, soak pool, and live garden on lower... my husband and I discussed what we liked about the ones others built and kind of made our own.... I think it is going to look beautiful ( but i'm partial to my husbands work ) and she will have 36 square feet of living space and plenty of wandering room and exercise. also she will get used to ramps and not having everything in a straight line so she will explore more. I want to use light and heat on every level according to that levels use so there are some things to work out. but if we are doing this I want to do it right! her outdoor home will be easier just because we lucked out and have a GREAT place already done from a garden spot we had just have to add some tortoise things and remove the critter fence and put up the turtle wall!

 

[Krys Newnum]

just a general question... it is getting colder here in central Arkansas now, highs in the mid 60's.... but it is beautifully sunny. how cold is too cold to let Gertrude go play? (we found her a name!!! I have 5 kids and we drew from a hat!!!) Gerdy is really happy when we take her out of the enclosure and just let her wander around the living room with the dogs. for some reason she stays close to our English bulldog Bebo..... I think its cause he is warm and fat and just lays there and lets her!!! our yorkies bonnie and clyde aren't so eager to snuggle....but back to the question.... temps too cold even with the sunshine?

 

[Krys Newnum]

I have question for @Tom but don't know how to reach him so someone let him know.... would it be good or bad to make her top level (see previous post on enclosure idea please) with an automatic mister? I cant spray her all the time to keep her shell moist because we work full time and our kids go to school (and I haven't figured out how to teach the yorkies to use a spray bottle ). I was wanting the top level to be more like a green house you know very warm and damp. and let the moisture get less as the layers go down to encourage sleeping in the upper deck, and basking and eating in the lower... also I cant have too much moisture for the live garden. they will all be humid to a degree but is this an overall good idea or am I way off?

 

[GRohr]

we looked at a lot of them last night and I think we have settled on a 3'x4' triple decked wood design with plexi exterior, with housing and burrow on top level for better heat and moisture, exercise room on middle level (just substrate and water and room to walk, then basking rock, soak pool, and live garden on lower... my husband and I discussed what we liked about the ones others built and kind of made our own.... I think it is going to look beautiful ( but i'm partial to my husbands work ) and she will have 36 square feet of living space and plenty of wandering room and exercise. also she will get used to ramps and not having everything in a straight line so she will explore more. I want to use light and heat on every level according to that levels use so there are some things to work out. but if we are doing this I want to do it right! her outdoor home will be easier just because we lucked out and have a GREAT place already done from a garden spot we had just have to add some tortoise things and remove the critter fence and put up the turtle wall!

When you are done with the enclosure you should post pictures and info about it in the enclosure section! I can't wait to see how it turns out! I am glad you are giving the little guy so much space as I have found even my most shy red foot is 100% more active after getting the extra room which of course I enjoy watching! It is awesome seeing someone that is asking the right questions and not getting upset with the advice given or ignoring it (that happens a lot more often than you would think even on this forum). Good luck!

I think your plan sounds good but I don't have a sulcata but I want one! I would just recommend multiple temp gauges and easy access to each level so you can clean/fix anything the tort destroys. Also a temperature controller will make the heating very smooth and comfortable for the guy. Also, once the enclosure is set up with everything, I would run it for a couple days to make sure the heating/humidity is right. Nothing worse than high humidity and low night temps.

 

[Krys Newnum]

When you are done with the enclosure you should post pictures and info about it in the enclosure section! I can't wait to see how it turns out! I am glad you are giving the little guy so much space as I have found even my most shy red foot is 100% more active after getting the extra room which of course I enjoy watching! It is awesome seeing someone that is asking the right questions and not getting upset with the advice given or ignoring it (that happens a lot more often than you would think even on this forum). Good luck!

I think your plan sounds good but I don't have a sulcata but I want one! I would just recommend multiple temp gauges and easy access to each level so you can clean/fix anything the tort destroys. Also a temperature controller will make the heating very smooth and comfortable for the guy. Also, once the enclosure is set up with everything, I would run it for a couple days to make sure the heating/humidity is right. Nothing worse than high humidity and low night temps.

I will take all of that into account thanks!!! I appreciate the advise! I like the idea of temp control on each level too! that way I can have the upper warmer and stage the temps per level!

 

[Krys Newnum]

just a general question... it is getting colder here in central Arkansas now, highs in the mid 60's.... but it is beautifully sunny. how cold is too cold to let Gertrude go play? (we found her a name!!! I have 5 kids and we drew from a hat!!!) Gerdy is really happy when we take her out of the enclosure and just let her wander around the living room with the dogs. for some reason she stays close to our English bulldog Bebo..... I think its cause he is warm and fat and just lays there and lets her!!! our yorkies bonnie and clyde aren't so eager to snuggle....but back to the question.... temps too cold even with the sunshine?

I feel I should clarify that the area in the living room gerdy plays in is the "puppy" pen we have its a "platform" area the dogs play in. it has nothing in it but hay so gerdy cant get out but the dogs come and go as they please. its the size of a twin mattress and we used it when they were pups instead of a kennel they liked it better and they had room.... yorkies are small.

 

[teresaf]

Hi welcome to the forum! my observations from the pictures is 1.) I think it's older than 6 months because of all the pyramiding that's already happened. Over a year old, I would think. Maybe 2. And 2.) you can not tell if its a male or female probably for another 6 or 7 Years... Sorry. just flip a coin. Lol 3.) when you build an enclosure make sure it is A closed enclosure so that you can keep the heat and humidity in to stop the Pyramiding. if you put the doors on the front instead of on top it would make it easier for you to access the Little guy. you don't have to worry about putting air holes anywhere. you're going to be opening the doors every single day to feed him and that's when the exchange of air happens.have fun. 4.) the buttontype thermometer hygrometer that you get from Petco are not very adequate for high humidity applications. I have noticed that the humidity gets inside them and messes them up. my opinion anyway. I had a small tank with four of them in it and they all read differently after a week....

this was actually my favorite part after I figured out what stuff I need. I enjoyed making the enclosures.

 

[the_newzie]

I feel I should clarify that the area in the living room gerdy plays in is the "puppy" pen we have its a "platform" area the dogs play in. it has nothing in it but hay so gerdy cant get out but the dogs come and go as they please. its the size of a twin mattress and we used it when they were pups instead of a kennel they liked it better and they had room.... yorkies are small.

Hope you got your answer to your question about the triple decker home! That sounds like it's going to be awesome! Can't wait to see it!
Just to give you a heads up, you're probably going to get some opinions on mixing dogs and tortoises. You may want to do a basic search of this site for threads relating to keeping both dogs and tortoises in the same space. All dogs and tortoises are unique and special, but some of the experiences documented on this site may shed some light on just how big of a decision keeping the 2 together really is (I know they did for me). I have 2 very small, super sweet, wouldn't hurt a fly, friendly dogs, but they do not get to play with the tortoise. It's a decision that you will ultimately need to make for yourself, but it's also one you should be well read on before making.

 

[Krys Newnum]

Hope you got your answer to your question about the triple decker home! That sounds like it's going to be awesome! Can't wait to see it!
Just to give you a heads up, you're probably going to get some opinions on mixing dogs and tortoises. You may want to do a basic search of this site for threads relating to keeping both dogs and tortoises in the same space. All dogs and tortoises are unique and special, but some of the experiences documented on this site may shed some light on just how big of a decision keeping the 2 together really is (I know they did for me). I have 2 very small, super sweet, wouldn't hurt a fly, friendly dogs, but they do not get to play with the tortoise. It's a decision that you will ultimately need to make for yourself, but it's also one you should be well read on before making.

I have read the feed on here and I appreciate the heads up!!! and as an animal rescuer I know all too well how one day they can get along fine and then the next bam! I know that vagueness can be bothersome to most people but I do not take mixing animals lightly.... and would never recommend unsupervised mixing even for a second, and yes I am fully aware of how things can change from one second to the next even with you right there. this is not something I do regularly, it is also not for long periods and she is usually alone in the "living room". however she is family now and will be for a LONG time and introductions are best in a controlled environment as opposed to "SUPRISE!!! this now lives in your yard!!!" bulldogs are very thoughtful and suspicious dogs and Bebo needs to be familiar with her scent and appearance. she will be small the whole time he knows her because he is 7 now. I don't allow the yorkies to roam freely with her because they are not so accepting. they also wont be outside as often.... even though she will be inside an enclosure I don't want Bebo giving himself a heart attack trying to figure out what is in there and barking constantly stressing her and him and making her miserable. like you said some wont agree with how I do things all the time and I know that I will have to accept responsibility for what I do. but maybe this will curb some of the more hostile responses......

 

[Krys Newnum]

Hi welcome to the forum! my observations from the pictures is 1.) I think it's older than 6 months because of all the pyramiding that's already happened. Over a year old, I would think. Maybe 2. And 2.) you can not tell if its a male or female probably for another 6 or 7 Years... Sorry. just flip a coin. Lol 3.) when you build an enclosure make sure it is A closed enclosure so that you can keep the heat and humidity in to stop the Pyramiding. if you put the doors on the front instead of on top it would make it easier for you to access the Little guy. you don't have to worry about putting air holes anywhere. you're going to be opening the doors every single day to feed him and that's when the exchange of air happens.have fun. 4.) the buttontype thermometer hygrometer that you get from Petco are not very adequate for high humidity applications. I have noticed that the humidity gets inside them and messes them up. my opinion anyway. I had a small tank with four of them in it and they all read differently after a week....

this was actually my favorite part after I figured out what stuff I need. I enjoyed making the enclosures.

well "supposedly" the lady who gave her to my husband and I got her as a hatchling in NY from a breeder and has owned her the hole time (6 Mo) and the breeder said she used incubation control to ensure which were male and female.... not sure how that works but ya know! she is 4.5-5 inches front to back of shell and I don't know what she weighs yet.... I don't even know what the growth chart is for these guys.... thanks for the advise and encouragement!! I am working on the schematics for the enclosure now maybe I will post those... not sure yet.