Emily Contreras

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
275
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
My sulcata baby is about.. 2 inches. smaller than my palm. I want to put him outside when he gets bigger, I live in AZ so there is hawks, is 6 months ok to put him outside full time? Im eager to put him outside because he is alot more lively and happy outside. He hates his enclosure (even though now its big, the humidity is PERFECT, and so is the temperature. He loves his hour of outdoor time, he hardly eats or drinks inside, only outdoors. I really want him to be in my yard! I just want him to be happier. How big in inches will a sulcata be by 6 months? I had baby chickens that stayed outside free range as tiny, tiny babies (not even all feathers) And nothing seemed to target them, eventually they learned how to jump high, one of them left, and most likely got eaten or ran over. I dont have a fence. I have a cement wall. So no tortoises can go through or dig under that. And I have little to no plants. But I am currently growing a hibiscus bush and grass in the area his out door enclosure should be at. (Its a very, very big space that has alot of weeds and stuff (dandelions, and those other weeds you see) Im making sure my bug guy doesn't ever spray those weeds. (only the ones on the outside of where im going to put a fence.

So what do you think? Is 6 months acceptable for him to be outside full time? And if so, what features should I add? Like a cooled down hide? How should I do that? Because in arizona, it can get up to 120. And around here we get alot of desert tortoises that show up once and a while in our neighborhood because of how close we live to this big patch of desert. Anyways, what do yall think? Please respond.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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How long will that take lol.. I just want him to be happier.
They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. Your tortoise will not be 10" in 6 months.

We should examine why you think your tortoise doesn't like his inside enclosure and make it better. What kind of heating and lighting are you using? That is the first thing I'd look at.

For outside, your tortoise will need to be able to burrow to escape the summer heat, and then he will need a heated night box to escape the winter cold. It will also need a lot of shade, so you might want to get started planting things ASAP, so that you'll have some good shade by the time he's big enough to love outside. Mulberry trees work very well for this purpose and are excellent tortoise food too. Be sure to get the fruitless variety. They do well In AZ. I see them there every time I go.
 

Emily Contreras

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
275
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. Your tortoise will not be 10" in 6 months.

We should examine why you think your tortoise doesn't like his inside enclosure and make it better. What kind of heating and lighting are you using? That is the first thing I'd look at.

For outside, your tortoise will need to be able to burrow to escape the summer heat, and then he will need a heated night box to escape the winter cold. It will also need a lot of shade, so you might want to get started planting things ASAP, so that you'll have some good shade by the time he's big enough to love outside. Mulberry trees work very well for this purpose and are excellent tortoise food too. Be sure to get the fruitless variety. They do well In AZ. I see them there every time I go.
Oh Okay, awesome, I'll wait until maybe 2 years to put him outside. He is so small right now but I noticed he is DIGGING in his enclosure, Right now I don't have the right lighting, (Courtesy of those good for nothing pet stores :mad: ) We are getting him a new one tomorrow. I think that is the problem. By september 7th I'm going to get him A BUNCH of things that he needs. And I'm glad they do good in arizona. I sure as heck dont lol. Anyways, thank you for the advice! How big do they get in 6 months? I know you have LOTS of torts
 

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