Soaking and humidity for larger Sulcatas

[stack331]

My Sulcata is maybe 6-7 years old and about 16-17 pounds.

He hates his warm water soaks, so I put him in a plastic tub once a week - but I'm curious about what people do when Sulcatas get REALLY big and are too heavy to be forced into a bath. Do you give up on soaking once they're older? He has free access to water as well and will drink, but will not get in water of his own free will.

Similarly, I'm wondering if I need to be adding a source of humidity into his enclosure. He lives outside and has a temperature controlled house he spends colder months and nights in. It has a rubber floor and I place clean hay down as bedding and emergency snacking.

 

[Tom]

My Sulcata is maybe 6-7 years old and about 16-17 pounds.

He hates his warm water soaks, so I put him in a plastic tub once a week - but I'm curious about what people do when Sulcatas get REALLY big and are too heavy to be forced into a bath. Do you give up on soaking once they're older? He has free access to water as well and will drink, but will not get in water of his own free will.

Similarly, I'm wondering if I need to be adding a source of humidity into his enclosure. He lives outside and has a temperature controlled house he spends colder months and nights in. It has a rubber floor and I place clean hay down as bedding and emergency snacking.

I just pick them up and put them in their tubs. Size doesn't matter. I do this once or twice a week in summer, and less in winter.

Your tortoise is very small for its age. This is likely due to incorrect temperatures. Most people keep them too cool in winter and too dry in general. Not your fault, as the wrong care info is still rampant and has been repeated for decades.

How are you heating the night house? Is it insulated? Is the floor insulated other than the rubber floor? What is the low temperature in there over night in winter?

Here are two examples of ways to do it::

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

 

[stack331]

I just pick them up and put them in their tubs. Size doesn't matter. I do this once or twice a week in summer, and less in winter.

Your tortoise is very small for its age. This is likely due to incorrect temperatures. Most people keep them too cool in winter and too dry in general. Not your fault, as the wrong care info is still rampant and has been repeated for decades.

How are you heating the night house? Is it insulated? Is the floor insulated other than the rubber floor? What is the low temperature in there over night in winter?

Here are two examples of ways to do it::

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

Thank you for your reply! The house we have is similar to the first and the temp never gets below 72 F. From what I read that sufficient, but please let me know if not.

I’m not surprised he’s small for his age. I adopted him a year ago from a pretty neglectful scenario. Poor guy was living in a hollowed out speaker box made of mdf, with only a basking rock as a heat source.

He’s grown a lot in the past year so I think he’s on the right track now! And I’ll continue the soaks 1-2 times a week.

I’d appreciate any advice on whether I need to be controlling the humidity in his house.

 

[stack331]

Thank you for your reply! The house we have is similar to the first and the temp never gets below 72 F. From what I read that sufficient, but please let me know if not.

I’m not surprised he’s small for his age. I adopted him a year ago from a pretty neglectful scenario. Poor guy was living in a hollowed out speaker box made of mdf, with only a basking rock as a heat source.

He’s grown a lot in the past year so I think he’s on the right track now! And I’ll continue the soaks 1-2 times a week.

I’d appreciate any advice on whether I need to be controlling the humidity in his house.

Oh and for reference I live in San Francisco, so there’s a good amount of humidity and fog. Nighttime winter temps in my part of the city are rarely below 50. We’re in a very sunny and warm part of SF.

 

[OliveW]

My Sulcata is maybe 6-7 years old and about 16-17 pounds.

He hates his warm water soaks, so I put him in a plastic tub once a week - but I'm curious about what people do when Sulcatas get REALLY big and are too heavy to be forced into a bath. Do you give up on soaking once they're older? He has free access to water as well and will drink, but will not get in water of his own free will.

Similarly, I'm wondering if I need to be adding a source of humidity into his enclosure. He lives outside and has a temperature controlled house he spends colder months and nights in. It has a rubber floor and I place clean hay down as bedding and emergency snacking.

My boy is only 7 lbs and I recently got him a small kiddie pool that he loves! He will spend at least 30 minutes in it before trying to get out. He used to hate forced soaks.

I also realized that mine won't willingly go into a water pond that is any man made materials. He does, however, love a mud hole. I have to keep a slow drip going into it so it doesn't all soak into the ground. When he gets bigger, and the mud hole/pond needs to be bigger, I'm sure it will require more of a steady water feed.

The really positive thing about a natural water hole is that you don't have to clean it out. Everything soaks into the ground. When he gets too heavy for me to lift, hopefully he will continue doing self soaks.

 

[Tom]

Thank you for your reply! The house we have is similar to the first and the temp never gets below 72 F. From what I read that sufficient, but please let me know if not.

I’m not surprised he’s small for his age. I adopted him a year ago from a pretty neglectful scenario. Poor guy was living in a hollowed out speaker box made of mdf, with only a basking rock as a heat source.

He’s grown a lot in the past year so I think he’s on the right track now! And I’ll continue the soaks 1-2 times a week.

I’d appreciate any advice on whether I need to be controlling the humidity in his house.

72 is too cool. It should be no lower than 80. The ground temps where wild sulcatas live and spend 95% of their lives, is always 80-85 year round. They warm up above 80-85 in the sun at the mouth of their burrows in the morning and then retreat underground to void the heat of the day.

In winter when outdoor temps are lower, I set the box thermostat to 86. In summer, when our daytime highs ae always around 100, I let them live in self-dug burrows and unplug the night boxes. I don't thin it gets warm enough where you are for this. What are your typical daytime highs in summer and winter?

 

[stack331]

72 is too cool. It should be no lower than 80. The ground temps where wild sulcatas live and spend 95% of their lives, is always 80-85 year round. They warm up above 80-85 in the sun at the mouth of their burrows in the morning and then retreat underground to void the heat of the day.

In winter when outdoor temps are lower, I set the box thermostat to 86. In summer, when our daytime highs ae always around 100, I let them live in self-dug burrows and unplug the night boxes. I don't thin it gets warm enough where you are for this. What are your typical daytime highs in summer and winter?

Okay thank you, good to know! I’ll up the temp and make sure his box is insulated enough to maintain it. The temp probe captures the data over time so it’s easy to see how well it’s holding heat.

The weather stripping around the lid will be a good addition if not. I’ll try a tray of water inside too like the examples included.

We get up to high 70s some days in the summer. His box often reads in the high 90s since it gets direct sun.

 

[stack331]

My boy is only 7 lbs and I recently got him a small kiddie pool that he loves! He will spend at least 30 minutes in it before trying to get out. He used to hate forced soaks.

I also realized that mine won't willingly go into a water pond that is any man made materials. He does, however, love a mud hole. I have to keep a slow drip going into it so it doesn't all soak into the ground. When he gets bigger, and the mud hole/pond needs to be bigger, I'm sure it will require more of a steady water feed.

The really positive thing about a natural water hole is that you don't have to clean it out. Everything soaks into the ground. When he gets too heavy for me to lift, hopefully he will continue doing self soaks.

Thanks for sharing! I’ll try some mud and see if he likes that better.

 

[Marissakataoka]

My Sulcata is maybe 6-7 years old and about 16-17 pounds.

He hates his warm water soaks, so I put him in a plastic tub once a week - but I'm curious about what people do when Sulcatas get REALLY big and are too heavy to be forced into a bath. Do you give up on soaking once they're older? He has free access to water as well and will drink, but will not get in water of his own free will.

Similarly, I'm wondering if I need to be adding a source of humidity into his enclosure. He lives outside and has a temperature controlled house he spends colder months and nights in. It has a rubber floor and I place clean hay down as bedding and emergency snacking.

I built a pond for my tortoises and they go in and love the pond! It’s very shallow and they have free access to it all day everyday. I live in California and the sun water is very warm from the sun.