Sprinkler for my sulcatas

[Groot&Rosie]

Hey guys! I just got two sulcatas around 8 years old. I have a little pond in their outdoor enclosure but they hardly use it. I was wondering can they hydrate from a sprinkler? Or should I still try to soak them or try to encourage the use of the pond? Thanks!

 

[TriciaStringer]

Sprinklers work great to cool them off. You should still soak them 1-2 times a week.

 

[TechnoCheese]

If they’re in the same enclosure, I would get them separated. Tortoises, especially territorial species like sulcatas, are solitary animals and having a pair is a recipe for disaster. In pairs, there is always a dominant and a subordinate, and neither can ever escape from eachother.

 

[Groot&Rosie]

TechnoCheese that is what I have read! I recently got them from a family friend and they have been together for years. One is female and the other is male, so the research I have done if you are going to do it that's the way to do it. They have a decent size enclosure that is inside and a oversized dog door to be able to go to their own yard so they have plenty of room to separate if they wish.

 

[TechnoCheese]

TechnoCheese that is what I have read! I recently got them from a family friend and they have been together for years. One is female and the other is male, so the research I have done if you are going to do it that's the way to do it. They have a decent size enclosure that is inside and a oversized dog door to be able to go to their own yard so they have plenty of room to separate if they wish.

The thing is, even in a large enclosure, they can never fully escape from each other. In the wild this wouldn’t be an issue at all, but in captivity they can actively seek each other out and neither would be able to get away. They may have been together for 8 years, but all that means is that they’ve lived with the stress for that long.

 

[Groot&Rosie]

The thing is, even in a large enclosure, they can never fully escape from each other. In the wild this wouldn’t be an issue at all, but in captivity they can actively seek each other out and neither would be able to get away. They may have been together for 8 years, but all that means is that they’ve lived with the stress for that long.

As of now they leave each other alone unless they are doing the deed. I will definitely keep my eyes open for anything like that though. Thanks

 

[TechnoCheese]

As of now they leave each other alone unless they are doing the deed. I will definitely keep my eyes open for anything like that though. Thanks

If doing the deed is mating, they definitely need to be separated. In pairs of females and males, the male will almost always overbreed the female. It is highly stressful for the female, and that stress leads to all sorts of illnesses from lowered immune system. In addition, tortoises use mounting as a way to assert dominance.

Even when breeding, tortoises should always be kept in a group of at least three, and if that is not possible, the male should always be removed after successfully breeding the female. They should never be allowed to stay together, because overbreeding will occur.

 

[Groot&Rosie]

As of now they leave each other alone unless they are doing the deed. I will definitely keep my eyes open for anything like that though. Thanks

Also you seem to be knowledgeable so maybe you can answer another one of my questions. Does wattage one heat lamps matter? Or is the ultimate goal getting the basking area around 100°? For instance a 50 watt bulb really low compared to a 250 watt bulb up high?

 

[TriciaStringer]

Tom recommends a 65watt flood bulb. I got mine at Walmart.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Also you seem to be knowledgeable so maybe you can answer another one of my questions. Does wattage one heat lamps matter? Or is the ultimate goal getting the basking area around 100°? For instance a 50 watt bulb really low compared to a 250 watt bulb up high?

If the tortoises are large and living in an outdoor enclosure with a heated nightbox/shed, heat lamps should not be used. They often cause slow burns to their shells. Instead, large heat mats mad for pigs, radiant heaters, and oil heaters should be used.

How large are the tortoises? Could we see pictures?

 

[TriciaStringer]

If the tortoises are large and living in an outdoor enclosure with a heated nightbox/shed, heat lamps should not be used. They often cause slow burns to their shells. Instead, large heat mats mad for pigs, radiant heaters, and oil heaters should be used.

How large are the tortoises? Could we see pictures?

I like the oil heater. They are too big for the basking light type. Sorry about that.

 

[Groot&Rosie]

Here they are. The female is on the left and the male is on the right. I haven't measured or weighed them, but I'd guess that the male is about 50lbs and the female is around 40. I just rescued them about a week ago and am still very much in the learning process. I have two lamps now that I spread out so they don't have to huddle together like that and I measured the temp in their basking area, it varies from 90-105 depending on the time of day and the temperature in their enclosure.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Here they are. The female is on the left and the male is on the right. I haven't measured or weighed them, but I'd guess that the male is about 50lbs and the female is around 40. I just rescued them about a week ago and am still very much in the learning process. I have two lamps now that I spread out so they don't have to huddle together like that and I measured the temp in their basking area, it varies from 90-105 depending on the time of day and the temperature in their enclosure.

Yeah, I wouldn’t use the lamp. Even having it farther away from that will cause slow burns. You need a large shed for each of them, or at least two heated night boxes.

 

[TechnoCheese]

I love the paintings on the walls!

 

[Groot&Rosie]

I love the paintings on the walls!

Thank you! There tortoises are kind of my pets. So it was my way of getting the wife and kid excited about it!

 

[Groot&Rosie]

Yeah, I wouldn’t use the lamp. Even having it farther away from that will cause slow burns. You need a large shed for each of them, or at least two heated night boxes.

The problem is though I live in Utah and we have cold Winters so they won't be able to go outside in the winter so I will want the heating laps then right?

 

[TechnoCheese]

The problem is though I live in Utah and we have cold Winters so they won't be able to go outside in the winter so I will want the heating laps then right?

While it’s not preferred for them to be going outside in such cold weather, it can still be done with heated, 8x12 foot sheds with a night box inside. That way, they can go into the shed to warm up, and come back out when they’re ready. You would lock them in at night.
Since they need to be separated, you would have to make two.

Winter is going to be here soon, so I would recommend that you start building as soon as you can. If two sheds that big aren’t possible, it wouldn’t be a crime to keep them in one until you can build another, but it still wouldn’t be great.

 

[TechnoCheese]

The problem is though I live in Utah and we have cold Winters so they won't be able to go outside in the winter so I will want the heating laps then right?

No, no heat lamps. They will cause slow burns on the top of their shells. You need a large heat mat made for pigs, an oil heater they don’t have access to, or a radiant heat panel at the top of a nightbox.

 

[Groot&Rosie]

here is their full enclosure. I am still working on how to make the fence not see through (if you have cheap ideas let me know!). As you can see I don't have many more options for a second enclosure or much more room inside. I also have dogs so that limits it if I want to keep them seperated.

 

[Groot&Rosie]

No, no heat lamps. They will cause slow burns on the top of their shells. You need a large heat mat made for pigs, an oil heater they don’t have access to, or a radiant heat panel at the top of a nightbox.

So I got a space heater with a thermostat that keeps the inside above 68° so should I get rid of the basking area all together? All the information I have found online says they need a basking area that is around 100°