Sulcata at the beach

[AudgePaudge]

Hey! It’s been a looong while since I posted on this forum but there was something that I was curious about and thought I’d ask.
So basically, I have a pretty big sulcata, I think I’ve had him since 2017 (when I was in 7th grade [I am now graduating HS]) and I live at the beach. I was wondering if I could take him to the beach during the summer to get some sunshine and exercise, as there isn’t much space for him to explore at our house (they spray the grass- ugh). When I originally got him we lived in a house with a lot of outdoor space for him to walk around, plus an outdoor enclosure, AND he was small but my parents are more fashion over function types and we ended up moving to a townhome with a yard spraying regimen. Anyways, I used to take him to the beach a lot when he was little and could fit in a pet carrier, as back then we had to drive to the beach but now that we’re walking distance, I thought, maybe I should begin doing that again? He doesn’t wander very far from me, and doesn’t dig much at all. Plus our beach access is private so I’m not worried about foot traffic or dogs. My only concern is his appetite- when he was little he would try to taste the sand/tiny pieces of shell mixed in, even when he had eaten a ton of food at home. I’m not sure if he’d still do that but I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t hurt him if he did.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Hum, curious question, , , on the surface, I would say, go for it.
It would probably be best walking on the "packed" sand. My only concern would be for what you mentioned, with him eating the sand. But if he's a big sulcata, I would think he would have to eat a fair amount of sand to get impacted.

 

[Tom]

Hey! It’s been a looong while since I posted on this forum but there was something that I was curious about and thought I’d ask.
So basically, I have a pretty big sulcata, I think I’ve had him since 2017 (when I was in 7th grade [I am now graduating HS]) and I live at the beach. I was wondering if I could take him to the beach during the summer to get some sunshine and exercise, as there isn’t much space for him to explore at our house (they spray the grass- ugh). When I originally got him we lived in a house with a lot of outdoor space for him to walk around, plus an outdoor enclosure, AND he was small but my parents are more fashion over function types and we ended up moving to a townhome with a yard spraying regimen. Anyways, I used to take him to the beach a lot when he was little and could fit in a pet carrier, as back then we had to drive to the beach but now that we’re walking distance, I thought, maybe I should begin doing that again? He doesn’t wander very far from me, and doesn’t dig much at all. Plus our beach access is private so I’m not worried about foot traffic or dogs. My only concern is his appetite- when he was little he would try to taste the sand/tiny pieces of shell mixed in, even when he had eaten a ton of food at home. I’m not sure if he’d still do that but I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t hurt him if he did.

Not a good idea. Sand impaction is likely. Eating some sort of foreign body is likely. There is also no shade at the beach, unless your beaches are different than the west coast beaches.

I'm sorry to tell you that if your house doesn't have a suitable giant outdoor area for a giant tortoise, then you need to give the tortoise to someone who does have that kind of space. Going to the beach once in a while will not solve this problem.

 

[wellington]

Sadly Tom is the one you should really listen too on this and really put some thought into the torts future. At 5 years old he should be living outside 24/7 with a big yard and a night box or shed.

 

[AudgePaudge]

Yeah he’s outside during the day on our porch that’s pretty big and at night I move him to an enclosure in the garage with a heating lamp. I just wanted him to have a place where he could have like full reign some times where there were no walls or anything.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yeah he’s outside during the day on our porch that’s pretty big and at night I move him to an enclosure in the garage with a heating lamp. I just wanted him to have a place where he could have like full reign some times where there were no walls or anything.

Use a heat source at night that doesn't emit light.
You need (he needs) 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. More or less. To mimic a day's cycle.

 

[TammyJ]

Can we see a picture of your guy?

 

[Kipley]

Any of you follow the Adventures of Kobae the Sulcata in Moab, Utah? "Base Camp Lodge" is the facebook page where Kobae is often featured. Since he was a tiny tort Kobae has spent his summers in the Utah desert and his winters in San Diego. He is over a 100 lbs now, and "free ranges" when in Moab. He never wanders far from the Base Camp, and often takes long walks with his owner and their Jack Russell. The return walk is often quite long as Kobae needs constant redirection.
Decades of this and he has never had an issue with impactions. He has a nice insulated pit house that where he spends nights and where he can escape from the desert heat. He also has a...romantic relationship with a certain set of steps at the lodge.

 

[TammyJ]

So, since we can't all be "Kobae the Invincible", let's thank our owners for NOT letting us live in sand!!!😅

 

[Kipley]

So, since we can't all be "Kobae the Invincible", let's thank our owners for NOT letting us live in sand!!!😅

There is very little sand where Kobae spends his summers. I should have clarified that to prevent such assumptions I guess. Lots of sandstone, rocks and pebbles, but it is not the Sahara.

 

[TammyJ]

There is very little sand where Kobae spends his summers. I should have clarified that to prevent such assumptions I guess. Lots of sandstone, rocks and pebbles, but it is not the Sahara.

Glad to know.