Hello. We have a 21 year old Sulcatta that we adopted 1-1/2 years ago. Our boy Tank has been inside his nice house for 3 days now. Monday was cool and cloudy with a daytime temperature of 58-60. Had little sun. Tuesday and today, Wednesday was the same outdoor temperature with some nice sun. My main question, is it normal for them to stay all cosy inside their nice dog house thus time of the year and nor come outside during to get some sun? Normally he comes out with some sun but not the past 3 days. We live in Southern California. Thanks for your advice and expertise.
Sulcattas behavior in the Winter
- Thread starter Tank26
- Start date
Welcome to The Forum. It is not uncommon for my adult sulcata to sit inside on a day that I think he should be outside sunning himself. Usually I check the temperature in his night box to make sure it is at least 80° at the floor level. This time of year I like to keep his box temperature around 85° all the time.
You didn't mention if your tortoise's house is heated. Yes, even in southern California a sulcata tortoise needs a heated shelter. Once a large tortoise like yours is allowed to have his inner core temperature cool down, it takes quite a while for him to be able to get it back up where it belongs. You can use a pig blanket on the floor or a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) overhead, but be sure it doesn't hang too close to the top of the tortoise's shell. They don't realize they're being 'cooked' when a CHE is hanging to close to them.
Hello and welcome. Dog houses don't work well as tortoise houses. The doors are too big, ceilings too high, they are too drafty, and they are not insulated well enough to keep them warm enough on our cold winter nights. If your tortoise is getting too cold at night, it will shut down. This can cause food to rot in the gut, and it can also bring on a respiratory infection.
Here are a couple of examples of how to make a tortoise box and heat it:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
Your questions and conversation are welcome.
I too live in S.CA, My tort is unusually active right now! I posted a topic on this a while back. He is 10 or 11 yrs old. He's been coming out of his house about 9 am and starts his roaming and grazing. Eating like a horse! It seems that in years past he wasn't this active this time of year.
Maybe try bumping up the temperature of his house. May warm up his core enough to bring him out.
Maybe try bumping up the temperature of his house. May warm up his core enough to bring him out.
Hello, I'm sorry I forgot to mention that we do have his house heated. I have 2 lamps. One of those ceramic lamps (100 Watt) and one (100 Watt) red basking lamp for a tortoise. I don't have a pig blanket but purchased a red 18 x 28 Kane brand on Amazon today and it will arrive on Saturday. I think once I put that pig blanket inside his nice house that will make things better for him. It is quite cold this Winter for us here this year even in Long Beach. Thank you so much for your reply and help.
Once you get the Kane, get rid of the red light. You should get a thermostat with a probe so you can monitor and control the temperature of the house. The insulation and door of the house make a big difference in how warm it gets inside. If you need more heat, a RHP (radiant heat panel) mounted on the ceiling is much better for large tortoises than a lamp. It heats up a larger area evenly. We've been getting down in the mid 30s at night here, and these two things plus a good door and insulation keep Charlie between 78F and 83F. If your tortoise isn't get up to 80F at least a good part of the time, he won't feel like coming out to eat.
Charlie comes out every day unless it is overcast. He seems to judge whether to come out based on the amount of light rather than how warm it is.
