Sunny’s new enclosure

[VegasJeff]

So quick update, I positively identified my rescue hatchling as a Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai). That species is from the other side of the Colorado river so it appears someone may be breeding them here or they were brought from the other side.

I named the tortoise Sunny, kind of a play off the species name and it will work either way once the sex is determined.

I’ve been working on a shoestring budget and finally got something better than the shoebox he was living in. I used recommendations of forum members and went with a big Sterilite plastic bin and I got Coco Coir from the pet store. There’s no lighting as I take him outside nearly every day for 30 minutes or so. Tell me what you think!

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

I dont know to much about the species but that enclosure is nowhere close to big enough for that guy. And he will need a heat lamp for a basking spot.. they need heat to digest their food properly

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Maybe @Tom or @Yvonne G can give u more info on the species

 

[VegasJeff]

I dont know to much about the species but that enclosure is nowhere close to big enough for that guy. And he will need a heat lamp for a basking spot.. they need heat to digest their food properly

So, I don't feed him inside this enclosure. I feed him in his box outside when he is getting sun. When I fed him in here, I didn't like that the coco coir was getting stuck all over his food. Not sure if there would be an issue there so I just avoid that now. He's growing and is about twice the weight now than when we first found him.

 

[Tom]

The indoor enclosure is where he will be spending most of his time until he gets larger. This being the case, it needs to be much bigger, and he needs a basking bulb indoors to simulate the sun. Just a low wattage flood bulb will do it, but he has to be able to warm up above ambient house temps daily, and he needs enough room to get away from the heat source once he's warmed up. Outside for 30 minutes a day is great, and that will meet his UV needs, but its no substitute for having a basking lamp.

Use another terra cotta plant saucer for food. This will keep the food out of the coir.

Hand pack the substrate down firmly, and keep doing it daily for a while. After about two weeks, the coir settles in and becomes less messy. If it bothers you, you can switch to fine grade orchid bark any time.

You don't need the card board box in there. That is going to disintegrate and mold with the moisture.

 

[VegasJeff]

I got some work to do on improvements now. Thanks for the suggestions.

@Tom I think I'll try Orchid Bark as the next substrate so I can see how both are. Any idea how often I should replace the substrate?

 

[Tom]

I got some work to do on improvements now. Thanks for the suggestions.

@Tom I think I'll try Orchid Bark as the next substrate so I can see how both are. Any idea how often I should replace the substrate?

I never replace the substrate. I remove the old orchid bark when that tortoise outgrows the enclosure and moves to something else. I leave the enclosure empty and then put in fresh new orchid bark when a new inhabitant is imminent.