Outdoor DIY Sulcata Tortoise Housing In Cooler Climates
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Join me on a tour of our outdoor heated sulcata home and enclosure for our two big sulcata tortoises! Feel free to ask any questions you might have.
House Information:
Type of Shed Used: Rubbermaid Slide-Lid Shed www.rubbermaid....
Heat sources used in our tortoise house:
250 watt Ceramic Heat Emitter www.amazon.com...
Large Heating Pad
www.amazon.com...
Exo terra repti glow 10.0 UVB desert terrarium light, 30 watt, 36 inches
(we no longer use this)
Exo terra Sun glo 150 watt daylight spot
(we no longer use this)
Exo terra Night glow 40 watt moonlight lamp
Thermometer Unit: La Crosse Technology WS-9160U-IT Digital Thermometer with Indoor/Outdoor Temperaturewww.amazon.com...
***Since publishing this video, we have made a few improvements to adjust to the cool climate:
-We swapped out the nightlight for another 250 watt ceramic bulb
-During the warmer months, we would only have the heating pad and ceramic bulbs on at night. Now since it's much colder, we keep the ceramics and heating pad on 24 hours a day. The day lights (UV, UVB, spot lamps) are still only kept on for about 7 hours a day.
-The temperature was getting down below freezing and the inside of the house dipped too low, so we added an extra layer of carpet liner to the door. Instead of cutting 4 inch sections like before, we only have one split in the runner for them to come in and out. Adding this has constantly kept the temperature about 5-10 degrees warmer at all times! HIGHLY RECOMMEND IF IN A COLD CLIMATE.
Hey thanks for the ideas! And glad to see another tort laying with it's legs strait behind him, my baby girl sleeps like thar! All 4 legs sticking out, spread eagle LOL
Mine too
It’s so cute! Love our Waylon and he does this all the time. Makes me feel like he loves his home and is relaxing and chillin 😎
The fact that you guys adjusted your home/life for these guys you committed to 20 years ago as ‘pingpong balls’ just shows
how much you care for these animals. I live in Australia and we are only allowed to keep native animals under permit and unfortunately, we have no native Tortoise species. They are my dream animal to own and watching this video was a treat (:
wow that's amazing. after reading this, i appreciate my tortoise a bit more. didn't realize how special they are until I found one. they're not turtles.
This is awesome!! It’s a lot of work tho... I wish I could just hire you guys to build this for my tortoise once I buy my home lol.
There are not alot of places to buy "Tortoises Houses" but I did locate a place here in California that does ship these amazing homes. bowwowdoghouses.com/dog-houses/
Me tooo!!!
@@TERRYROBNETT I clicked on the link but it said not found😕
@@tommybragalone7943 oh no 😳 that’s too bad. So sorry
For the love of god thank you finally
No one cares about the tortoises and I have no idea how to take care of them because there’s nothing like online for bigger ones
Thank you, that is why I made this video and I am so happy that it's helping other tort owners.
Stephanie Kong could you please upload more on your tortoises unless you got rid of them because I don’t see many people with big spur thighed tortoises
@@sewlfn Dude search up Kamp Kenan dude is amazing
@@sewlfn Yes, definitely look up Kama Kenan. He's great and offers so much tortoise information (he is based in Florida). I got some of my ideas from him. I will upload an updated video this spring. I still have the tortoises and they are bigger and stronger than in the video! They seem to be loving their house after the few improvements we made that I want to share since they could help others. But I agree, there are not too many resources out there for tortoise keepers in more temperate climates which is why I made this video!
Stephanie Kong yeah, I’ve watched Kamp Kennan for 3 years I decided not to get a tort yet and got an iguana but yeah kamp kennan is good
OK. VIVA Earth And Water And Sea Tortoise./Turtle 2020.-2021.-2022.-2023.🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
I have watched this video numerous times. It is helping me prepare for the next steps in properly taking care of my 5 year old sulcata. I live in northern california. Winters are very cold for this creature. Presently my baby is outside during the warmer months but indoors for the winter. Since these guys do not hibernate they require year around attention. He is getting too big to move in and out so it will be important to have a proper outdoor house. Thank you for this video. Much love to your family.
This was very interesting and very helpful. Ours is still a little guy but it won't be long before he's going to be big enough to need something similar to this! Thanks for the video, and your torts are gorgeous!!
Thanks David! I appreciate that and I am glad it was helpful.
You have provided very well for your animals . I suspect that Shelly is also a male because of the fork in his plasteron under his head and neck. You should be rightfully proud of doing so well and sharing with us. Most of us caring for these animals would make fatal mistakes!
thanks so much! yes, as you suspected, we confirmed Shelly is a male. We love them very much and we are so lucky to have made it with them all these years :)
Hmong Mgtow Meng John Lee they should rename it sheldon I suppose haha
hahah, no renaming at this point. I think he will forever be Mr. Shelly :p . Sheldon is a good idea though
Explains why they fight and need to be separated sometimes!
Awesome video and enclosure our Sulcata is only about 2” now so I’ll have plenty of time to build one of these! 😂
haha, yes plenty of time to plan your tortoise empire :)
It goes by fast! In 5 years ours went from 1 inch to 1 foot long
Very healthy looking pair! Great idea for a heat house also. Just be careful with bypassing your grounds on all those plugs. Especially outdoors. They sell outdoor timers that have the ground plug in them and outdoor extension cords. Great video!
Hiii! I have a sulcata tortoise. Just got a huge doghouse for him. I got a giant reptile 18x18 heater. I'm going to get a night light also. Can you give me the times you have the lights set to? Should i run the heater during the day also? And he is 13 yrs old. At 75lbs
Tank And Shelly are the names of my Arizona gopher tortoises...what are the odds..
This is awesome, you have given me the perfect idea for my torts so I can leave them outside without worry until fall. I have everything for the heat but where did you get your thermometer?
Hey, wonderful layout!! Mine is similar, but I sandwiched the foam between two thin layers of plywood. I never thought about using a mini-shed as my base. Very Very nice set up. Thanks!!
I used your ideas and built a nice she'd for the winter here in Washington. I also put heat lamps with step stones under the heat lamps to retain the heat. Have a nice animal heat pad in the other corner so he has the option to use. Every day I would check on him to make sure he was alright and he was very happy. Dexter is of course a male Salcota and he is about 85 lbs. We enjoy him a lot. Every day is a joy for use and for him!
Hows Winter when it snows?
Do anything different when it gets down in to the teens and or snow?
Omg thank you for this! My tortoise is about 90lbs. This so helpful.
Excellent video! extremely thorough and helpful! thank you!
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for the information! I've been trying to figure out how to make an outside home for my Spur thigh tortoise. This house is perfect!! I'm so excited to get started making mine. So thoughtful of you to share your ideas so that other tortoises can have wonderful homes built by tortoise parents.
Great video
Big turtle
God bless him
Many more yrs of life
Thank you
This was extremely helpful! I have 2 African Spurred Tortoise that I got for Fathers Day 2019 and recently moved to Alabama on 25 acre. I was looking on how to keep them outside for the winter. This was so helpful!
Excellent video, You went above and beyond to care for your tortoise. Awesome!
Thanks! And yes, we love our torts! :)
When I read the title I was hoping I'd found a breed of Tortoise I could house year round in my UK garden with no special heating.
A few seconds in, we're in California...
😭😆
I will continue my search 😊
Hey!! I’m sort of in a situation with my sulcata tortoise Nelson who is about 5 years old.
I asked for a pet turtle when i was 13 and got one for Christmas about four years ago. I’m now 16 and i have Nelson living inside all year round. I live in Illinois about 40 minutes south of Chicago and it gets below freezing here in the winter. I’m also heading off to college so i will be 15 minutes away from home.
I’ve done my best to give Nelson a humid environment with a diet of collard greens and grassland food, but I fear that i won’t be able to keep him well sustained during college.
I know how stupid it was that i blindly decided to care for a tortoise when i was a young teenager who didn’t understand their specific needs. I’m doing my best now to give Nelson a good home but I’m still young and i have another five years of schooling to do.
Do you have any advice for me?
did u finish college and keep ur tortoise?
We have two Sulcutas and live in Northern CO. Habitat has been difficult due to our winters. Currently, we have to keep them separate because we didn't know you have to own them in odd numbers due to submission (the dominating guy attacks the other). We have talked about getting one more so they can be housed together yet 3 would be too much at this time. anyway, we built two different indoor pens as well so when the weather isn't permitting they come inside yet as they grow indoor options are becoming less. Both of ours love to dig so we have deep large holes in yard. I like your habitat idea; I was actually looking at that to convert and seeing yours does offer options. I appreciate you sharing cause you're correct not a lot of care info for these special shell babies... I totally welcome fellow Sulcuta owners to keep in contact with me, id love to hear about yours, suggestions... etc
Thanks Jennifer! Oh man, yeah we had to fence them once they started trying dig under the house. That was the line. haha. I would ideally keep mine separate since one is bigger and can push the smaller one around. Luckily they spend most of their time minding their own business but I have noticed in recent years they bug each other more. I hope it doesn't get to the point that they need to be separated so fingers crossed. Same to you! There should be a sulcutta fan page. haha. reach out if you ever want to bounce ideas off someone! Have a great weekend.
Super cool video I am going to show my husband this so we can build the house to keep our sulcata outside longer and during the winter but I hate to be the one to tell you that Tank is a male who is bullying Shelly who is also a male and that could very well be the reason he is bullying Shelly they are both males and Tank is Alfa because he is bigger and my thought is that he ate more food because he bullied Shelly away from food as they were going up that is the reason I only have one I did not want to find out at the 5 year mark that I had 2 bulls and would need to build 2 different habitats to keep them from fighting and or a male and a female I don’t want babies. And I would think if Shelly was actually a girl you already would have had babies
Hi Amy! Yes, you are right. A vet told us that Shelly was a girl, but since then we found out we have two boys. They still live together but I do worry about the occasional bullying. Luckily it isn't too bad and they are at their worst in the spring for little bit. We watch them closely but I do worry that it could escalate in the future and we will have to build 2 pens. Fingers crossed they continue to get along for the most part. I hope your tortoise is well and winter ready. :)
Stephanie Kong My Guy Tatum is still in the house right now. I really love the house y’all built for them. I might have to show my husband your video and copy your idea I do have a small pen for Tate out back but he is to small to be left outside overnight or alone for an extended time he is just a little bigger then my foot. Still a little guy but I live in Texas and we have coyotes and bobcats and birds of prey that I do not trust
Great video! Thanks for the info 👍🐢❤️
We are also in Alamo - we have a desert tortoise (Yoshi) and need to outfit him in a safe warm place in our backyard. Thank you for all of the tips. Your video will really help us to get it started. Good Job!!
Hi fellow Alamo tortoise pal! I hope you and Yoshi are doing well. That's so cool you have a desert tort. Beautiful creatures and I love that they hibernate. I wish mine took the winter off. haha. Take care and sorry my reply is so late.
I have a tortoise named Charlie. He will be turning 7 years old in a few days. My dad built Charlie a outdoor enclosure made from hog wire fencing. I think Charlie is a Sulcata tortoise. Charlie is shooting around 40 to 45 pounds!!
Nice enclosure. FYI - I put my pig pad, which is a 2'X4' rubberized heating pad, on the ceiling of the enclosure, and let it radiate down. That way the tortoises cannot damage it. I use a a Stanfield pad, about 160 watts, with a voltage regulation, so I can adjust when needed. My barn is also insulated so it keeps them warm in sub freezing temps ( i retrofitted a shipping crate for the Sulcata barn) perfect size for the 80 pounds male and female pair, they are about 20 years old. They mate all the time, and the male is loud! He also will push her around occasionally, as he does not have any males to focus his aggression on.
beyackabiotch that's a great idea for the heating pad. If they manage to destroy their current one I will definitely look into wall mounting it. Funny about your torts with the mating. Have you found any way to distract the male from harassing the female all the time? It's so annoying! I feel bad for our Shelly.
I have not found a way to keep the male from being aggressive when the weather is good, except to possibly keep them separated when the male is particularly ornery, which I don't like to do. I had read that the Sulcatas mate only certain times of year, but this male will try year round, when there is any sort of decent weather, even in December and January, which is typically cold and wet in Ojai, CA. Any sunny day and he is at it again. I notice he is constantly smelling the rear area of the female, I suspect she gives off pheromones that contribute to get the male going. My real only concern is the male knocking the female over, or, falling over himself. I am not always home to help them, and they cannot right themselves.
We deal with the same problem. I hope he's better behaved this spring.
Great video
Thanks for watching!
Awesome video with great tortoise cameos! Though I have to admit my favorite part was when you said "nubbins"
Very informative video. Thanks for showing this!
wow so they 26 ytears old now... no new videos? very cool tortoise house. only thing i can improve upon is rather than a timer, you can use a dual thermostat controller. they use them in growing pot. it has a sensor to control the temp during the day and a seperate sensor for the night. so you can control equipment to come on or off during different temps . it's amazing. if you need the model number of what i am using, let me know and i'll get it today for you. great idea you gave me with the insulation. thank you immensely .
Thank You for the very helpful video, I live close to San Francisco,My tortoise lives outside, I need to upgrade my Myrtle is 45 lbs ,love the housing, my thoughts on humidity…
Hi! Is your tortoise house still in operation? I'm curious about the total electrical use of the heaters? I'm currently building a heated tortoise house with some middle school students in Southern California. We are going to be building a stand-alone solar grid to power the heating elements inside the house. If I can get a ballpark range of the power usage of your house it might help me with figuring out how much electrical storage I'll need/panels. Thank you!
lot of work. cute healthy sulcatas
Hi
New to the turtle world. I want to get an outdoor turtle like yours but what happens if your electricity goes out?
Put down a lot of korean and world's stock. And d'ont raise it up. This is right in Jesus Christ~! 🐢.....
I love the video you gave me so many ideas I have a 14yr old sulcata I did an outside enclosure but your it's awesome I am going to use some of your tips for sure!! Thank you
That's wonderful! Thanks so much for the feedback :)
Thank you so much, I'm trying to build a home for a tordas, and adopted him. I had no idea
You're welcome! Best of luck. They are wonderful pets but there's definitely a learning curve. Reach out if you have any questions.
Tank: "Is she fuckin talking to me. I know how it was build human. Humans are kinda dumb sometimes but we love them!"
Thank you for this. I plan make one of these insulated sheds for my tortoise. I'm in the researching phase. I live in Central Delaware. How cold does it get in that part of California in the fall and winter?
Thanks for sharing this info! There is no substitute for actual sunshine :) can they eat the cuttlefish for calcium? Give him some big balls and watch what he does. LoL
Is this still working for you? Would you make any changes? We are looking to build something for our two.
Excellent video! extremely thorough and helpful! thank you!
Thanks so much!
So housing in cooling climates, how cold exactly and for how long? Can a tortoise live in that shed for like 2 months at -20 Fahrenheit or what?
Very cool work, great video!
Thanks for watching!
i'm in canada, and a sulcata would be my dream pet if i could. but i'd need a barn almost plus twice the thickness of insulation to keep them properly in the winter
There are not alot of places to buy "Tortoises Houses" but I did locate a place here in California that does ship these amazing homes. bowwowdoghouses.com/dog-houses/
Wow that Rubbermaid tbi g is perfect see I need to learn. How to make for this size for my turtle because he's digging get holes u Der bikes and things I wanna make him proper o e we have enough a dog house but he's to big
We have a to the turtle size of a hamburger he's different kind he doesn't grow he's mean he bumps into the other turtle one turtle bleed. And he went I to ground and never came back out we never found him again . Maybe a he's still hibernating
Great idea, but it seems you have 2 male sulcata tortoise. Legs are both missing spurs like females, but the shell protruds like males
What size is that shed? We are trying to model our gal’s new winter crib after y’all’s. Trying to get the right size!
COME ON MAN we have a pair and live in COLORADO ours are thriving !!!
I'm convinced mine is a female now,the forks you see underneath the shell are good for flipping other tortise for their own protection
Hi I live in Central California in the valley and winter doesn't get as windy and cold so could I still keep them outside all year
Yes, we are keeping them outside year round! It only got a little difficult when it was super muddy because of all the rain but other than that it was smooth sailing. With the proper insulated house, I don't think it would be a problem at all. Best of luck!
That is a bit large for a pet. So you said you started out with a pound turtle. How much bigger does this turtle get ???
👍great advice I own 4 sulcatas there my babies ❤
Nice video thanks
Thanks!
Stephanie Kong whats the wattage that you use. thank you for sharing. this has been very informative fir me.
I'm glad it has been helpful! See the description for the wattage information. Depending on your location and climate, you can add extra wattage by swapping out the nightlight to another 250 watt ceramic bulb. This is what we recently did since it's gotten much cooler lately.
Hi @Patty Flores, please see the video description for wattage information. thanks for watching
Looks like the gaps are too wide on that hanging plastic.... will not keep the warmth in. But great idea on the house.
Great video! 🐢❤️👍
Zoo med have heat regulators to plug in between your heat lamps and timers
Ping pong. Ball... she's 100 years old ??? N ur still alive
wow! they have a very nice house & a loving home. thanks for caring so well of these tortoises & for posting such a great idea 🐢
Thanks Kathryn. We love them very much and thanks for watching and taking the time to comment :)
Wow Stephanie! This is a great setup. And nice tutorial!😉
Thanks for watching :)
I have a semi big Salcata. 50pounds, love what you did with this design. Thanks for sharing :)
Mix some concrete and poor it in the fence. Then you wont need coke cans. Awsome set up
How do you prevent your tortoises from digging in the garden?
This has been extremely helpful. Thank you for posting. I have some questions for you. What brand of "pig blanket" do you use? I recently got a Kane for Noam Chompsky and it said not to cover with anything so I removed the hay from his shed. Since I did that three days ago, he has been using two of his natural outdoor burrows (though it hasn't been too cold recently.) The carpet runners are a great addition that I'll add as are the wood insulation guards. Chompsky has been dinging up the insulation that I have screwed into the shed now. I got him on July 4th this year and he's 9 from what I understand and about 65lbs. Did your sulcatas do much growing between 10 and 20 years? I'm wondering if he's a bit of a runt or if he'll continue growing. We live in northern Georgia now but he's originally from Florida. Again, thanks so much for posting and best of luck to you and your beautiful tortoises. My thermostat probe right now is dangling in the air keeping the shed at 76 but the heat pad is getting to 112 or so so I'm going to lower it to ground level I think. My shed is a touch smaller and I have a 150 watt ceramic heat emmiter plugged into the same thermostat as the 18x 28 heat pad. It is in the upper 50's now but will get to the low 40's soon so any response would be greatly appreciated. Worst case, our basement is unfinished and he can come inside but I leave for work at 3pm and I'd rather not have my wife have to bring him in from his daytime travels with the wheel barrow. Again, thanks for posting and doing right by those animals.
Hi @Greg Eizans ! I am so glad that my video made it to other sulcuta owners in need. We have used Kane blankets in the past, but the one we have now is by K&H (link below). I think they all say not to put stuff on top for legal reasons, but this one tops out at 102 degrees and the settings are either on/off instead of low-medium-high settings. I was a little apprehensive at first, but it hasn't been a problem and its been a few weeks. We still check it frequently but at no point have we felt that it was risky. We went through a ton of them because the tortoises would rip the cords off. But now we protect the cord with the PVC pipe AND hold the heating pad down with wood boards. Keeping it from slipping around has kept it working the longest of all the blankets we have bought before.
As for his size, that sounds about right and I suspect he will grow a bit more, especially if you suspect Chompsky is a male. We just took ours to the vet for a check up and they weigh 100 and 110 lbs and they are 17-18 years old. They will have the healthiest sustainable growth if kept hot with a proper diet (high fiber, low protein, low fruit etc). Calcium supplements also can't hurt.
If heat continues to be an issue as winter progresses, I would recommend swapping out your 150 watt ceramic to a 250. The video has a 150 watt bulb in it and I swapped it for a 250 and it boosted the night temperature up by 8-10 degrees. I imagine the temp difference would be even a bit more for you since your shed is a little smaller. I put the link to the bulb below as well, great bulb for a great price!
www.amazon.com/dp/B000PSRN20/ref=twister_B018K6B8JC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018I86B4Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Good luck with Chompsky! They are fantastically charismatic creatures, aren't they? Let me know if you have other questions.
Thank you SO much for the reply! I really do appreciate the response and your AWESOME commitment to those animals! Chompsky has embraced his pad, but I still have some serious mods to make this weekend. I'll be getting some plastic carpet runner for his door and I reintroduced some Timothy hay to his shed three days ago. I'll add insulation to the door as well as you illustrated. It's been in the low 40's but his pad is reading 78 and the probe for the thermostat (3"above the pad) is reading 68 F. Hoping to get things right an tight by this weekend. Again, can't thank you enough for posting and for the record, I've watched A LOT of sulcata videos over the years...I've got the cord pretty well bullet proof right now so I hope the pad holds up for me. Worst case, he can come into the basement which is unfinished so he'll be safe. Again, thanks so much for posting. Probably about the best video I've seen on the topic.
Best,
Greg
Chompsky's diet is pretty low nutrient. It's hard not to run out and give him treats. I limit him to twice a week where I'll bring him little snacks. I've got a bunch of calcium leftover from my Uromastyx. I never give them any except for late spring after the girls lay. They don't like it on their food so maybe ol' Chompsky can make use. Anyway, thanks again and all the best to you and your friends!
Thanks Greg! You as well and best of luck with Chompsky. Sounds like you are doing great work for him and will soon have a great winter shelter. It makes me so happy to "meet" other caring reptile owners. So glad that this has reached you and you have found it so helpful. Cheers :)
Thank you for this! I live in Ohio so I was trying to figure out how to make something to keep my Sulcata warm all year around outside.
Can you give the dimensions of the enclosure?
Thank you this vid helped out so much
Pretty darn good video. I’m in Phoenix and the winters around here can get chilly. Sometimes even under 40°F at night. So I’m looking for ideas for a shelter. I’m also hoping to prevent digging.
Thank you! Best of luck in your winters. Our winters get down to the 30's and this house has held up wonderfully. It makes keeping large tortoises so much easier.
Great video you are a great tortoise mom❤🐢❤
Natural clay litter is the best medium for them- minimum 4 inches, 6 inches or more is better. Hay or straw is a poor choice because it doesn't absorb waste very well, plus they can't "dig" themselves in.
I wonder how many pku ds my turtle is I'd say at least 50
Use heating mats instead. they want darkness at night.
Helpful video and good ideas. Thank you.
Big like thanks for sharing 💚👌👍
You should put a camera I. There have there up set times
thank you!!!! love it. this will help me.
Love this enclosure, thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Where did you get gates and gate door for enclosure ?
Very helpful. Thank you
Thanks from sweden.😊
The Tortoise is So Cute 😀 God bless you for taking care of it
Thank you very much for taking the time to share this! I have to start thinking of an outdoor habitat for my baby and this is extremely helpful. THANK YOU
So glad it's helped! Happy tortoise keeping and enjoy them while they are babies. They grow up so fast :)
Thank you so much for creating this video! (Do I know Tank from Instagram?) Alice is our 25 year old Sulcata - we acquired her less than a year ago, along with a beautiful outdoor structure. Being new tortoise parents, we are trying to learn everything we can, in order to provide the best care, and your video confirmed some things for us, as well as taught us what I haven't been able to find elsewhere. Thank you!
We live in New Mexico where temps get below freezing, between November and February. I've been closing off her entryway by attaching a gate over the doorway - to avoid closing her up entirely in the house, and to avoid predators. I have all of the same heating devices you recommended, but wondering if the potential nightly chill could become an issue. I try to maintain her habitat's temperature to around 75/80 degrees.
Congrats on becoming new parents! Tank does not have his own IG account, but I am @pompomcrab if you want to follow me, Tank makes it on there sometimes.
Keeping it 75/80 will be extremely difficult during freezing temperatures. We get some nights below freezing and even when I run the 3 ceramic bulbs and heating pad on full blast 24 hrs a day, I still struggle to stay in the low 60s at the coldest times at night. I have read that as long as they stay above 60 they are ok as long as it is not for a prolonged period of time. Apparently, they can even tolerate in the 50s (again, for short periods of time) but anything below that is probably dangerous and increases their changes of respiratory diseases, etc. I have also thought about doing what you are doing by creating a door that can seal them in during the coldest nights but I have not tried it yet. From the time that I made this video, I added a second plastic runner across the door hole, but this time, with only one cut down the center for them to enter and exit. I found this really helps keep the heat in compared to strips like in the video.
If you find other ways to keep him warm this winter, please please let me know! I am always looking to improve.and get new ideas. Not many resources out there on how to keep these big boys/girls.
Are predators cats raccoons etc a problem?
Perfect pets for longevity....but I imagine the heartbreak when that day comes to let them go. That’s the only downfall of pets. I still think about my cat who was 13 years old when he passed. My current one is around that age now and I’m dreading the day. 😢
These guys will probably outlive you lol so I don’t think you gotta worry about that, they do though
Awesome advice. Thanks.
Why the males always bully the females
How does she stay warm in winter.
awesome jus got my baby sulcata :) check em out
He's the same size as mines but I really need build him a house
How kind of you to share your knowledge with others!! Excellent video and great husbandry for those lucky torts!!
Thanks so much @piscesmind. Great appreciate the kind words. :)
We have one male since he was 4 months old. Now is 20 years old and weight 247+ pounds.
WOW! That's incredible! what are you feeding him these days?
Stephanie Kong ,hello! As staple diet I use 'SuperAll' thats a pellet feed made for goats,pigs,chicken,ect. Plus greens,plants,grass and cacti.
cool, I will have to look up the SuperAll pellets. Might be a good way to diversify our diet. Do you soak your tortoise? If so, how? I am in the process of trying to figure out how to dig them a permanent place for them to soak. They are getting too big to soak them in a kiddy pool so I was thinking of building them a small and shallow pond.
Stephanie Kong ,sulcatas at least mine are not very fond of water. I always keep fresh water in his enclosure ( 3/4 of my property) but....if he eats much greens he don't drink any water. If eat dry food he will drink once or twice a week.
Thanks for the input. Our vet told us that we should try to soak them once a week but they are very heavy to lift, don't like being soaked, and easily break out of their kiddy pools so I am starting to give up. Ours also have water bowls accessible at all times and during the hot summer I will subsidize their diet with cucumbers. I also hose them down and they seem to like that more than being soaked. Take care.
Mine is not that big but great ideas so I can start getting things for her for later as she gets bigger
Enjoy them when they are small, they grow up so fast :)
How much is a Rubbermaid shed like that?
We were lucky enough to find a gently used one on Craigslist for around $200. Brand new, similar sheds cost around $400. Here is the link to the exact one we have but it appears to be discontinued. It looks like Home Depot has quite a few that would do the trick. www.rubbermaid.com/en-US/slide-lid-shed---discontinued. Here is a link to a similar sized one from Home Depot that is in stock. www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-6-ft-x-4-ft-Slide-Lid-Shed-1800005/203137956?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CTHD%7CG%7C0%7CG-BASE-PLA-D28I-InsideGardenOther%7C&gclid=CjwKEAiAmdXBBRD0hZCVkYHTl20SJACWsZj99_5xA2x8jX6tExSEAsVy1H49RxJapf_5tEc3IxSH1RoCK-nw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I hope that she has enough water.