1 Desert Tortoise and 2 Salcutas in Arizona

[Lilia]

Hi I am new on here. I am constructing my first outdoor habitat for my tortoises. Sponge bob-she is actually a girl, is my 6 year old desert tortoise. We also have Patty and Sandy, who are our 1 year old Salcutas. I have over an acre of land here in Litchfield Park, Arizona. My husband, kids and I want to move our totroises outside now to enjoy the beautiful Arizona falls and winters. I have a really nice side yard- use to be a dog run, that we are converting to a tortoise habitat. It is HUGE! I plan on making a walk in splash pad for the tortoises to be able to walk in and out of. I was looking to see if there are any other tortoise lovers in the AZ area who can give me some advice on my habitat? I want to plant some non pointy cactus for them to eat and and bushes and shade trees. Any advice is welcome. Thank you!

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum

Danny

 

[dmmj]

Ok I have to ask did your kids name them? and welcome to the forum.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Lilia:

Welcome to the forum!!

Its not a good idea to set the two different species up in the same habitat. Your lot sounds as if its big enough that you can set up two different habitats; one for the desert tortoise and one for the sulcatas.

As more years come to pass, it won't be so critical to separate the species, because more and more tortoises in homes will be captive bred. But right now, there are a lot of wild caught tortoises in pet situations and this leads to diseases passed between the two species.

 

[Az tortoise compound]

Welcome Lilia. We are in Phoenix as well. Emysemys is correct about mixing species. Especially since most desert tortoises are wild caught or found here in AZ. Post some pics of your yard. You will get lots of great advice and ideas from the members here. We would also love to see your torts!

 

[Neal]

Welcome! There's a lot of us on here in the Phoenix area. With winter coming up do you have a hide box or an area where they can raise their temperatures? Other than making sure the area where your tortoises are is escape proof, I would focus on that first. Even though highs will be in the 100's all week, lower temps will be here before you know it, so it's better to be prepared with that then work on planting and decorating.

 

[Lilia]

Thank you Neal for your reply. I'm still learning right now about how to make my outdoor habitat. I've had all of my tortoises since they were a few months old. My desert tortoise was sooo small when I found her I thought she was a toy! I picked her up and she peed on me! lol! I realized that Sponge bob wasn't one of my daughters toys and an acutal tortoise! We found her in the bark by the roses at my parents old home in Peoria. I have a feeling either a bird or cat had got her and was trying to make a meal out of her. We have had her now for 6 years. Yes, my kids did name all of our tortoises. I have always kept the tortoises in a 60 gal aquarium with a reptile light on. They have crushed walnut to walk and dig in and a log shelter. "Bob" is now getting to big for this and I am worried she can not get the exercise she needs. The tortoises have always been together and "Bob" treats the little girls "Sandy" and "Patty" like her babies. I didnt know that I was supposed to keep them seperate. Do you think it would be best to seperate them now? They have been together for over a year and I am worried that Bob will be lonesome without the girls. I have a speerate area that I will be making into the outdoor habitat. It is all fenced in with a block wall with deep footings. It was used as our dog run when we would need to lock up our dogs. It is a very big area with access to water and some shade. I would love to be able to tour some habitats to get some ideas. Is there a local tortoise group you can suggest that I may be able to join? Thank you again for all of your advice.

 

[Yvonne G]

It might be ok for them to be together right now, however, as the sulcata grows, he's going to harm the smaller desert tortoise. The sulcata just bulldoze right over and through anything in their path. If they can knock the stucco off the house, imagine what they would do to a smaller desert tortoise.

As to your comment about a lonely tortoise...tortoises are solitary creatures, only coming together for breeding. They look upon another tortoise as competition for the food and for the best hiding place. There are some exceptions to this rule, but as a general statement, they prefer to be alone.

 

[Neal]

Actually, seperating the tortoises would be the first thing I would do in your situation. You can keep your sulcatas together, but different tortoise species housed together may get an illness or parasite from each other so it's always best to keep them seperate. I don't know if walnut is reptile safe, maybe someone can tell you about that, cypress mulch might be a better option you can get that at any reptile store. Tortoises are solitary by nature, so they do not "need" a friend or companion, so don't worry about one getting lonely. There really isn't a tortoise group in AZ, if you want to see some enclosures browse the enclosure section on this forum. There are a lot of people on here with a lot of great enclosures. I don't go for fancy looking designs or anything, mine just have free run of my backyard. I am building their hide box for the winter, I'll post pictures soon.

 

[Yvonne G]

No, walnut isn't one that I would ever use as a substrate. The black walnut is toxic, and ground walnut can cause impaction if ingested along with the food.

 

[kfb]

Welcome we are also in Arizona, our Tort lives outside in the backyard but this will be her first Winter with us so I will be building her a Tort House with a Pig blanket for Warmth. Right now she is perfectly happy sleeping under the Landscaping bushes and enjoying the sprinkler system

 

[Angi]

Welcome to the forum. You will learn so much here. There are some very knowledgable members here. I joined about 8 moths ago and have learned so much ( knew nothing about torts ), but have a lot more to learn. I get on here a couple times a day and always find something interesting.

 

[Lilia]

Hi! here in Arizona are you? What is a pig blanket? I have never heard of this. Bob has never been in an outdoor habitat but I would also like this to be her first winter outdoors. I may need to wait until the spring though. It seems I have ALOT more learning to do! I would really like to get her outdoor space perfect for her. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Jacqui]

Pig blankets are actually heating pads made to help keep baby piglets (hogs) warm. They also work well for larger tortoises.

Welcome to the forum!