Hm, that’s interesting. I wasn’t aware that was the case, so thanks for sharing! I always thought it best to keep them in ideal conditions until it wasn’t possible to do so, but as I’ve seen a few people say, that’s not entirely true. Thanks again!
Large Indoor Sulcata Tortoise Enclosure
- Thread starter JoshyP
- Start date
Nice! I’m based in the Hertfordshire area so not too far away!
Thanks for sharing the link to the grow tents. I didn’t know you could get them of this scale so thanks again!
That’s true, yeah. I guess I’ll never know unless I try! We’re planning to build a flower bed in our garden to grow plants & weeds for Stompy to then transfer over. Hopefully, will give them a better chance of surviving, but we’ll see!
I’ve come across this thread before and thought it was a great idea. It's something I've planned to add/incorporate into Stompy's enclosures.
Thank you!Totally agree, it’s like the more you know, the more heartbreaking it can become looking at some tortoises living situations
I am glad that the lucky few end up with keepers like you though, willing to learn the most up to date stuff and open to adapt things
Yeah that one is certainly a fun read! Not many can build projects like that, but it’s definitely inspiring
Substrate for a large scale indoor enclosure is a bit of a tricky one here, Alex’s suggestion of soil from your own yard is a good shout, but understand not everyone has the option to dig some up. I can see a pine substrate was suggested above, personally I’d stay clear unless the listing specifies it’s for reptile use, I don’t trust regular store bought to be prepared properly, but I’d be open to looking into the link to what they buy.
A bulk load of coir as a base with a mix of yard soil might be the way to go, if you’re able to get bark too you could put a load of that in one section for some different texture, I’d personally create different depths throughout for some enrichmentyour idea sounds great!
In regards to your ‘is it best to mimic ideal conditions for as long as possible’ question, @Tom can probably cover this much better, it gets a little confusing because technically, once sulcata reach’s around 10 inches, as mentioned here
Being in a closed chamber high humidity environment is no longer as important, however, obviously a 10inch sulcata isn’t done growing.
My take is; folks who live in more ideal climates where their 10+inch sulcatas can live outdoors, are in spaces where heat sources aren’t overhead 24/7, which I imagine allow conditions for smoother growth to occur(having no heat sources drying their shell, natural humidity etc).
Our climate doesn’t allow us to keep these guys outdoors for long in a given year, humidity can be a battle on a large scale indoors, even a lot of warmer climates where people keep adult sulcatas don’t necessarily have the highest humidity(but obviously have the luxury of access to a natural climate for these giants).
My point is, would keeping the whole environment around 80 humidity be ideal whilst your tortoise is still growing indoors? Yes, but for the size your tortoise is becoming and how quickly he’s growing, it might be difficult keeping the entire space 80% humidity on the large scale you’re planning.
If he has access to a large, temperature controlled closed space, with a nice thick damp layer of substrate, a heat panel overhead, some ambient lighting(maybe uv in there) maintained at a higher humidity, the space could be be secured in at night. He could then have access to the rest of the space during the day, adequately heated with oil heaters(I wish I could answer why those are specifically recommended, I’ve just seen and heard many use them for larger spaces) all built to his needs. I’d probably set up an area with no substrate for his kane mat(hopefully others can make suggestions for its placement) as long as the open room area is kept warm enough(it’s good it’s insulated), I wouldn’t worry what humidity it is, he’ll have access to a warm humid space, and be humid all night. That’s my thoughts, but perhaps others will weigh in on that kind of idea.
Do you know roughly what sq footage you’re converting for him?
I like the look of those tents Alex linked! It could work whilst he’s the size he is, but once full grown I’d worry about him potentially tearing through lol. My thinking would maybe lean towards some sort of large diy frame with polly tunnel material for a more cost effective option, but perhaps you can look into both.
Yeah no problem in regards to the uv, that threw me at first too when first joining. Yes that’s why it’s recommended to have ambient lighting, in your case, now your guy is getting bigger, your heat sources won’t be light sources like a basking bulb would. Ambient lighting is needed to create that day&night cycle
A solar meter is definitely a good investment, it’ll let you know exactly when to replace your uv instead of potentially throwing it out too soon, plus you’re able to make doubly sure the bulb is efficient and at the perfect height
All made perfect sense, I’m so glad to be of some help, even if it’s pointing you to the best members for advice
. Personally, I think that’s one of the things that makes this community so great. I’d go as far to say that most, if not all of us have incorrectly looked after our shelled companions at one point or another, but realised how wrong we were. I hope more people will come across this forum and do what’s right for their sully!
It most certainly is inspiring! Thoroughly impressed with their build and dedication!
As for digging up our own soil, we have the ability to do this thankfully and might actually help us out in the future. I’ve seen some suppliers selling pine specifically for reptile use, but this comes with the reptile equivalate to ‘wedding tax’ so can end up being fairly expensive. Like you suggested, a mixture of various different substrates and depths sounds like the best idea! Thanks.
I’ve learnt quite a lot from this thread that I otherwise wouldn’t have known. I previously thought that high humidity was one of the most important things for a sulcata throughout their whole life, but from what people have shared and thinking about it, the idea of having a humid hide with the rest of the enclosure being “normal” make a lot of sense, so thank you for sharing and explaining further! Obviously, I’ll try my best to give the “ideal” conditions for Stompy, but am also slightly relived that it won’t impact Stompy as much as I thought it would if it’s not possible to do so.
As for sq footage, initially it will be 13ft x 7ft. We’re converting the summerhouse in sections so that Stompy can have access to a bigger indoor enclosure for the winter then he previously had. I didn’t want to convert the whole summer house at once and it not be done in time and then him having to be put in a smaller enclosure. Once this part of the enclosure is converted, we’re planning to then convert the other rooms and also build an extension to the summer house to make it all one big room/enclosure. Not entirely sure how big it will end up being as I haven't given the extension too much thought. We've got about 5x the space to convert into his enclosure, so somewhere around there. That's before extending or anything like that. This enclosure will pretty much only be for the winter though as he like to spend a lot of his time outside in the summer.
That was also a concern I had regarding the tents, and I believe Tom mentioned something similar. I’ll have a look into it all a bit further. Thanks for the idea of the polly tunnel material stuff. I’ve seen someone else do something like that on this forum somewhere so might try to find that thread again.
The solar meter is on the shopping list, which seems to be getting bigger day by day! I don’t mind spending the money on the things my tort needs though. He’s part of the family
! Thanks again specifically for your help!- Joined
- May 19, 2015
- Messages
- 3,435
And I'm in Devon with a Hermanns tortoise, not a sulcata, though !
Angie
@Lyn W is in Wales but she has a Red Foot.
Lola's a leopard tortoise Natrah.
Hi I'm in Wales.
My leopard has a room to himself which is heated with a c/h radiator and/or oil heaters. He also has a heated and insulated hide in there which is a medium sized dog kennel. The kennel is from Pets Imperial, (Amazon) and I use a reptile radiator run through a thermostat and resting on an oven shelf which is fitted above the tort to heat that.
Obviously leopards are quite small compared to sullies, but you can get larger dog kennels or maybe look at having one custom made.
My leopard has a room to himself which is heated with a c/h radiator and/or oil heaters. He also has a heated and insulated hide in there which is a medium sized dog kennel. The kennel is from Pets Imperial, (Amazon) and I use a reptile radiator run through a thermostat and resting on an oven shelf which is fitted above the tort to heat that.
Obviously leopards are quite small compared to sullies, but you can get larger dog kennels or maybe look at having one custom made.
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Lovely to meet you Angie, and your friend!
Wow! That's an old boy. Sorry to hear about Daisy
.Lovely to meet you and your friends!
Hi Lyn. Lovely to meet you!
Thanks for sharing your setup and for the suggestions- much appreciated!
MoggyMad
Well-Known Member
Hi @JoshyP
I don’t have any personal knowledge of housing Sulcata’s but I think I was mentioned because my partner volunteer’s at a local animal sanctuary where they have a resident Sulcata who is 20 something years old & popular with visitors! My partner does repairs at the shelter & Sherman being so heavy & strong can be quite destructive at times both inside & outside so be prepared for this as your Sulcata grows! (The photo shown earlier of the Sulcata breaking through a wall is very apt!)
He lives outdoors in a large shed within a large garden. I am not knowledgeable as to the correct bedding & heating requirements for Sulcata’s so I cannot advise but I am aware his shed is well insulated including the floor. I know they use straw as bedding. & he has heating with one end of the shed being warmer than the other so he can move away if too warm.
Anyway good luck with all you are doing.
Dear @MoggyMad,
I remember when 16 stone Sherman walked over your partner's foot whilst he was carrying out repairs in his shed. I also remember when he crushed your partner's tool box!
Natrah
MoggyMad
Well-Known Member
Yes steel toe caps a must
He also took the table or chair ( can’t remember which now) on a walk with him round the garden! It was in his way & rather than go round the obstacle he just walked straight under it!Hey MoggyMad - Lovely to meet you!
That's the the insight on what to expect in the future and for sharing what you know - much appreciated!
Sherman is definitely one big Sulcata!
@Cathie G, @The_Four_Toed_Edward, @Chefdenoel10 make sure you read this!Yes steel toe caps a must
