Heat and UA Lamps

My wife has been caring for her african sulcata (Taio, approx.1yr old) for a year now. Taio is very healthy, great personality, and it's carapace is 7" long and wide. We live in southern California, so the weather is not that cold, except for some mornings. Taio, now spends a couple of hours outside each day getting acclimated to yard and loves it. Taio currently lives in a 12x20 store bought acrylic box with UA and heating bulbs. In a couple of months, she will moved outside into a new home similar to a dog house (33x24). My question. Will the UA/heating bulbs need to be embedded into it's new home? Secondly, when is it time where the bulbs are no longer needed?

Hello and welcome. I've got several things to tell you:

• First and foremost, this is a tropical species of tortoise. There is no cold season over there where they come from. They need it warm all day and night every day. Now is not the time to be putting the tortoise outside. An hour or two on warm days is great, but we haven't been having warm days for a while now.
• Along with point number one, I like to move them outside with a heated house full time when they reach 8-10 inches, but this is always done in Spring when it warm back up consistently. Usually June.
• Dog houses don't work. They are not insulated properly, the doors are too big, and they are too tall inside. I've tried, and watched many others try. By the time you modify enough to function correctly, you might as well have just built one of the correct size and type from scratch.
• When you ask about UA, I think you are referring to UV. Ultraviolet light that they need to synthesize D3, right? They do not need this when they are getting access to sunshine on a regular basis.
• 12x20 was too small a year ago when your tortoise was tiny. The minimum size for a baby is 36x18, but I prefer to start them in something larger than that. You need a large indoor closed chamber to get you through the next few months, and then he can start living outside with his heated night box in late spring. Tortoise need room to roam inside their heated enclosures. This is very important for their health and well being. And roaming the floor in the house, or loose outdoors is not safe and shouldn't be done.

Here is the correct sulcata care info. Most of the info you find for this species is wrong. Been wrong for decades, and we are only just figuring this out.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Here is an example of a night box. You'd only need half this size for a single small tortoise.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/what-youll-need-to-build-a-night-box.171435/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/h...g-of-toms-night-box-with-exploded-view.97697/

This is a lot to take in. Your questions and conversation are welcome.