AZ cold temperatures Sulcata in burrow

[AZTgirl]

Hi all...I have a 3 year old Sulcata that I got in May. I did not plan well for this winter and now she is in her hide and our temps are cool and I fear she may not come out for several weeks or more. I am just realizing through reading on this site the importance of a heated box for sulcatas in winter. So, I will definitely be building that for next year.

In order to get through this winter and keep her relatively comfortable in her burrow, can I get by with putting a ceramic heat emitter in her hide with a thermostatic probe? I am just not going to be able to build her box at this time.

I am in Phoenix.

Thanks for any advice...

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings

Try and upload a pix of the current “hide” and burrow where your tort is. With no proper enclosure it will be very hard to warm the burrow up without possibly harming your tort.

So, a pix will help everyone help you.

Ps...start thinking about a heated night box.

 

[AZTgirl]

Hi here are some pics of her hide...thank you for your advice. I am researching how to build boxes but it will take me a few weeks or more to get one done if I can do it this year. More like around Christmas time. I looked for pictures on this site but lots of the ones posted by Tom in his posts on this subject are not showing up for me even when logged in.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I’ll let @Tom or some other Az/Ca Sully advise you better, but your temps are pretty darn cold and your Sully definitely needs a heated day/night box. I really don’t think you can easily build anything there on/over its burrow to create the temps and shelter u need.

Overnight lows in your area are way too cold (even the daytime) for your Sully to properly warm up to want to exit, and eat.

 

[Yvonne G]

No, that is totally unsatisfactory for keeping a sulcata in the winter. You'll have to bring it indoors if you can't build it a heated box. If you leave it outside you'll end up with either a very sick sulcata or a dead one.

 

[AZTgirl]

Ok...thanks for helping me address the situation...I know what I need to do...will find the time and resources to do it. I may have to dig in and get her out once the box is ready unless we have a warm day in the next couple of weeks. If @Tom has those photos available of his box would be much appreciated.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Here’s a quick pix of one SIMILAR to @Tom ’s, but not exactly. Mine is only single walls, is 6’ x 3’ by two feet tall. Has a Kane mat inside, a RHP overhead connected to a thermostat. Mind you, it’s not double walled like Toms since this is actually INSIDE our house. (I have another one outside for summertime). Sll of the joints are caulked. It stays about 85F inside.

I’m pretty sure Tom makes his out of a full sheet of plywood for the top/bottom (4x8 feet).

This at least gives you a visual

 

[Tom]

Ok...thanks for helping me address the situation...I know what I need to do...will find the time and resources to do it. I may have to dig in and get her out once the box is ready unless we have a warm day in the next couple of weeks. If @Tom has those photos available of his box would be much appreciated.

You need to get the tortoise out NOW. This is a tropical species that comes from a very warm part of the world. There is no "winter" where they come from. The overnight low should not drop below 80, and they need a daytime area where they can warm up into the mid to high 80s at a minimum. This tortoise cannot wait until Christmas or next year. It needs the correct temperatures right now and every day. Waiting is likely to cost this tortoise its life.

Here are some threads about building a box, but keep in mind that you'll only need one half this size for a single sulcata. 4x4 is all you need. This cuts down the materials you'll need by almost half.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/h...g-of-toms-night-box-with-exploded-view.97697/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/what-youll-need-to-build-a-night-box.171435/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/


To heat a 4x4' box, use an 18x27" Kane heat on the floor and a 21" radiant heat panel on the top.
https://www.tortoisesupply.com/kane
https://www.reptilebasics.com/80-watt-radiant-heat-panel

Control both of these with a thermostat like this:
https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller

 

[AZTgirl]

Thank you...I will get her out ASAP. If I want to keep her inside until the box is built, what is the best way to do that?

 

[Tom]

Thank you...I will get her out ASAP. If I want to keep her inside until the box is built, what is the best way to do that?

What size is she? You need a large area heated to 80 degrees and then you need a large basking area that gets up to around 100 all day. You have to be very careful not to make the top of the carapace too hot on a large tortoise. Its difficult to do this with heat lamps or CHEs without damaging the carapace once they get over 5 or 10 pounds. That's why I recommend the heating elements in the above links. The Kane mat and RHP deliver heat effectively, efficiently, and most important, safely.

 

[Maro2Bear]

What size is she? You need a large area heated to 80 degrees and then you need a large basking area that gets up to around 100 all day. You have to be very careful not to make the top of the carapace too hot on a large tortoise. Its difficult to do this with heat lamps or CHEs without damaging the carapace once they get over 5 or 10 pounds. That's why I recommend the heating elements in the above links. The Kane mat and RHP deliver heat effectively, efficiently, and most important, safely.

Once again, all great info,

 

[AZTgirl]

She is about 12" long and about 8 inches across. She is 3 years old.

 

[AZTgirl]

Here is a picture of her a couple of weeks ago...when it was warmer. :-(

 

[Tom]

She is about 12" long and about 8 inches across. She is 3 years old.

I don't know what your reasons are for not wanting to make a heated box, and its none of my business, but that tortoise needs heat right now. You'll be lucky if its not sick already. Looking at the weather, its going to be a while before it warms up again. Our weather here reaches you in a day or two and its just awful here for at least a week.

Your questions are welcome. I'm happy to help if I can.

 

[AZTgirl]

It's not that I don't want to make a box at all...it's that making a box takes time and materials. I will be working to get her a box made this weekend but I hear you saying that I need to get her into a heated environment right away. I don't have one. I have my house and I have my garage. If there is something I can do temporarily in one of those locations to get her stable then I am happy to do that but I am not experienced enough to know what that would be. Do I bring her in and put her in a plastic tote for a couple days until her heated box is ready? The house is not 100 or even 80 but it's warmer than outside. Please let me know. Thank you.

 

[Yvonne G]

The largest plastic tote is not big enough,but is better than outside in the cold.

 

[AZTgirl]

Ok...dumb question...when you use the Kane heat mat on the floor...where does it go? I mean...won't the tortoise pee on it and ruin it? Does it go beneath the wood floor then? I looked at the explained view for @Tom designs...want to be sure the floor is not insulated correct?

 

[Blackdog1714]

They are waterproof since they are designed for hogs. Don’t forget to check Craigslist for free stuff that you could use to throw something together. Good luck

 

[Tom]

Ok...dumb question...when you use the Kane heat mat on the floor...where does it go? I mean...won't the tortoise pee on it and ruin it? Does it go beneath the wood floor then? I looked at the explained view for @Tom designs...want to be sure the floor is not insulated correct?

The floor in the box definitely needs to be insulated. Very important. In the last box link you can read the explantation and see the pics of this.

Like Blackdog said, the Kane mats were originally invented and deigned to be "furrowing blankets" for big sows and their piglets. They were meant to keep the piglets warm on a cold night. They stand up to a lot of weight and a lot of waste with no problem.

For a temporary warm area, you can empty out a bathroom and put a space heater in there. Just check the floor temp. The floor could be in the 60s even if the air at human head height is 80. Make sure the FLOOR is 80, or 85 since this tortoise has been too cold for a while.

 

[AZTgirl]

Operation tortoise rescue is underway...I dug her out of her hide and brought her into a warm, toasty bathroom. It's not quite 80 but getting close with the space heater running full blast. I showed my husband the plans for the winter box and as soon as it stops pouring here (we got 1 inch in the last hour), we will head to Home Depot. Will post pics of the new winter digs once they are completed.