baby sulcata has a huge space to grow, but he needs a house!

[IRTehDuckie]

So, me and my husband just moved into our new house, and we have this amazing space on the front, its like a greenhouse/front porch thing. Anyways, I plan on putting fruit trees and Veggies in there that Ted can eat and munch on. He has outside space too, but we both work a lot so he would be spending most time in this area, but its full of sunlight and food for him, so he will be perfectly fine. =]

My question is, he needs some sort of enclosure to sleep in at night, and i was wondering if you guys had any sort of enclosure you prefer? I know there are wooden box houses, some use the giant rubbermaid containers, right now he is small, so he doesnt need that big of a place, he is only 6oz and I DONT plan to leave him alone to roam around in that big of a space when im gone, he is a little guy but they can still get into trouble!

The space attached IS going to be his home though, so if you have any advice let me know please and thank you!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ariel:

While he is still small you can cut a couple of plastic plant pots in half top to bottom. If you use the larger pot, like a 5 gallon pot, he will be able to use them for a longer period of time. And if you cut two pots, you will end up with 4 hiding places that you can put around in strategic areas. If you notice him facing into a particular corner and not in a hide, then just place one of them over him.

What a great room! I'd love to have one like that.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

But I don't see the availability of UVB rays or graze. Are you going to set him up with basking lights and humidity and a safe secure place to sleep? A 6 oz tort should be set up on a tort table in my opinion with lights and hides and stuff to play with and something to make humidity. Just a large sunny room does not get it, you say he will be fine in there but I disagree. He is a baby and should be set up like a baby needs to be set up, with much more than that room and a plate full of food. They need lights to warm up their metabolism, and substrate to burrow in and get wet to create humidity. They need to have an inner temperature of 85 degrees or more to digest their food other wise it just goes thru their system and no nutrients are gotten from it. They need 80% humidity at least to prevent pyramiding. They need a safe secure place to sleep. I guess that's all I can think of now, remember, you asked so I told and I truly believe if you don't provide the things I just mentioned you will have a sick baby on your hands in less than 6 months...

 

[IRTehDuckie]

Maggie, thats what im asking help for.... Im asking advice on a secure place to sleep.... I have never had a tort table, which is why im asking... you are very condescending in my opinion, im not sure if you mean to be that way. I am not stupid, i wouldnt have gone into this thing blind, having a sulcata is a life long commitment, which i am willingly and ecstatic to take. I have had many other tortoises i have raised and taken care of, i know HOW to take care of them, i was just asking if anybody had input on how i should organize the room and if THEY had it, how would they turn it into their own tortoise room...

 

[Laura]

are you in a cold climate? While he is small.. Id just give him a corner of that room.. tort table or on the floor.. when hei s bigger, he can have the whole room and it can be heated?? then put in a doggie door, to the outside.. but you said this room is out front.. like the front yard? that would be a security issue.. people will steal him.. so...... not sure..
I think we need more info... but yes.. sunlight will be needed.. it wont come thru windows well enough.

 

[lynnedit]

It will make a secure place to keep him in the winter and when you are gone. Since your guy is small, you can work out connections to the outside later.
Could you frame in one side of the floor on on one end to make a ground 'tort table'? At his size, it would only need to be 12" high at most and doesn't have to fill the whole space.
Perhaps put a layer of rigid insulation on the floor, then a layer of plywood (even 1/4")and then a heavy tarp pulled up on the 4 sides and attached in some way?
You could make a wood hide, and hang a MVB on a chain for UVB when he does not get outside time. Heat spot light like a CHE or black bulb at night in the hide if needed. Oil filled space heater (secured) for baseline warmth.
On one side, opposite the hide, you could line up several kitty litter pans filled with topsoil and seeded with the Sulcata mix for grazing. Most of us have to supplement in the winter anyway.
You can have some house plants in sturdy pots to help with humidity, and mist the planted kitty litter pans, even have just Cypress mulch or similar on that side so it can be moist. The warm side could have an upside down tupperware or storage container for a humid hide. Soak him daily.
Lots of ways to achieve humidity.

As he gets larger, you can enlarge the area, or turn it into just his night spot.
Agreed having an outside run in the front might present security issues, but perhaps you can have the opening along the side, with his run to the side of the house, etc. Of course you have a better feel for what your overall yard structure is like and where the sun is.

I think you have a lot of great opportunities with that space. He is a lucky tort.

 

[IRTehDuckie]

we are in San Diego, i should have made that clear, i apologize. but no there is no way to make it heated or anything like that, though it really doesnt need to be, its a greenhouse pretty much and stays warm in there with the windows open.



besides that, does anybody have idea, or 'plans' on what to build him? hes just tiny right now, so i already have things to keep him in i know about the sunlight, the heat and the humidity, as i said before im not just going into this thing blind...

 

[jackrat]

An oil filled radiator is one good way to heat the room. Keeps the room at an even temperature without fluctuating. If it were me,I would portion off part of the room with shelf braces and a 1X12 across the floor. Put down lay flat PVC vinyl flooring(run about 6" up the walls). Put in at least 4" of cypress mulch for insulation from the cold floor and also to hold some moisture.After that,I would set up the basking area and humid hide.Just my thoughts on it.

 

[ehopkins12]

In my opinion, I would rather sacrifice a little space to make a smaller, but more controlled environment. He can still have space, but I would rather be able to completely control the temp and humidity at all times...especially for a baby, I don't think it's possible to control the temp and humidity in such a large space...baby tortoises of any species need very precise living conditions, one thing that can easily be sacrificed in this stage is space. Anyway in a nutshell I think it would be wise to adopt a Controllable environment>space mentality, at least while he is a baby.

 

[lynnedit]

It is a wonderful basic space, but it won't work, even in San Diego, with the low humidity and night time winter temp drops, for a young Sulcata, w/o making some of the above modifications that have been suggested.

 

[ascott]

Hi....what a great space to have to work with, lucky you

Have you gone onto the forum section of this site and searched the sulcata threads there, heck any of the species of tortoise table due to the size of yours right now , there are tons of great tortoise tables, which can be as easy as 2x12x8's around the border with a 1" plywood bottom, lined to keep moisture from seeping through, a couple of work horse stands for the legs or even some old dining room chairs for the legs (as you will have a guy that is going to get sizeable in no time so the table can be meant to be temporary) and you said you already have the knowledge of the heat/uv rays requirements....add some substrate and a soaking/water play dish appropriate for his size and that would be a great start...as you know it is forever a tweaking project adding/taking away things in their habitat....

May I suggest please , that you set up a gauge in there during the day starting in the am all the way through the late afternoon sun hours and go in there every 20 mins. or so to write down your temps. so that you will know the highest heats of the day along with the coolest, this will better equip you with what equipment to use to assure hot/cold humid/dry spots....maybe you could do this on a day off or something...? Just a suggestion.

Lastly, I have to say that Maggie is a hoot, she is very passionate with her love for the tortoise/turtles....she in no way would have meant to be condescending as her intent....AND WOW you have no idea how horribly some tortoise are taken care of, not because someone does not love the little guys but because of not having information, so yes she gave you what the worst could be based on her helping and rescuing poorly cared for little ones....so I would ask that you take what she said with this in mind and not as anything else, especially not personal towards you Maggie owns Bob, the totally misunderstood, totally famous/infamous--depends on whose telling the story, Sulcata....take a look on prior threads for Bob...very fun. She may not admit it, thanks to Bob, but she has to love the Sullies...or Bob would be a hobo by now

 

[IRTehDuckie]

Thank you! and i didnt think maggie meant to sound that way, i didnt take offense to it, and there is a pet store about 2 blocks from us who has 4 sulcatas, each in a 10 gallon tank, with no lights, feeding them mealworms and romaine and thats all they get.. they are in horrible living conditions! and i would love to save them from that, so i completely understand.

 

[lynnedit]

Yes, makes one want to save them all...
Let us know what you eventually come up with!

 

[cemmons12]

very well put Angela! thats my gal!