Hello From Central California!

[GoGamora]

Hi!

I recently adopted a 1-2 year old “palm sized” Sulcata. I live in central California where I own my home with a large backyard and a whole lotta plants!

I’ve done some searching, but the information seems to be based on lots of personal experience and varies quite a bit.

Our coastal community enjoys average temps of 55-65 year round with some warm days in the mid-high 70s. Rarely we get temps on up to the 90s.

I know that someone in my county kept some 60 tortoises on a property in Salinas before foreclosure, so I know it’s done. However, as this tortoise grows—and they get huge—I want to make sure I’ve got a yard that’s prepared to house him/her year round. Help?

Current setup is a 29L terrarium with reptibark, reptiramp, hide, UVB/heat combo 150w and a CHE for the evenings.

 

[LaLaP]

Hi and welcome to the forum! This is a great place to find trustworthy information and helpful people. Here are a few links to threads that might be useful to you.
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...atchlings-and-babies-discussion-thread.18448/

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

I don't have any Sulcatas so I can't help too much but I do know that once your tort is big enough to live outside full time you'll want a heated night box. We have a member named Tom that has posted detailed instructions on how to build one. Search for "Tom's night box" to find a few different versions.

Also in the meantime if you post photos of your setup we can let you know if we see anything that needs improvement... it can be challenging to get things set up properly the first time and we can help. Humidity and temperatures are very important so read those links and reach out with any questions.
Also we love to see pics of cute torts!

 

[GoGamora]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I’ll work on posting photos soon.

Although this is my first tort, I had raised dozens of reptiles prior to going off to school etc. At that time, I used an excellent reptile specialty shop to find everyone a good home. I think I’m also one of only a handful to have successfully captive bred Mountain Horned Dragons in the US.

I like Tom’s kiddie pool idea for the 5-6” Sulcata to get some Sun. I just need to get a laser temp gauge so I can get a real sense of the ground temps in direct sunlight. I know it’ll be warmer and the wind will be knocked down by the sides of a kiddie pool. Plastic absorbs heat well too.

I just worry that 55-65 year round averages are too cold... then again, I saw someone on here posted it being 32°F outside and how there tortoise was out and about

 

[GoGamora]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I’ll work on posting photos soon.

Although this is my first tort, I had raised dozens of reptiles prior to going off to school etc. At that time, I used an excellent reptile specialty shop to find everyone a good home. I think I’m also one of only a handful to have successfully captive bred Mountain Horned Dragons in the US.

I like Tom’s kiddie pool idea for the 5-6” Sulcata to get some Sun. I just need to get a laser temp gauge so I can get a real sense of the ground temps in direct sunlight. I know it’ll be warmer and the wind will be knocked down by the sides of a kiddie pool. Plastic absorbs heat well too.

I just worry that 55-65 year round averages are too cold... then again, I saw someone on here posted it being 32°F outside and how there tortoise was out and about throughout the day and would retreat into a heated shelter when needed. Any thoughts on central coast cool temp outdoor living? I will build a heated shelter, but do they need to be locked up all day?