Hello Tortoise lovers!

[Mediocre Animal Keeper]

I'm new to this forum, and I recently have obtained a Tortoise, which I am fairly sure is a Sulcata tortoise. They are fairly small and seem to be young. I have a temporary habitat set up, a 50 gallon Safelite, with reptibark as the substrate, and a dual zoomed lamp with a 50w basking bulb(I will upgrade if needed) and a 13w UVB bulb. I also have a water dish and a hide which will be switched for a larger one. The tortoise was found 3 days ago in the middle of a busy road and my family picked it up and took it home. We've been feeding it grasses picked from a lawn untreated by pesticides and it's been eating and drinking very well. I'm not entirely sure what to do, because I live in Arizona which I've heard is an ideal climate for the tortoise but I'm living on rented property and I can't to much with the backyard, which is entirely cement and has a ton of patio furniture. I'd really appreciate some help, as I've never cared for a tortoise before.

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome! Have you alerted folks that you have found him, so his real owner has a chance to come forward?

 

[Mediocre Animal Keeper]

Hi and welcome! Have you alerted folks that you have found him, so his real owner has a chance to come forward?

We've asked neighbors and put up signs, nothings come up yet.

 

[Jacqui]

Maybe also check and put signs at Vets, Pet stores, Animal control, even the paper or online like Craig's list. The owner may not know for sure he is even missing yet.

And yes, a sulcata.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!!

The tortoise is big enough to be living outside. Because 'outside' at your house isn't tortoise friendly, if you want to keep it, you're going to have to get creative.

Choose a spot in the yard that is shaded in the afternoon, and build an above the ground planter. Look through our enclosure section to see if you can get some ideas.

Hopefully some of our AZ members will give you some pointers on keeping him cool.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Here is the sulcata care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Here are some outdoor enclosure ideas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-enclosures.121732/

He can live outside full time at your place if you make a proper enclosure. In summer, they need to burrow to escape the intense Phoenix heat, so I don't know what you are going to do if the whole yard is concrete. They have to have a cooler area to retreat to when outside temps are 95+, which is every day in summer there. In winter one of these will work nicely for the colder nights:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/

The most immediate concerns I see are:
1. That enclosure is way too small. I realize this is temporary, but something bigger is needed ASAP.
2. No coil bulbs. Those sometimes burn their eyes and they are not effective UV sources anyway. In your climate, sunshine a couple of times a week will do the trick.
3. The 50 watt bulb is likely a "spot" bulb. These are not good to use for tortoises. They are especially bad on larger tortoises like yours. They get too hot and concentrate too much heat into too small of an area which causes "slow burns", desiccation and pyramiding. Switch to a regular household incandescent bulb or a flood bulb.
4. You need to be able to adjust your lamp up or down to get the temperature under it correct, but that UV bulb needs to be set at the correct height to not damage the tortoises eyes. These two heights are seldom going to be the same, and you shouldn't use that type of UV bulb anyways, so those double dome fixtures are useless.
5. Get a 10-12" terra cotta saucer and sink it into the substrate for water. You can use another one for food.
6. Soak this tortoise every day for a while. Use a tall sided, opaque tub and warm water about halfway up the shell. After a couple of weeks of this to get the tortoise properly re-hydrated, you can cut the soaks down to two or three times a week.

All the care info for this species is in those threads. They should answer a lot of your questions.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi
Well like they say for people shade , water , and more drinking water ! A water dish big enough so your tort can get in it !

 

[Gillian M]

I'm new to this forum, and I recently have obtained a Tortoise, which I am fairly sure is a Sulcata tortoise. They are fairly small and seem to be young. I have a temporary habitat set up, a 50 gallon Safelite, with reptibark as the substrate, and a dual zoomed lamp with a 50w basking bulb(I will upgrade if needed) and a 13w UVB bulb. I also have a water dish and a hide which will be switched for a larger one. The tortoise was found 3 days ago in the middle of a busy road and my family picked it up and took it home. We've been feeding it grasses picked from a lawn untreated by pesticides and it's been eating and drinking very well. I'm not entirely sure what to do, because I live in Arizona which I've heard is an ideal climate for the tortoise but I'm living on rented property and I can't to much with the backyard, which is entirely cement and has a ton of patio furniture. I'd really appreciate some help, as I've never cared for a tortoise before.View attachment 218753 View attachment 218754

A very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome!