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Sleppo

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5 Year Member
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Jun 28, 2018
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Location (City and/or State)
Philadelphia, PA
I have enjoyed reading this forum for the past few years and would love to own a tortoise someday. I am really close to adopting one but the right opportunity has not come along. I absolutely love tortoises and find them incredibly fascinating.

You are in the right place for the best information on keeping tortoises. I commend you for doing the research first, most people don't, myself included. You will definitely save yourself a lot of time, headaches and money! I know it can be overwhelming to get the specs correct and a good set up going but once everything is good keeping tortoises is rather easy and pretty rewarding.
 

Amylovestorts

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Joined
Sep 25, 2020
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Location (City and/or State)
Hendersonville, NC
Thank you! Our weather in western North Carolina is high humidity and lots of rain. As much as I love the African tortoises, and was very tempted to adopt a large male sulcata, I am afraid our environment is not suitable for a dry desert species.
 

Golden Greek Tortoise 567

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Dec 30, 2019
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1,756
Location (City and/or State)
Colorado Springs,CO
Thank you! Our weather in western North Carolina is high humidity and lots of rain. As much as I love the African tortoises, and was very tempted to adopt a large male sulcata, I am afraid our environment is not suitable for a dry desert species.
Humidity is good for all tortoises. There is no such thing as a desert species, there is plenty of vegetation where all tortoises live.
 

Amylovestorts

New Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Hendersonville, NC
So do you think an outdoor environment with a proper shed could be created for a large Sulcata in western North Carolina? We do have a large backyard but it does get very rainy here and pretty cold in the winter.
 

Tortoiseguy804

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Today is my birthday!
Joined
Jun 15, 2020
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Location (City and/or State)
South chesterfield Virginia
So do you think an outdoor environment with a proper shed could be created for a large Sulcata in western North Carolina? We do have a large backyard but it does get very rainy here and pretty cold in the winter.
I have sulcatas and I live in Virginia, there only baby's right now but when they are big enough to live outside I plan on building a box with a heater in it and closing them in there at night so they don't get sick, and during the summer the weather is perfect for sulcatas
 

KarenSoCal

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Jul 8, 2017
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Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
So do you think an outdoor environment with a proper shed could be created for a large Sulcata in western North Carolina? We do have a large backyard but it does get very rainy here and pretty cold in the winter.

Where you live, you get some snow, but it usually doesn't last long, even in the mountains. And your winters are generally fairly short...maybe Dec, Jan, Feb for cold and snowy?

If I'm close to correct for your climate, a sulcata would do OK for you. You would need his outdoor enclosure to be in an area where rainwater does not flood or pool. And you would need a heated, insulated night box for night, and daytime when the weather is nasty.

Here is our care sheet for sulcatas, and some info about night boxes. If you are considering getting a hatchling, we have lots of info on that as well.


 

turtlesteve

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10 Year Member!
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Sep 23, 2012
Messages
711
Welcome. A sulcata would do OK, but you would need a night box with supplemental heat for at least 4-5 months out of the year, and be prepared to bring the tortoise inside during extreme winter weather.

You could also consider a mountain tortoise (Manouria emys) if you are just looking for a large tortoise. They are not quite as much of a "beginner" species, but they are better adapted to the cooler / wetter climate, and might need less supplemental heat than a sulcata.
 

Beasty_Artemis

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Aug 23, 2016
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Oregon Coast
Do as much research as you can, and you might find it easier to get a baby ! Every time I consider adopting another tortoise, I can never find one! So I have ended up with my babies instead.
 

TortoiseWarrior

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May 13, 2016
Messages
401
Location (City and/or State)
Minnesota
You are in the right place for the best information on keeping tortoises. I commend you for doing the research first, most people don't, myself included. You will definitely save yourself a lot of time, headaches and money! I know it can be overwhelming to get the specs correct and a good set up going but once everything is good keeping tortoises is rather easy and pretty rewarding.
I totally agree...and Welcome
 

Amylovestorts

New Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
Hendersonville, NC
As an artist I know I will truly enjoy the process of setting up my future tortoise’s home. I have found some great posts on here from tortoise owners who have created the most amazing enclosures. I also love the idea of growing some of their favorite foods.
 

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