I inherited 2 Sulcatas

[Stephanie E]

Hi all, I recently inherited 2 sulcatas (Tiki and Buzzy) and am trying to do right by them. I am reading and learning constantly but some info is just not easily available.
I live in Tucson, AZ and it is starting to dip below 60 at night. I spent 1/2 the day today winterizing Buzzy’s in-ground burrow by pulling the top off, digging it out more, putting a habitat warmer in it and insulation over the top and then covering all of that back up with dirt. Now she will not go in it.
Tiki, the small one never goes in it and has her own hideout.
For the evening I have created a make-shift spot for Buzzy (actually she picked the spot, I just made sure she was warm for the night) but can anyone tell me if she will eventually find her way back in or did I spend $150 and shoot myself in the foot by disturbing the burrow?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings

I’m sure @Tom will come along soon & provide you with some advice, in the meantime, here is what you should be spending $$ on..

Info from a previous Tom posting

The pictures in my thread showing all of this got deleted because tinypic.com went out of business and shut down, but here is another larger example. Just go half this size: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/
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/

Good luck

 

[Tom]

Hi all, I recently inherited 2 sulcatas (Tiki and Buzzy) and am trying to do right by them. I am reading and learning constantly but some info is just not easily available.
I live in Tucson, AZ and it is starting to dip below 60 at night. I spent 1/2 the day today winterizing Buzzy’s in-ground burrow by pulling the top off, digging it out more, putting a habitat warmer in it and insulation over the top and then covering all of that back up with dirt. Now she will not go in it.
Tiki, the small one never goes in it and has her own hideout.
For the evening I have created a make-shift spot for Buzzy (actually she picked the spot, I just made sure she was warm for the night) but can anyone tell me if she will eventually find her way back in or did I spend $150 and shoot myself in the foot by disturbing the burrow?

Hello and welcome.

Two important things to understand:
1. They should never live as a pair. Its bad for both of them and likely to lead to sickness or death. They should be separated ASAP.
2. Where they come from, there is no "winter" as we know it in North America. Even in the warmer areas like yours and mine, its simply too cold in winter here. Ground temps where they come from hover between 80 and 85 all year. Cold days over there in Africa are in the high 80s to low 90s above ground. Here in North America in areas like yours and mine, ground temps are 80 in summer and 50 in winter. Its is important, and arguably necessary to let them burrow in summer to escape the intense heat above ground, but its too cold down there for the other 6 months a year. I open their burrows, or let them dig new ones, in May or June, and block them out of their burrows and make them use their warm night houses right around late October every year. I just blocked one yesterday and need to catch two mow above ground today.

The links that Mark sent you are one good way to do it. Dog houses and Rubbermade sheds don't work well. I've tried many times.

Questions and conversation are welcome.

 

[Billna the 2]

Nice