Hello!
From what I've learned, I have a pretty unusual way of keeping my Sulcata tortoise. He is 25ish pounds, eight years old, and lives in my house. I got him two years ago from a lady that specifically sold him to me because I planned on having him wander around my condo. I researched the sulcatas for what they ate and what they needed as far as lighting and heat goes, but other than that... I had to learn the hard way.
Anyways, here are the two set-ups I've had since we got him.
The 600 sq. ft. condo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
In the above area he has his UV/heat lamp nestled against a very large planter (which ruined the hardwood floor, lol), and then two smaller planters. They have day lillies, which he can eat, and a clamatis, which he cannot eat. The plants all ended up dying because there wasn't enough sunshine. 8(
We had a slight problem in the winter of him just wanting to sleep all day- the days were so short and so he wouldn't want to be up for more than a few hours. We then put him in his space, blocked him in, and then draped a blanket over the whole area to make a little sauna thing. He'd spend about two hours a day in there, but only with supervision.
The townhouse in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada:
Here we have him set up in our living room with two white boards against the wall to minimize damages, as he likes to dig into his corner. This will also be able to adapt to another light so that his warm space can be bigger, with a super warm area in the middle.
He also has a nice big space in the garage with some cardboard boxes set up as hides and tunnels, with blankets in the hides for him to "dig" in. The garage opens up onto our small, shared green space, but within a week he had trampled a bush and worn down the grass until there was barely anything there. No yard for the tort. He goes to the park a few hours every 1-2 days, though.
In both enclosures, under his mat, there is a small warming pad. When it is bed time we turn off the lamp, put him on his warm pad, and cover him up with a big blanket so that he can feel safe and secure, like he would in a burrow. The blanket also helps trap heat from the pad.
And that's how I live with my tortoise!
From what I've learned, I have a pretty unusual way of keeping my Sulcata tortoise. He is 25ish pounds, eight years old, and lives in my house. I got him two years ago from a lady that specifically sold him to me because I planned on having him wander around my condo. I researched the sulcatas for what they ate and what they needed as far as lighting and heat goes, but other than that... I had to learn the hard way.
Anyways, here are the two set-ups I've had since we got him.
The 600 sq. ft. condo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
In the above area he has his UV/heat lamp nestled against a very large planter (which ruined the hardwood floor, lol), and then two smaller planters. They have day lillies, which he can eat, and a clamatis, which he cannot eat. The plants all ended up dying because there wasn't enough sunshine. 8(
We had a slight problem in the winter of him just wanting to sleep all day- the days were so short and so he wouldn't want to be up for more than a few hours. We then put him in his space, blocked him in, and then draped a blanket over the whole area to make a little sauna thing. He'd spend about two hours a day in there, but only with supervision.
The townhouse in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada:
Here we have him set up in our living room with two white boards against the wall to minimize damages, as he likes to dig into his corner. This will also be able to adapt to another light so that his warm space can be bigger, with a super warm area in the middle.
He also has a nice big space in the garage with some cardboard boxes set up as hides and tunnels, with blankets in the hides for him to "dig" in. The garage opens up onto our small, shared green space, but within a week he had trampled a bush and worn down the grass until there was barely anything there. No yard for the tort. He goes to the park a few hours every 1-2 days, though.
In both enclosures, under his mat, there is a small warming pad. When it is bed time we turn off the lamp, put him on his warm pad, and cover him up with a big blanket so that he can feel safe and secure, like he would in a burrow. The blanket also helps trap heat from the pad.
And that's how I live with my tortoise!