Introducing our Rescue “Baby”

CharlieRose

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2022
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
CA
Rescued an approximately 1 year old Sulcata Tortoise in June. First foster home had another older male tortoise and they couldn’t get along. Our 5 yr old grandson Charlie calls him ‘Baby’. He has been loved, carried and handled carefully by Charlie a lot! “Baby” is particularly open and friendly with Charlie and looks to be very healthy and is active. I’ve learned much from this website the last 3 months, never having had a tortoise before. Baby has been outside in a 30’ x 20’ plus enclosure with cedar chip on dirt substrate with hides and an additional attached 5’x5’ dirt/grass area with a 3’ long x 2’ deep dug out hide. Daytime temps have been mostly hot and dry 95-105 degrees F. We’ve dampened his cedar during the day for humidity and soaked him each day once or twice for at least 30 minutes, where he poops each morning. He eats dampened tortoise pellets, fresh vegetables and forages grass, some leaves off bushes and flowers in our yard. He sleeps in a box inside at night. OUR IMMEDIATE NEED IS: Winter housing and exercise area needs for Baby during winter with temperatures ranging from 20-70 degrees F. Does anyone have a simple answer? I’ve put him inside our home in a child’s plastic round 5’ pool on extremely hot/dry days occasionally but haven’t thought out the winter fully yet. Thank you.
 

TammyJ

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
7,119
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
Rescued an approximately 1 year old Sulcata Tortoise in June. First foster home had another older male tortoise and they couldn’t get along. Our 5 yr old grandson Charlie calls him ‘Baby’. He has been loved, carried and handled carefully by Charlie a lot! “Baby” is particularly open and friendly with Charlie and looks to be very healthy and is active. I’ve learned much from this website the last 3 months, never having had a tortoise before. Baby has been outside in a 30’ x 20’ plus enclosure with cedar chip on dirt substrate with hides and an additional attached 5’x5’ dirt/grass area with a 3’ long x 2’ deep dug out hide. Daytime temps have been mostly hot and dry 95-105 degrees F. We’ve dampened his cedar during the day for humidity and soaked him each day once or twice for at least 30 minutes, where he poops each morning. He eats dampened tortoise pellets, fresh vegetables and forages grass, some leaves off bushes and flowers in our yard. He sleeps in a box inside at night. OUR IMMEDIATE NEED IS: Winter housing and exercise area needs for Baby during winter with temperatures ranging from 20-70 degrees F. Does anyone have a simple answer? I’ve put him inside our home in a child’s plastic round 5’ pool on extremely hot/dry days occasionally but haven’t thought out the winter fully yet. Thank you.
Hi. Get rid of the cedar chips right now as it is toxic. @Tom @wellington. Welcome to the forum!
 

wellington

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10 Year Member!
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Sep 6, 2011
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Agree with Tammy. Stop using cedar and no pine either.
A one year old should be kept in a closed chamber with short visits outside.
Please read the sulcata caresheet under the african tortoise section and always read the closed chamber threads. For winter he should be kept inside while still small with no outside time unless temps are 80 or above.
 

CharlieRose

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2022
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
CA
Agree with Tammy. Stop using cedar and no pine either.
A one year old should be kept in a closed chamber with short visits outside.
Please read the sulcata caresheet under the african tortoise section and always read the closed chamber threads. For winter he should be kept inside while still small with no outside time unless temps are 80 or above.
Thank you!!!!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Rescued an approximately 1 year old Sulcata Tortoise in June. First foster home had another older male tortoise and they couldn’t get along. Our 5 yr old grandson Charlie calls him ‘Baby’. He has been loved, carried and handled carefully by Charlie a lot! “Baby” is particularly open and friendly with Charlie and looks to be very healthy and is active. I’ve learned much from this website the last 3 months, never having had a tortoise before. Baby has been outside in a 30’ x 20’ plus enclosure with cedar chip on dirt substrate with hides and an additional attached 5’x5’ dirt/grass area with a 3’ long x 2’ deep dug out hide. Daytime temps have been mostly hot and dry 95-105 degrees F. We’ve dampened his cedar during the day for humidity and soaked him each day once or twice for at least 30 minutes, where he poops each morning. He eats dampened tortoise pellets, fresh vegetables and forages grass, some leaves off bushes and flowers in our yard. He sleeps in a box inside at night. OUR IMMEDIATE NEED IS: Winter housing and exercise area needs for Baby during winter with temperatures ranging from 20-70 degrees F. Does anyone have a simple answer? I’ve put him inside our home in a child’s plastic round 5’ pool on extremely hot/dry days occasionally but haven’t thought out the winter fully yet. Thank you.
Are you sure it is cedar? Did you buy it yourself and that is what it said on the bag?

Here is some general care and feeding info. Be aware that almost every source for tortoise care outside of this forum will give you variations of the same old wrong info that has been parroted for decades. THIS is the correct care info:

You should be doing a warm water soak in a tall sided opaque tub a couple times per week. The main diet should be grass or grass hay once they get larger than about 12 inches. What size is your tortoise? The age doesn't tell us much since they grow at vastly different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. If your guy is less than 8 inches, he should be living in a large indoor closed chamber with daily excursions to the great outdoors in fair weather. If he's larger than 8 inches, then he can live outside full time with the following night houses. He should not be sleeping outside with no heated shelter. It needs to be 80 degrees at night for him year round.

Where in CA are you? Different advice for Palm Springs vs. Hermosa Beach...

Here is the solution for housing in our mild climate:

It has taken several decades for me to arrive at the two threads you see above. Deck boxes and dog houses simply do not work. Heat lamps and CHEs are not safe or effective. The above two insulated boxes show two ways to safely and effectively heat them, and two sizes of box that will work. Build your door a full 26x16 inches to fit an adult sulcata, and then retro fit a piece of plywood over the door way with a hole cut in it that barely fits your tortoise. Enlarge that hole as your tortoise grows, until you eventually remove that whole pice, giving the tortoise the entire door hole in a few years.

Questions are welcome! :)
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome.
You're in the right place for great up to date advice which will help you correct any mistakes - which we've all made.
If you follow Tom's links your tort should thrive.
 

CharlieRose

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2022
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
CA
Are you sure it is cedar? Did you buy it yourself and that is what it said on the bag?

Here is some general care and feeding info. Be aware that almost every source for tortoise care outside of this forum will give you variations of the same old wrong info that has been parroted for decades. THIS is the correct care info:

You should be doing a warm water soak in a tall sided opaque tub a couple times per week. The main diet should be grass or grass hay once they get larger than about 12 inches. What size is your tortoise? The age doesn't tell us much since they grow at vastly different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. If your guy is less than 8 inches, he should be living in a large indoor closed chamber with daily excursions to the great outdoors in fair weather. If he's larger than 8 inches, then he can live outside full time with the following night houses. He should not be sleeping outside with no heated shelter. It needs to be 80 degrees at night for him year round.

Where in CA are you? Different advice for Palm Springs vs. Hermosa Beach...

Here is the solution for housing in our mild climate:

It has taken several decades for me to arrive at the two threads you see above. Deck boxes and dog houses simply do not work. Heat lamps and CHEs are not safe or effective. The above two insulated boxes show two ways to safely and effectively heat them, and two sizes of box that will work. Build your door a full 26x16 inches to fit an adult sulcata, and then retro fit a piece of plywood over the door way with a hole cut in it that barely fits your tortoise. Enlarge that hole as your tortoise grows, until you eventually remove that whole pice, giving the tortoise the entire door hole in a few years.

Questions are welcome! :)
 

CharlieRose

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2022
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
CA
Thank you very much! I’ve printed this and will read carefully and reply later after work. I appreciate all your swift counsel. We live in the beautiful foothills of Calaveras County in Central CA. at about 1400 ft level.
 

Maddoggy

Active Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2021
Messages
183
Location (City and/or State)
Vero Beach Florida
Welcome , Your brand new baby could be a nightmare or one of the best projects you have ever taken in your entire life. Follow the advice of this forum down to the last detail nad you will have a very manageable situation .
 

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