Introduction: Taylor and Jasper

[ABCDogs+]

Hi, all!

I am Taylor. I live in north GA about an hour and a half from Atlanta. My husband and I have talked about getting a tortoise for a while, but recently we found a lovely 7ish-year-old Sulcata available from a herp rescue. His name is currently "Turtle" but it will be Jasper once the adoption is finalized. We are excited because we didn't want to get a baby and all the adults we had seen before in rescues or being rehomed appeared to have health issues that we weren't prepared to handle. Although we are both familiar with reptile care, this will be our first tortoise. I have asked the foster most of my most pressing questions and she has been a ton of help and has promised to remain a knowledgeable resource after Jasper has come home with us.

The only thing putting a pause on the adoption is me finishing his outdoor habitat in our yard. We have a 6-foot privacy fence with chicken wire at the bottom buried to 6-10 inches. Our yard is large, about 1/4 acre. Jasper will have a tortoise house with heating and cooling and a smaller 10x16 enclosure to pen him up when we mow or need him contained. I bought plans for a doghouse on Etsy that will be easily adaptable for a tortoise house. I'm pretty handy, so that should come together quickly. I'm just held up by this dang heat! I don't want to be outside digging the trench for the smaller enclosure (we plan to bury it about 10" deep to prevent burrowing out) while it's so hot.

This forum has been very helpful over the last week or so while I gathered ideas and plans for the tortoise house and enclosure. I hope to continue learning and maybe become a contributing member one of these days. I'm a dog trainer so I'm interested in learning if Jasper will be open to target training or anything similar.

Thanks for having us!

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum. @Tom would be able to help you. He too trains dogs.

 

[wellington]

A dog house is not a proper enclosure/hide for a tortoise. They need an insulated heated hide for those cold winter days and nights. Please look at Toms night box thread. Lots of shade needed for summer hot temps. Yard Misters and/or sprinklers can help lower the temps in a tortoise area.
Also, be sure dogs have zero access to the tortoise. Even the best trained dogs will try to chew a tortoise.
Please be sure to follow care, temps and diet from this forum. So much of the info out there is wrong or outdated.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I know that some tortoises have been able to do target training and even clicker training. I hope you will post your progress with the enclosure and ofc of the tortoise when you get him.

 

[Tom]

Hi, all!

I am Taylor. I live in north GA about an hour and a half from Atlanta. My husband and I have talked about getting a tortoise for a while, but recently we found a lovely 7ish-year-old Sulcata available from a herp rescue. His name is currently "Turtle" but it will be Jasper once the adoption is finalized. We are excited because we didn't want to get a baby and all the adults we had seen before in rescues or being rehomed appeared to have health issues that we weren't prepared to handle. Although we are both familiar with reptile care, this will be our first tortoise. I have asked the foster most of my most pressing questions and she has been a ton of help and has promised to remain a knowledgeable resource after Jasper has come home with us.

The only thing putting a pause on the adoption is me finishing his outdoor habitat in our yard. We have a 6-foot privacy fence with chicken wire at the bottom buried to 6-10 inches. Our yard is large, about 1/4 acre. Jasper will have a tortoise house with heating and cooling and a smaller 10x16 enclosure to pen him up when we mow or need him contained. I bought plans for a doghouse on Etsy that will be easily adaptable for a tortoise house. I'm pretty handy, so that should come together quickly. I'm just held up by this dang heat! I don't want to be outside digging the trench for the smaller enclosure (we plan to bury it about 10" deep to prevent burrowing out) while it's so hot.

This forum has been very helpful over the last week or so while I gathered ideas and plans for the tortoise house and enclosure. I hope to continue learning and maybe become a contributing member one of these days. I'm a dog trainer so I'm interested in learning if Jasper will be open to target training or anything similar.

Thanks for having us!

Hello and welcome! Congratulations on the rescue.

Let me save you a whole bunch of time and effort. You do not need to dig down and bury wire and stuff. Sulcatas don't "dig out". When they do dig, they dig a burrow at about a 30-40 degree angle and uses that one tunnel to go closer to the surface or farther from the surface. If they can see a gap under a fence, they might try to force their way out, but they don't dig out like a dog would.

Here are two examples of the type of shelter you'd need. In your area, a 10x10 shed high be a good idea for those occasional winter cold spells. A 4x8 box for several days in a row is a bit cramped. I worked in Senoia for three years and have a house there, so I'm familiar with your weather.

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Most of the care info for these guys is all wrong, so here are a couple of threads explaining a whole bunch of the right stuff:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[ABCDogs+]

A dog house is not a proper enclosure/hide for a tortoise. They need an insulated heated hide for those cold winter days and nights. Please look at Toms night box thread. Lots of shade needed for summer hot temps. Yard Misters and/or sprinklers can help lower the temps in a tortoise area.
Also, be sure dogs have zero access to the tortoise. Even the best trained dogs will try to chew a tortoise.
Please be sure to follow care, temps and diet from this forum. So much of the info out there is wrong or outdated.

I know a normal doghouse is not tortoise-appropriate. I have made the necessary adaptations to the plans to allow insulation with R-30 and wiring for a heat source. The lady at the rescue gave me a number of heating panel recommendations that I intend to follow. I used the night box thread you referenced in my search for doghouse plans that I could adapt appropriately.

And yes, my dogs will not be able to access or harass the tortoise. They use the side yard for potty trips and we use the back yard for training. When I take them into the back yard the tortoise will be contained in the smaller enclosure and the dogs will be leashed.

I've used this forum and the rescue to source most of my information, so hopefully I have filtered out all the misinformation regarding proper care.

Hello and welcome! Congratulations on the rescue.

Let me save you a whole bunch of time and effort. You do not need to dig down and bury wire and stuff. Sulcatas don't "dig out". When they do dig, they dig a burrow at about a 30-40 degree angle and uses that one tunnel to go closer to the surface or farther from the surface. If they can see a gap under a fence, they might try to force their way out, but they don't dig out like a dog would.

Here are two examples of the type of shelter you'd need. In your area, a 10x10 shed high be a good idea for those occasional winter cold spells. A 4x8 box for several days in a row is a bit cramped. I worked in Senoia for three years and have a house there, so I'm familiar with your weather.

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Most of the care info for these guys is all wrong, so here are a couple of threads explaining a whole bunch of the right stuff:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

I appreciate all the links! I have been lurking on a few of those threads already.

My current plan for the smaller enclosure within our yard is attached below. Are you saying that digging 10" to bury the 2x12 is unnecessary? Because that would be great.


For the very long cold spells we may move him into the garage. He would have a 10x10 area made from plastic raised bed planter panels to wait out the chill. The lady who runs the rescue said that was a good option.

 

[ABCDogs+]

I know that some tortoises have been able to do target training and even clicker training. I hope you will post your progress with the enclosure and ofc of the tortoise when you get him.

I'll be happy to create a thread with enclosure updates once construction is underway. I met Jasper today and I have to say he was absolutely adorable.

 

[Ink]

I'll be happy to create a thread with enclosure updates once construction is underway. I met Jasper today and I have to say he was absolutely adorable.

Really cute tortoise. I'm personally impressed by you doing your research. Great job

 

[ABCDogs+]

Really cute tortoise. I'm personally impressed by you doing your research. Great job

Thank you. I have worked in animal rescue so I understand how important proper research is to getting a new pet, especially a species that is new to you.

And yes, he's a cutie! And very well-mannered. He has some pyramiding, but the rescue said it's mild and shouldn't affect his QOL. If anyone has any tips on that, feel free to share!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

There’s nothing I love more than someone taking in a rescue and giving them a good home, congratulations on your up and coming new friend, hes gorgeous!🥰

I’m also SO happy you chose this site as your place of research, I promise it’s the absolute best when it comes to all aspects of tortoise care, welcome! I look forward to following your journey with jasper, love the name you’ve chose btw! It’s one of my favourite male names for a beloved pet❤️

 

[Tom]

I know a normal doghouse is not tortoise-appropriate. I have made the necessary adaptations to the plans to allow insulation with R-30 and wiring for a heat source. The lady at the rescue gave me a number of heating panel recommendations that I intend to follow. I used the night box thread you referenced in my search for doghouse plans that I could adapt appropriately.

And yes, my dogs will not be able to access or harass the tortoise. They use the side yard for potty trips and we use the back yard for training. When I take them into the back yard the tortoise will be contained in the smaller enclosure and the dogs will be leashed.

I've used this forum and the rescue to source most of my information, so hopefully I have filtered out all the misinformation regarding proper care.


I appreciate all the links! I have been lurking on a few of those threads already.

My current plan for the smaller enclosure within our yard is attached below. Are you saying that digging 10" to bury the 2x12 is unnecessary? Because that would be great.
View attachment 374905

For the very long cold spells we may move him into the garage. He would have a 10x10 area made from plastic raised bed planter panels to wait out the chill. The lady who runs the rescue said that was a good option.

I've been keeping sulcatas since 1991. I've hatched 100s of them. Babies start indoors and have outdoor enclosures for fair weather. Once they reach about 8-10 inches they move outside full time. In all that time, I have never dug down and put any kind of barrier in the ground to prevent digging, and I have never had any dig out.

The 10x10 in the garage is too small for long term, but it will be fine for a week here and there in winter.

It sounds like you've gotten pretty good tips. Feel free to ask any questions here.

 

[ABCDogs+]

Hi, everyone!

The rescue I’m getting Jasper from told me that they would allow us to proceed with the adoption without a proper winter setup because it’s July and they’re pressed for space. They recommended a dog igloo for shelter until I get the winter box done.

So all that I need to do before bringing him home is figure out a good way to secure our back gate. We’ve had issues with this dang gate since we moved here in 2021. Right now it is minimally functional and it could be pushed open by a tortoise Jasper’s size.

I am thinking I will make a short gate that opens into the yard that spans the whole length of the current double gate that opens outwards. This short gate would be much stronger than what’s there now because it would be one piece latching on one side rather than a double gate that latches in the middle.

How tall does the additional gate need to be? Jasper is about 50lbs now and maybe a foot tall, but we don’t plan on moving anywhere within the next few years so this needs to work for a while. I was thinking building this about two feet tall would be sufficient without being overkill.

I’ll sketch my plan and post that in a bit.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello again!😊

I can sympathise with the rescue being pushed for space😣just don’t feel like you’re being pushed forward quicker into something you don’t feel 100% prepared for just yet, this needs to be right for both you and tortoise🙂if you feel confident you can get things set up safely for the warmer months we’re in, giving you time to prepare for winter, and getting that gate secured before his arrival, then I don’t see why not, just make sure you aren’t feeling pressured to speed things along getting ready, everything needs to be right for you guys🥰I can’t speak for the igloo working as a temporary measure, maybe it would, but I’ll let the others speak to that because I’m not certain.
I’ll also let someone like Tom answer your height questions as I lack any hands on experience with this big ol’ guys lol, would love to see the plan though! I’m excited to the whole set up too! I love checking out spaces people create for their torts🐢💚

 

[ABCDogs+]

Because of the length I think I’ll need a castor on the latch side. The ground across the gate is very level and I can get the gate pretty low to the ground. In this sketch I show the gate that’s there now in gray and the proposed solution in green. The new gate would really just be reinforcing the current gate. I think I can make it from 2x4’s without needing to make it solid because it’ll be right up against the solid gate.
Here’s the top view.

The purpose of the is addition is just to reinforce the gate that’s there, not to function as it’s own for containment.

 

[ABCDogs+]

Hello again!😊

I can sympathise with the rescue being pushed for space😣just don’t feel like you’re being pushed forward quicker into something you don’t feel 100% prepared for just yet, this needs to be right for both you and tortoise🙂if you feel confident you can get things set up safely for the warmer months we’re in, giving you time to prepare for winter, and getting that gate secured before his arrival, then I don’t see why not, just make sure you aren’t feeling pressured to speed things along getting ready, everything needs to be right for you guys🥰I can’t speak for the igloo working as a temporary measure, maybe it would, but I’ll let the others speak to that because I’m not certain.
I’ll also let someone like Tom answer your height questions as I lack any hands on experience with this big ol’ guys lol, would love to see the plan though! I’m excited to the whole set up too! I love checking out spaces people create for their torts🐢💚

Thanks. I do feel a little bit of pressure, but I won’t bring him home until it’s safe for him. I just have a lot happening that’s putting off the major construction and feel like the rescue thinks I’m not prioritizing his adoption. I feel like that’s a little unfair, because I’m doing a lot in order to bring him home.

 

[Tom]

Hi, everyone!

The rescue I’m getting Jasper from told me that they would allow us to proceed with the adoption without a proper winter setup because it’s July and they’re pressed for space. They recommended a dog igloo for shelter until I get the winter box done.

So all that I need to do before bringing him home is figure out a good way to secure our back gate. We’ve had issues with this dang gate since we moved here in 2021. Right now it is minimally functional and it could be pushed open by a tortoise Jasper’s size.

I am thinking I will make a short gate that opens into the yard that spans the whole length of the current double gate that opens outwards. This short gate would be much stronger than what’s there now because it would be one piece latching on one side rather than a double gate that latches in the middle.

How tall does the additional gate need to be? Jasper is about 50lbs now and maybe a foot tall, but we don’t plan on moving anywhere within the next few years so this needs to work for a while. I was thinking building this about two feet tall would be sufficient without being overkill.

I’ll sketch my plan and post that in a bit.

Do your nights always stay above 80 degrees every night, even as we move into September? That is what the ambient air temp the igloo will need to be, and you can't use CHEs or heat lamps on a 50 pounder.

16 inches is all you need for your gate. If you are worried, you can go 24 inches. Many times I have just screwed a board into both sides of a gate like that, and then just step over it for access. @Yvonne G saw this at my place one time and she complimented me on the idea. I was quite pleased to receive such a compliment from someone that I hold in such high esteem. If it is screwed in you never have to worry about someone leaving the gate open, because eventually, someone is going to leave the gate open... Ask me how I know that...

Your plan with hinges and a latch will also work if you need this gate for frequent access and you are regularly wheeling heavy things like lawnmowers or wheel barrows through it. If frequent access for heavy equipment is not needed and you can just step over it daily, then its pretty easy to remove four screws anytime that you did actually need to roll something heavy through there.

 

[ABCDogs+]

Do your nights always stay above 80 degrees every night, even as we move into September? That is what the ambient air temp the igloo will need to be, and you can't use CHEs or heat lamps on a 50 pounder.

16 inches is all you need for your gate. If you are worried, you can go 24 inches. Many times I have just screwed a board into both sides of a gate like that, and then just step over it for access. @Yvonne G saw this at my place one time and she complimented me on the idea. I was quite pleased to receive such a compliment from someone that I hold in such high esteem. If it is screwed in you never have to worry about someone leaving the gate open, because eventually, someone is going to leave the gate open... Ask me how I know that...

Your plan with hinges and a latch will also work if you need this gate for frequent access and you are regularly wheeling heavy things like lawnmowers or wheel barrows through it. If frequent access for heavy equipment is not needed and you can just step over it daily, then its pretty easy to remove four screws anytime that you did actually need to roll something heavy through there.

No, the night temps drop to near 75 even now if we’re having a lot of rain. So should I tell the rescue they need to keep him until I finish the tortoise house like we had planned from the beginning?

The gate needs to be functional for our lawn guys to access. I would love to just hang a 2x12 with hinges and a latch rather than build something like I sketched. Would that be acceptable?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thanks. I do feel a little bit of pressure, but I won’t bring him home until it’s safe for him. I just have a lot happening that’s putting off the major construction and feel like the rescue thinks I’m not prioritizing his adoption. I feel like that’s a little unfair, because I’m doing a lot in order to bring him home.

That is unfair, they should be happy you’re taking the time you need to get things ready❤️