Less maintenance

[ALICE_in_Wonderland]

I have always loved the sulcata tortoise and becoming a member of this group I realized I wouldn't be able to provide a suitableI0 environment for one as a live in a colder (MD/PA) climate (if I ever move to AZ maybe I'll re visit the possibility). Is there a type tortoise that would thrive in my natural environment with the assistance of a heat lamp?

Thank you for your time and input!

 

[Tom]

I have always loved the sulcata tortoise and becoming a member of this group I realized I wouldn't be able to provide a suitableI0 environment for one as a live in a colder (MD/PA) climate (if I ever move to AZ maybe I'll re visit the possibility). Is there a type tortoise that would thrive in my natural environment with the assistance of a heat lamp?

Thank you for your time and input!

The tricky part for your climate is getting through winter. Best to have a small species that can be housed indoors over winter, and/or a species that can brumate through winter. All species will need a large enclosure, minimum of 4x8 feet as adults, and much more than a single heat lamp to house them properly.

Some good choices:
Pancake tortoises
Burmese stars
Indian stars
Any of the Testudo to include all the greeks, hermanni, Egyptians and Russians.
Box turtles

I would avoid any of the three giants: sulcatas, Aldabras, Galapagos, and red foots, leopards, or manouria.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[wellington]

Many have a sulcata in the colder areas. Even those in CA and FL have to prepare to house large tortoises during their cold nights. Colder, snow areas just have to do it longer and cost more.
All tortoises though needs more than just a heat lamp.
Large tortoises you need the space and money as you will have to provide a good size heated winter enclosure and have a much bigger yard space for them.
All of them need added uvb, basking heat, and all over lighting. Tortoises are not a cheap start up pet. Once everything is set up, let's say for a hatchling, well as they grow, their space and food intake grow too, which means more improvements. Most smaller species still need a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure as an adult.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

I live in Ohio. Very doable if you have the time, patience, and willpower (not to mention the monetary resources).

 

[LJL1982]

The tricky part for your climate is getting through winter. Best to have a small species that can be housed indoors over winter, and/or a species that can brumate through winter. All species will need a large enclosure, minimum of 4x8 feet as adults, and much more than a single heat lamp to house them properly.

Some good choices:
Pancake tortoises
Burmese stars
Indian stars
Any of the Testudo to include all the greeks, hermanni, Egyptians and Russians.
Box turtles

I would avoid any of the three giants: sulcatas, Aldabras, Galapagos, and red foots, leopards, or manouria.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

I would second those choices but emphasising that some of the testudos / med species are way more active than the others and become quite frustrated indoors if not hibernated or kept in a very large enclosure. I have an ibera (a greek/ spur thighed) that has stayed awake and is a serious challenge if not kept in a spare room kept entirely for him (no sofas/ people/ tvs etc).

Russians/ Horsefields tend to have a quiet period mid winter and summer if kept awake so can be a better option, though they love to dig so need some depth to their enclosure ideally.

 

[Tom]

I would second those choices but emphasising that some of the testudos / med species are way more active than the others and become quite frustrated indoors if not hibernated or kept in a very large enclosure. I have an ibera (a greek/ spur thighed) that has stayed awake and is a serious challenge if not kept in a spare room kept entirely for him (no sofas/ people/ tvs etc).

Russians/ Horsefields tend to have a quiet period mid winter and summer if kept awake so can be a better option, though they love to dig so need some depth to their enclosure ideally.

I read through this post a couple of times before responding. The only species I mentioned that are less active than the Testudo might be the pancakes, because of their tendency to hide a lot. The stars, box turtles, and larger species are as active as any Testudo I have kept, and I've kept a lot of them over the years.

I don't know of any species that won't become frustrated when housed indoors in a small enclosure for months on end, which is why I continually advise people with frozen winters to not get sulcatas or other large species. A sulcata confined in a shed for months at a time over a frozen winter is the definition of "frustrated". I don't know how anyone in the UK manages this species at all, but it is becoming more and more common, unfortunately.

Here in our North American climate, housing adult Testudo outdoors in large enclosures most of the year, and then brumating over winter is a workable strategy for most people. Some people do try to keep them up, and I imagine that is frustrating for both the tortoise and the tortoise keeper.