My sulcata (1 year old) doesn't like her shelter

[hrb404!]

Aloha from Hilo, Hawaii. I have a one year old sulcata tortoise who has been living outside for approximately four months. I live in Hilo,Hawaii where it rains A LOT and me and my partner have recently put up a new shelter for her, but she does not seem interested in staying in or under the shelter when it rains. Last night we had a torrential downpour and the garden is semi-flooded, she prefers to stay hidden under some sweet potato leaves. She also does not seem very interested in eating these days. I am not sure what to do or what is wrong. I have attached some photos for reference. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mahalo,

 

[Cheryl Hills]

What are your temps? Do you provide any heat? If the tortoise is not warm enough, it will not be able to digest its food and will not eat. I don’t know about the sheltered area.

 

[daniellenc]

Yeah it looks good does he have an area to soak?

 

[Tim Carlisle]

If your tortoise doesn't like the enclosure, can I come stay in it a little while until the weather here warms up? lol. I love your setup BTW. Just bear in mind that sullies have a tendency to be creatures of habit and don't take quickly to changes. Just introduce her to it. I have a feeling that eventually she will take to it.

 

[hrb404!]

What are your temps? Do you provide any heat? If the tortoise is not warm enough, it will not be able to digest its food and will not eat. I don’t know about the sheltered area.

Its 80 degrees during the day and 65 degrees at night on average.

 

[hrb404!]

If your tortoise doesn't like the enclosure, can I come stay in it a little while until the weather here warms up? lol. I love your setup BTW. Just bear in mind that sullies have a tendency to be creatures of habit and don't take quickly to changes. Just introduce her to it. I have a feeling that eventually she will take to it.

I hope so! I don't want her to get cold or a respiratory problems.

 

[Tom]

Even where you are, 65 and rainy is too cold and wet for a sulcata. Your tortoise is likely to get a respiratory infection under those conditions.

Your shelter is super cool and I think you should leave it as is and let the tortoise use it whenever it wants, but you still need a proper heated night box that you can close up at night. This will keep the tortoise warm and dry, and then you can open the door each morning, so it can run around in the warmer daytime temps and sunshine. You also need to get rid of the red bulb. Tortoises have better color vision than we do and the red is not good for them.

Here is an example of a night box. In your climate, the heating elements will run a lot less than in an area like mine with winter nights typically in the 30s or 40s. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/