Northern VA/ D.C. New tortoise owner

[Sterling Thunder]

Hello,

My name is Dan and I live in NOVA (Ashburn, VA).

I am looking to take on the fun and challenge of a Sulcata and my research brought me here. For now a Tort Table will suffice and I am looking into designing and building an outdoor habitat for much of the year and an indoor habitat for the winter and would love input. The supplies and tort table will be here this week and depending on input I will be getting a Sulcata in the following week or two.

Yes, I know they get comparatively huge, luckily I own my home and have a big yard and 3/4 finished basement.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome Check through our enclosure section for ideas. Also read Toms great thread on raising a sulcata. The second thread at the bottom of my post. All the post are good reads and the leopard thread also pertains to sulcatas.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Dan, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[AZtortMom]

Hi and welcome to TFO can't wait to see pics!


Life is good

 

[sibi]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the forum. My son lives in Arlington, not far from you. I hope you can keep the sully warm enough in the basement during winter. We're here if you have concerns or questions. Another important thread that Tom wrote is under my name. If you have a dog, plan on getting a dog, or allow dogs to visit your home, then you definitely want to read this.

 

[Chinque]

Hi! Welcom to the forum! Pics, please! We LOVE pics!!

 

[Sterling Thunder]

Thanks for all the replies! I have a room that I can dedicate to the tortoise that is currently cinderblock and concrete floor that I was going to have made into a habitat (kind of like at the zoo so you can't see the cinder block and flooring) for the winter. The space is around 12' x 20' for the habitat. HOWEVER... and this is why research is important, I noticed one small detail that make the Sulcata a likely no go - Tunneling. I am fine with him digging a trench in the outdoor and indoor habitats but I am not ok with him burrowing a full on cavern. Now, if we create a cavern for him, will this curtail him adding to it?

Also, I ordered a Zoo Med Wood Tortoise house yesterday and it arrived today and unlike the picture and the descriptions it is not pine or some variation, it is actually cedar. Is this a problem?

 

[Sterling Thunder]

Strike that, upon closer inspection and a phone call it is actually Fir. I will leave it outside for a few days to air out!

 

[Len B]

Hello Steve, welcome to the forum. I am in Colonial Beach Va, about 2 hours from you I think, I can get to Marshall in about an hour and half. If you are serious about a sulcata I have a yearling that needs a for ever home, it is doing great and at 1 year it is 7 inches and about 2 pounds, I adopted it last Sept along with 2 other sulcatas. I found a home for one,I am keeping the the larger one(Sylvia) because of her special needs. NO Charge for it, except a 2 hour drive to pick it up. If you are interested I can post some pics, I also grow opuntia and other plants for food that you can have rooted plants of. I have 5 sulcatas from 1 year to 17 years old right now and really don't need that many. My 17 year old and Sylvia stay outside all year

 

[Levi the Leopard]

That sounds great Len. What an offer

Welcome to TFO!

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp

 

[Yvonne G]

Sorry, Dan, but the Zoo Med tortoise house is way too small for even a baby sulcata. It was a waste of money. You can build a tort table much cheaper and bigger. Just picture Len's one year old....that's ONE year, and the tortoise is already two pounds. See what I mean about the house being too small?

 

[theelectraco]

I would only recommend zoo med tortoise houses for hatchlings, but a sulcata hatchling will outgrow it in a few months. I used one for my Redfoot....I hated it. Had it for a few months before I upgraded. It looks like a cool cage and good concept til u spend a few days looking at pictures of enclosures on here and then u know its not big enough.

 

[Len B]

Hey Dan,Here are the pics of Lfah taken yesterday. the first six months I didn't have her, but have been working to help with the pyramiding since the end of Sept, she is growing like a sulcata can, "very fast". I am not sure of the sex but am adding a pic so if anyone wants to guess go ahead. Length 7 inches, weight 2 pounds 4.5 ounces,

 

[Sterling Thunder]

The plan was to get a hatchling and use the Zoo Med enclosure as its home for a few months while the permanent indoor and outdoor housing is built. I won't be using a tort table for the indoor enclosure but an actual built in habitat. Obviously if I adopt Len's I would have to make other plans. The prices of materials in the DC area are pretty high making this a good temporary solution (spending $80 for something that will be gone in a few months vs. spending $150 for materials as well as my time). So no need to be sorry, it wasn't a waste.

As I mentioned I am aware how big these guys can get.