Outside sulcata enclosure

[Brookn178]

Hi! New this and also new to owning a tortoise. I have recently rescued an about 4/5 yr old sulcata tortoise from a distance family member who was not taking great care of him. I’ve done a lot of research but I know I have more to learn and am having questions I can’t find answers to on different articles. I have built a 12 x 8 enclosure (I will insert pictures) I am located in the Florida panhandle (Pensacola area) and it gets very hot. To my knowledge he should be outside during the day and come inside at night (correct me if I’m wrong on anything!) i am very concerned and nervous about him over heating, i have a laser therm gun to test his shell temp and different parts of his enclosure throughout the day. I also have a little shed/house that I removed the bottom from and have a couple layers of dirt/substrate so he can borrow. I have a hibiscus plant he likes to dig under (he hasn’t dug any borrows yet though) I have a soaking pan (he doesn’t use this either and I’m not sure why, it does stay in the sun throughout the whole day so maybe that’s why?I have a pot on his side but he doesn’t use that and I’m thinking it’s because it’s in the sun too much) I also have a little stone hut in a shaded corner, i haven’t seen him use it yet but I know he’s gone in that direction several several times so I think he’s gone in and out of it some. I have a sword fern, and also a bushy grass (totally went blank for the name of it) and a few other little plants. I have a list of questions so please bare with me I’m extremely new to this and I want to give him the best life I can since he’s had a rocky few years!

1) can he be left out at night l locked in the shed/house thing? It typically is about 78° at night right now at the end of July.
2) I have read they can get respiratory infections/illnesses and she’ll rot if they are on moist ground for a period of time? I have been cooling his enclosure off majority of the day since the ground temp can get above 105° which really scares me about him overheating. He doesn’t mind the sprinkler and continues to explore and eat grass with it on for hours at a time. The sprinkler does make a difference in the ground temp & his shell temp so I’m worried about not having it on (also thinking about getting a timer for the water hose to turn it on and off at the hottest part of the days) how concerned should I be if I have the sprinkler on majority of the day?
3) I know I need more plants to cover the ground and make more shaded areas since the enclosure is in the sun more than the shade, what plants should I be gettting? Would it also be beneficial to get a sun shade canopy to go over the entire enclosure for the time being until it cools off some?
4) any more tips/tricks/advice/ things to improve his life and his enclosure!!
Thank you in advance!!

**Disclaimer** you may see in some picture that he is pyramiding, please no shame, I know how bad it is and i had nothing to do with it, I just rescued him so I’m hopeful it comes to a stop from the life I can provide him.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

@Tom and @wellington can probably answer all your questions.

 

[Tom]

Hi! New this and also new to owning a tortoise. I have recently rescued an about 4/5 yr old sulcata tortoise from a distance family member who was not taking great care of him. I’ve done a lot of research but I know I have more to learn and am having questions I can’t find answers to on different articles. I have built a 12 x 8 enclosure (I will insert pictures) I am located in the Florida panhandle (Pensacola area) and it gets very hot. To my knowledge he should be outside during the day and come inside at night (correct me if I’m wrong on anything!) i am very concerned and nervous about him over heating, i have a laser therm gun to test his shell temp and different parts of his enclosure throughout the day. I also have a little shed/house that I removed the bottom from and have a couple layers of dirt/substrate so he can borrow. I have a hibiscus plant he likes to dig under (he hasn’t dug any borrows yet though) I have a soaking pan (he doesn’t use this either and I’m not sure why, it does stay in the sun throughout the whole day so maybe that’s why?I have a pot on his side but he doesn’t use that and I’m thinking it’s because it’s in the sun too much) I also have a little stone hut in a shaded corner, i haven’t seen him use it yet but I know he’s gone in that direction several several times so I think he’s gone in and out of it some. I have a sword fern, and also a bushy grass (totally went blank for the name of it) and a few other little plants. I have a list of questions so please bare with me I’m extremely new to this and I want to give him the best life I can since he’s had a rocky few years!

1) can he be left out at night l locked in the shed/house thing? It typically is about 78° at night right now at the end of July.
2) I have read they can get respiratory infections/illnesses and she’ll rot if they are on moist ground for a period of time? I have been cooling his enclosure off majority of the day since the ground temp can get above 105° which really scares me about him overheating. He doesn’t mind the sprinkler and continues to explore and eat grass with it on for hours at a time. The sprinkler does make a difference in the ground temp & his shell temp so I’m worried about not having it on (also thinking about getting a timer for the water hose to turn it on and off at the hottest part of the days) how concerned should I be if I have the sprinkler on majority of the day?
3) I know I need more plants to cover the ground and make more shaded areas since the enclosure is in the sun more than the shade, what plants should I be gettting? Would it also be beneficial to get a sun shade canopy to go over the entire enclosure for the time being until it cools off some?
4) any more tips/tricks/advice/ things to improve his life and his enclosure!!
Thank you in advance!!

**Disclaimer** you may see in some picture that he is pyramiding, please no shame, I know how bad it is and i had nothing to do with it, I just rescued him so I’m hopeful it comes to a stop from the life I can provide him.

This is a nice little area. You will want to make it MUCH larger soon. It looks like more deep shade is needed. Maybe if you expand the enclosure so it moves toward those trees, you can get more shade?

The little white rocks look cute, but they need to be removed ASAP. Tortoises will eat that sort of thing and get impacted.

Soak the tortoise in warm water for 30-40 minutes in a tall sided opaque tub two or three times a week to keep it well hydrated and keep the GI tract moving well.

Answers to your questions:
1. Here are two examples of what you need:

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...

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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...

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2. They don't get shell rot. That is red foot tortoises. There is a lot of old wrong info out in the world. Keep using the sprinklers or misters, but also add more deep shade.

3. Yes on the shade canopy or umbrella. Fruitless mulberry trees, grape vines, hibiscus plants, lavatera, squash or pumpkin plants... the list s endless.

4. Read these two threads for current and correct care info. Loads of tips and tricks in these, and questions are welcome.

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...

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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...

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