Preparing to Tortoise

[sleepingg]

Hi all!
I'm hoping to own a sulcata soon! First of course I did a lot of research, and now I'm prepping my ~1000sqft yard for an adult sulcata (my dream tortoise ). I'm getting opaque fencing around the entire yard, with trenched concrete to prevent any digging out, in the next few weeks. I've been out leveling any suspicious spots to ensure that the tort doesn't tip over, as well as trying to identify yard plants for suitability. I'll be placing a pair of terracotta water dishes once the fence people are through, and we'll be using a kiddie wading pool for soaking. I'm most likely going to kill off the majority of the existing grass/weeds (rototilling and black plastic, no poisons) and plant some sulcata seed mix. Also looking into putting some prickly pear in, and deciding how best to provide calcium. I do have an exotics vet with tortoise experience, who I already see for my parrot. Apart from all that, I have a few questions.

Shade/Sun- The backyard is on the north side of the house and has a large tree, so there's quite a lot of shade, although it's possible to stay in the sun the entire day if you're willing to move with it around the yard. Is that enough sun? Should I be providing additional shade or are the large area shaded by the tree and the porch/house enough?

Glass doors- I have sliding glass doors, and I've heard that tortoises may try to push through them if they can see inside. Is it okay to just make a short mini-wall of concrete blocks so the tort can't see inside, or should I trench them down a foot or two as well?

Dog poo- We have two small dogs, about 15lbs each. I doubt very much that they would ever consider trying to attack (or even approach...) something as large as an adult tortoise, but I'll be extremely careful when introducing them. I may end up fencing off a separate dog potty area, but in case they do manage to poop somewhere I don't notice and the tortoise finds it, how dire is eating dog poop? I understand that the issue is with heartworm prevention, which both my dogs are on. However, the medication in it is NOT ivermectin, it is milbemycin oxime. The only mention I see of it here is http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/deworming.26941/ where it sounds like it's more or less safe for tortoises?

Shelter- Do sulcatas need a house to feel comfortable? I see that people on the forums are making houses with heating, which I understand for winter, but if it's warm enough out is it okay to not have one? I'm in central Texas, and we're almost done with cold weather for the year, so I'm happy to put off building one for a while if I can. I'm also seeing some that are built elevated in case of rain- I live on a hillside, so I don't get any flooding or puddles, but we do get the occasional torrential rain.


Is there anything else important I'm forgetting? Sorry for the absurdly long post!

 

[Tom]

Rather than kill off your existing weeds, you should try to ID them first. They might be good. Also, growing new stuff from seed or planting cactus inside the enclosure where the tortoise has access to it will not work. They will trample or eat it. Try blocking off a few sections with cinder blocks or plywood fencing and letting the weeds, grass and seed mixes grow up in peace. Then open one section at a time and let the tortoise eat it all up. Close it off so it can re-grow while the tortoise grazes on a new section. The only way to do cactus inside the enclosure is if you block it off for a few years. If the tortoise can reach it, it will be eaten. Terra cotta saucers and a 1000sq. ft. enclosure sounds good for a smaller one, but that is too small for a larger adult. That would be roughly 33x33 feet. This is a good size for 12" or smaller juveniles, but too small for an adult. They wander a lot, and you also won't be able to grow enough food in an enclosure that size to keep up with the tortoise. It will be bare dirt in days or weeks.

Also, there is no need for concrete filled trenches. They don't dig out like a dog. If they dig, they dig down at an angle and then use this tunnel as a means to get in and out of their burrow. They don't dig down, and then back up on the other side of a barrier. They just dig down.

Your questions:
1. That sounds ideal. They need lots of shade in summer and they can always follow the warm sunny spots as needed.
2. I would wait and see if its a problem. If it is a problem, a simple visual barrier will solve it. No need for trenching here either.
3. 15 pound dogs can and will maul a large tortoise, and in some cases the tortoise can smash the dogs too. Keep the dogs out of the tortoise's area. Simple as that.
4. Yes. They all need a heated house. I just looked up the weather for Dallas. Night temps in the low 50s. That is much too cold for this tropical species. Here is a response I just typed up for another member with a similar question:
"This is a tropical species. There are two seasons over there, according to my friend Tomas from Senegal. "Hot and Hotter."

On the occasion that night temps dip into the 60's over there, the tortoise are deep under ground in their burrows where temps stay 80ish, and the next day the highs will be near 100 again. Days in the 50's or 60's and night temps below the 60's are totally foreign to this species. Like Mark said, some percentage of them manage to survive with colder temperatures, but it is not "good" for them.

You need a proper insulated and heated night box. A camper shell with hay isn't going to get it done. Its much too cold for that right now. I keep my night boxes around 70-75 in summer when my day time highs are near 100 daily, and I set them for 85-86 in winter when the days are not going to warm up much.

Like these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/ "

They will also need a night house to keep them safe from rodents and predators at night. The box also serves as their "burrow" and makes them less inclined to dig.

Glad you asked all these questions. Please come back and ask more, or ask for more explanation anywhere its needed. Congrats on your new incoming tortoise!

 

[sleepingg]

Oops, my math is terribly off. My yard is 50 x 50, which is 2500sqft. Would that be enough, or am I looking at expanding to the front yard with the fencing?
The concrete is also to prevent neighbor dogs (we have some stinkers) from digging in. Both my dogs are lazy old men, so other dogs getting at them tends to end poorly if the other dog is aggressive.

The dogs will definitely be in the yard at the same time as the tortoise, although it will be under supervision. If I can't keep them completely separate does it mean I can't keep a tortoise?

 

[Tom]

Oops, my math is terribly off. My yard is 50 x 50, which is 2500sqft. Would that be enough, or am I looking at expanding to the front yard with the fencing?
The concrete is also to prevent neighbor dogs (we have some stinkers) from digging in. Both my dogs are lazy old men, so other dogs getting at them tends to end poorly if the other dog is aggressive.

The dogs will definitely be in the yard at the same time as the tortoise, although it will be under supervision. If I can't keep them completely separate does it mean I can't keep a tortoise?

50x50' is plenty for a big one, but no harm in going even bigger. My enclosure is roughly 7000 sq feet and I still want to go bigger.

Keeping neighbors dogs out is good.

If your dogs are only out there when you are with them and directly watching them, it should be fine. But in reality, most people get complacent. They go inside just for one second to answer the phone, or their spouse/roommate/mom/kid/etc… lets the dogs out for a potty break not realizing its a problem, etc… Best if they have separate areas. Little old men that live in the house don't need a large area outside to do their business. We see dog disasters here on the forum far too regularly. Its really sad and easily preventable if people just realize the danger ahead of time. Dogs and tortoises just don't mix.

 

[sleepingg]

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll check on extending fencing out to the front. I imagine it will be pretty easy to put up a cinderblock potty enclosure for the dogs, so I'll get on that. The night box will probably take a bit more time, since I'm carpentry-impaired, but I'll be sure to get it done before I go hunting for an adoptee. Is timothy hay okay for a floor substrate or should I go for something a bit more absorbent?

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll check on extending fencing out to the front. I imagine it will be pretty easy to put up a cinderblock potty enclosure for the dogs, so I'll get on that. The night box will probably take a bit more time, since I'm carpentry-impaired, but I'll be sure to get it done before I go hunting for an adoptee. Is timothy hay okay for a floor substrate or should I go for something a bit more absorbent?

Depends on your box and how you heat it. Can't use hay with a heat mat. If you build the bigger box and heat it with the oil type radiant heater, then timothy will work. I prefer bermuda hay or orchard grass hay for this purpose though. Timothy is just too stemmy and pokey.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll check on extending fencing out to the front. I imagine it will be pretty easy to put up a cinderblock potty enclosure for the dogs, so I'll get on that. The night box will probably take a bit more time, since I'm carpentry-impaired, but I'll be sure to get it done before I go hunting for an adoptee. Is timothy hay okay for a floor substrate or should I go for something a bit more absorbent?

I just put dirt in most of mine. Its easy to scrape out and replace.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !

 

[8james8]

Welcome!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Hi and welcome. Congrats on your tort!