Should i let him go?

[Dessy]

Hello all. I just want to start by saying i love my little sully hes only a few months old and hes already getting big. I live in chicago and its already pretty cold here and i will no longer be able to take him outside for walks. I feel awful because he loves his walks so i was planning on making him an indoor garden.

However, i feel like he would enjoy life if he was able to spend more time outside. His enclosure is not small for his size but i cant imagine him being in there every fall/winter. I was thinking of seeing if anybody on the forum who lives down south would adopt him if i made the trip to deliver him. I love my tort but i want whats best for him. What should i do?

 

[Careym13]

Would you be able to build him a large, heated outdoor home for the winter? Like a heated/lighted shed?

 

[Dessy]

I have the money but lack the skill. I have two spare rooms on my second floor i could utilize. Im just nervous about having him live outside i live in a bad neighbourhood

 

[bouaboua]

If you have time, you need to go vosit @wellington . She lives in Chicago near the airport. She set it up perfectly for her tortoise. You can learn a whole lot from her.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Careym13]

A spare room is a great option. There are several members here that use them for the winter (of course I can't think of who they are at the moment). I'm sure someone will chime in soon

 

[Careym13]

If you have time, you need to go vosit @wellington . She lives in Chicago near the airport. She set it up perfectly for her tortoise. You can learn a whole lot from her.

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, Wellington! Thank you bouaboua!

 

[Jodie]

This is what I did for inside accommodation
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-room-remodel.128371/
It is expensive to keep big ones in the north. It certainly can be done though.

 

[Dessy]

Wow thanks so much everybody! Looks like i gotta get planning...

 

[wellington]

If you have time, you need to go vosit @wellington . She lives in Chicago near the airport. She set it up perfectly for her tortoise. You can learn a whole lot from her.

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you.

 

[yillt]

Hi. It's up to you but I would suggest thinking about it a lot more. I gave away my tortoise for the same reasons and had to get him back three months later. I had been confident I should sell him then was so upset and missed him so much. Good luck

 

[domalle]

Hello all. I just want to start by saying i love my little sully hes only a few months old and hes already getting big. I live in chicago and its already pretty cold here and i will no longer be able to take him outside for walks. I feel awful because he loves his walks so i was planning on making him an indoor garden.

However, i feel like he would enjoy life if he was able to spend more time outside. His enclosure is not small for his size but i cant imagine him being in there every fall/winter. I was thinking of seeing if anybody on the forum who lives down south would adopt him if i made the trip to deliver him. I love my tort but i want whats best for him. What should i do?

You have clearly bonded with the little guy. I think you would regret parting with him.
Maybe when he reaches a large size and you do not feel that keeping him confined in small quarters
is fair to him, you can find a home for him with a knowledgeable keeper in a more suitable climate.
Good luck.

 

[Dessy]

Thanks everyone i dont know why torts are so easy to fall in love with haha but i will try my hardest!

 

[Tom]

So that others may learn from your plight, what prompted you to buy a sulcata instead of some other species that would have been more suitable for your climate and space restrictions?

With enough time, money and effort, there is no reason you can't keep him there.

 

[Dessy]

Originally it was a gift for somebody that they decided to keep at my house and now i take care of him. I got him from a pet shop and redfoots were the only other option and i didnt know anything about those. I didnt know there would be so much work to keeping one! Ive never had a reptile before. But i definitely have the time and money. Only thing i lack are basic buildings skills...

 

[Careym13]

Originally it was a gift for somebody that they decided to keep at my house and now i take care of him. I got him from a pet shop and redfoots were the only other option and i didnt know anything about those. I didnt know there would be so much work to keeping one! Ive never had a reptile before. But i definitely have the time and money. Only thing i lack are basic buildings skills...

I don't have much in the way of building skills either, but I've gotten better over time and I'm sure you will too. You can always ask questions here on the forum if you need help

 

[Tom]

Originally it was a gift for somebody that they decided to keep at my house and now i take care of him. I got him from a pet shop and redfoots were the only other option and i didnt know anything about those. I didnt know there would be so much work to keeping one! Ive never had a reptile before. But i definitely have the time and money. Only thing i lack are basic buildings skills...

Once you know what it is you want to build, perhaps a local handyman or handywoman could be hired to help you build it.

One of these will last a couple of years until your baby outgrows it:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2015-growth-experiment.119874/

 

[domalle]

People are lured into buying baby sulcatas because they are adorable, mass produced, readily available and dirt cheap.
The same attraction of the baby redears years ago that as released pets have spread across the globe to practically every corner
of the planet and become an invasive nuisance displacing native species everywhere.

 

[Alaskamike]

I'm going to play " devils advocate " here...
Your instincts having you question keeping a Sulcata might be spot on. You are attached now , but will be even more so years from now. Obviously I don't know your exact situation , but there are hints of problems to come

Here are a few things to think over :
He will need warmth. No matter how old he is , you will need to have a heat source always available. It can get more expensive to keep an entire room warm than using a ceramic heat bulb in a closed chamber. Your electric bills will go up noticeably.

Do you own this home ? Are you renting ? You can modify a room to keep him , but it will be messy and not cheap. When he is 40 lbs who will carry him down the stairs for outside time?

Holding a tortoise by the shell and in front of you makes that 40 lbs feel like 100. And what about when he is 80 lbs? Can you envision a good care environment for him then ?

Big tortoises have big ( and stinky) poop. As well as pee. Indoors it is allot of cleanup Plus they eat allot ! What will you feed him in the winter and where will you get it ?

You mentioned the neighborhood safety and your reluctance to keep him outdoors. But a big tortoise would need the outdoors in the summer.

For now you will be fine - for another 4-5 years probably. But then these problems will become real challenges. Can it be done ? Sure , many do it. But ...

If you could part with him now , and get a smaller type like a Russian, Greek, or even a Redfoot , you would have just as much enjoyment , get just as attached and avoid real difficulty years from now.

A tortoise the size of yours can easily and safely be shipped. You would not have to drive him. FedX has a good overnight program and any member here could walk you through how to do it. At least till winter hits in earnest.

Perhaps your first instinct is the right one.
Good fortune either way.

 

[Dessy]

I have made my decision i a going to build him a garden already bought materials. Ill keep him this winter and through to summer but then ill search for a new home. I want to personally drive him so i could see what kind of home hes going to . I could use a road trip anyway i just cant give him up now. Nothing in my life at the moment brings me as much joy as he does and i cant get rid of that

 

[Dessy]

I dont own this home im still really young but my family wouldn't mind they all love him