size for living outside?

[MarysTort]

How big should a sulcata be when it can be allowed to live outside in a pen with a heated shed?

We are trying to build a larger enclosure for Kenya and want it to last till he can live outside. The problem is I don't know how large he will be at that point. Inches? Pounds?

Thanks!

 

[DAC8671]

We moved Ralph outside completely last summer. Prior to that, we kept him inside at night in a small rubbermaid tub with a lamp. It was only for sleeping at night, so we didn't make it extra big. In the mornings I would take him outside.

When we put him outside 24/7, he was not yet 4 yrs old and about 10-12 pounds???? I really worried about him the first few nights and then when it got cold. But I just made sure to keep his dogloo warm with the heat lamp. I would put a heavy towel over the door to keep heat in. I also put plastic strips on the door to keep wind and elements out during the day. I'll take some pics and post them here of what his enclosure looks like. It's not much, but we only really keep him in it if we aren't home/or at night. He gets to roam the yard during the day.

 

[Yvonne G]

When I take in rescued sulcatas I always pen them up outside. No matter what size they are (except for hatchlings). I recently had a half-soft ball-sized sulcata that was about 3 years old. He did quite well outside. When I first took him in it was evening, so I put him into the heated house and blocked the doorway closed. The next morning when I removed the door, he came outside (through the vinyl strip door) all by himself, and that evening he went back into the house on his own.

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

The trick is to not have multiple hides for them to go to, have one that is heated and they will always migrate back to it at the end of the day or when they get cold. Of course you have to still keep an eye on them to make sure, but they are pretty smart. If you build a large area for future, block it off till he gets bigger, or make it easy to expand. Racoons and ravens can be a problem if you have them around, so just lock them up at night or put a wire cover over the top area to protect them, but still allows sun in.

 

[DAC8671]

Here are some pictures I took this afternoon. The enclosure is 16 feet long on the grass with an additional 4 feet on the concrete. It is 8 feet wide. Yes, I know it's boring, but like I said, he's only in it when we aren't home or at night. Otherwise, he's out munching the grass/weeds.

Inside the dogloo....

And here are some of Ralph enjoying the grass...

 

[MarysTort]

Thanks for the responses! Mostly we deal with cats, and I'm never sure about leaving Kenya outside unsupervised at this time since he is still sooo small.

I'm assuming that once they get bigger the cats are afraid of them?

Oh, and thanks for the pictures!

Yvonne, I didn't know little ones could stay outside that much. Maybe we'll be moving our guy outside sooner than I think.

At one year he is still so small, it's hard to think that he could be living outside at 3 or 4 years. They must really start growing fast. I wonder if he's a runt.....

 

[janiedough]

Last summer, I put Percy, 9" 5lbs. outside and only checked on him every two days or so. He did great. He fed himself, sunned himself, etc. I even put a cuttlebone in his habitat and he gave himself calcium.

However I live in Louisiana and he hasn't started to dig anywhere. His dog house is on cement, and when we get a heavy rain or if it falls below 60 at night, I bring him in. And if he looks a little dry I still give him soaks in the sun.

He grew an inch over the summer months - I can't wait to see how big he gets this summer!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Thanks for the responses! Mostly we deal with cats, and I'm never sure about leaving Kenya outside unsupervised at this time since he is still sooo small.

I'm assuming that once they get bigger the cats are afraid of them?

Oh, and thanks for the pictures!

Yvonne, I didn't know little ones could stay outside that much. Maybe we'll be moving our guy outside sooner than I think.

At one year he is still so small, it's hard to think that he could be living outside at 3 or 4 years. They must really start growing fast. I wonder if he's a runt.....

I think that one year is too young for a baby to live outside. I didn't let either Bob or Tony stay outside alone until Tony was 3 yrs I think.

 

[MarysTort]

Oh, yeah, I still think he's way too little. Just trying to plan for the future.

 

[richalisoviejo]

When Henry is two I think I’ll have a sunroof installed in the guest room and make it his home. I’m going to make the whole room like an outside area. Put some type of tile for flooring in half of the room and around the walls, the other half plants etc, I know I’m really weird.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...Even if you have a sunroof, you will still need a good UVB light for him cause the glass over the window only lets in UV, not UVB.

Sounds like a great idea tho. Wish I could do that.

Good luck
Patsy