Soon to be Sulcata mom here!

[Tinytortmama]

Hi fellow tortoise owners! My husband and I live in NC and have decided to get a Sulcata tortoise. He/she will be here on 8/4 and my mind is blown over all the advice in the groups on Facebook. I’m deciding on the enclosure and understand that it needs to be closed capsule. I’ve looked at several options but I’m hoping to get a knowledgeable opinion. My plan is to encapsulate with a portable greenhouse cover if I do any of the ones other than the first two. Also are there three lights that I will need? UVA, UVB, and heat? Please help my overwhelmed mind 😩

 

[Tom]

Hi fellow tortoise owners! My husband and I live in NC and have decided to get a Sulcata tortoise. He/she will be here on 8/4 and my mind is blown over all the advice in the groups on Facebook. I’m deciding on the enclosure and understand that it needs to be closed capsule. I’ve looked at several options but I’m hoping to get a knowledgeable opinion. My plan is to encapsulate with a portable greenhouse cover if I do any of the ones other than the first two. Also are there three lights that I will need? UVA, UVB, and heat? Please help my overwhelmed mind 😩

Hello and welcome. Read this before you do anything else. It will explain a lot:

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...

tortoiseforum.org

There is a sulcata care sheet and a heating/lighting breakdown at the bottom.

 

[Trieste]

Welcome! I’m a newbie as well so no advice but I’m also so overwhelmed by the initial setup. This forum has been really helpful so we’re in the right place! Can't wait to see your pics 💜

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, this forum is all you need. Getting a setup for a tort can be overwhelming and exhausting. Better to stick with one forum. The information here is up to date. Remember that your sully is going to grow fast. So the enclosure you setup for your sully. Will probably only last 2 years at the best. Until he/she out grows it.
Read the caresheets Tom gave you and then come back with questions. The members here are all willing to help. One word of advice, don't go to a pet store for answers. They will sell you what they have in stock. Chances are it will be wrong and expensive. Where are you getting your sully from?

 

[Tinytortmama]

Hello and welcome. Read this before you do anything else. It will explain a lot:

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...

tortoiseforum.org

There is a sulcata care sheet and a heating/lighting breakdown at the bottom.

Thank you Tom. I plan to print that out tomorrow. Did my enclosure pics show up? I’ll reattach. If I do the greenhouse enclosure and the clear tote, does the lighting get too hot for the plastic on the greenhouse cover?

 

[jeff kushner]

I recently had reason to write; "We're gonna need a bigger boat"...will again in about 18 mos.


If you read through those care sheets, they will help you to decide which is best for his/her first year or two. They really are a fantastic reference and have been pored over by some of the best talent around the planet...they are solid! There is also a subfolder around here labeled "enclosures" so you might want to look over there too.

Are you planning on having an outdoor enclosure too as he/she gets older?

Congrats to both of you....and good luck!

jeff

 

[Tinytortmama]

I recently had reason to write; "We're gonna need a bigger boat"...will again in about 18 mos.


If you read through those care sheets, they will help you to decide which is best for his/her first year or two. They really are a fantastic reference and have been pored over by some of the best talent around the planet...they are solid! There is also a subfolder around here labeled "enclosures" so you might want to look over there too.

Are you planning on having an outdoor enclosure too as he/she gets older?

Congrats to both of you....and good luck!

jeff

Haha that sounds about right! Yes we do plan on an outdoor enclosure after she is 1 year old. I did read the care sheet and it says that glass can be fine but I wonder if any of the others may be better? I’ll check out the enclosures subfolder too!
Jessie

 

[Tinytortmama]

Welcome, this forum is all you need. Getting a setup for a tort can be overwhelming and exhausting. Better to stick with one forum. The information here is up to date. Remember that your sully is going to grow fast. So the enclosure you setup for your sully. Will probably only last 2 years at the best. Until he/she out grows it.
Read the caresheets Tom gave you and then come back with questions. The members here are all willing to help. One word of advice, don't go to a pet store for answers. They will sell you what they have in stock. Chances are it will be wrong and expensive. Where are you getting your sully from?

Thank you for the welcome! I definitely won’t seek help from the pet store. We are getting him from a breeder in Missouri, which I’ve now learned maybe that’s not the best

 

[Tinytortmama]

Hello and welcome. Read this before you do anything else. It will explain a lot:

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...

tortoiseforum.org

There is a sulcata care sheet and a heating/lighting breakdown at the bottom.

Thanks Tom! I plan to print it out today and start ordering supplies. I did post below with a few enclosures I’m considering. Do you mind to weigh in?

 

[Tinytortmama]

Here are the items I've put on an Amazon list. Can anyone confirm that these are the correct choices so far? Pretty please

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3VHGAC17ZHXI7?ref_=wl_share

 

[Tom]

Here are the items I've put on an Amazon list. Can anyone confirm that these are the correct choices so far? Pretty please

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3VHGAC17ZHXI7?ref_=wl_share

Coir is too messy for sulcata. Get fine grade orchid bark. Sold as "Repti-bark" in pet channels.

I don't like those water bowls. Too slick. Get terra cotta saucers and sink them into the substrate for wood and water. Start with 6 inch saucers, and get bigger saucers as your tortoise grows.

No dual hoods. You want separate hoods so you can spread out your heat and light. Get the ceramic based hoods at Home Depot for about $13. Get rid of the clamps that come with them.

Reptile thermometers suck. Get other ones that record the highs and lows. Look for Accu-Rite or Therm-Pro brands. Like this:


For UV get the Arcadia Pro T5 Kit from Lightyourreptiles.com or from Kapidolofarms.com.

No heat mats for tortoises. Use overhead RHPs or CHEs set on a thermostat for that.

The LEDs look good for light.

The floods look good for heat.

The enclosure that you posted in the top left is the only one I would use, IF it is not made of wood. If it is wood, then its no good. Any wooden enclosure will rot in short order with all the necessary moisture and humidity. You need a closed chamber. All of the other ones are open on top. You need something made of expanded PVC material and it needs to be 24 inches tall inside to have room to hang your lights. If you want to save your self a lot of time, trouble and expense, just order a smart enclosure from @Markw84 It is everything you need and its already assembled and done. Its cheaper than buying everything separately and building it yourself, and it is the perfect tortoise life support system. You can easily add on the inexpensive "expansion pack" in a few months when your tortoise outgrows it.

Where are you getting the baby? Almost no one starts them correctly. You will be lucky if it survives the way most breeders do it. I think you should delay shipment until AFTER you have the enclosure all set up, running, tested and adjusted to perfection. You don't want to be making adjustments after thereby is in there, and it takes time to get everything perfect. There will be many unexpected delays between now and August 4th.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Tinytortmama]

Coir is too messy for sulcata. Get fine grade orchid bark. Sold as "Repti-bark" in pet channels.

I don't like those water bowls. Too slick. Get terra cotta saucers and sink them into the substrate for wood and water. Start with 6 inch saucers, and get bigger saucers as your tortoise grows.

No dual hoods. You want separate hoods so you can spread out your heat and light. Get the ceramic based hoods at Home Depot for about $13. Get rid of the clamps that come with them.

Reptile thermometers suck. Get other ones that record the highs and lows. Look for Accu-Rite or Therm-Pro brands. Like this:
View attachment 359448

For UV get the Arcadia Pro T5 Kit from Lightyourreptiles.com or from Kapidolofarms.com.

No heat mats for tortoises. Use overhead RHPs or CHEs set on a thermostat for that.

The LEDs look good for light.

The floods look good for heat.

The enclosure that you posted in the top left is the only one I would use, IF it is not made of wood. If it is wood, then its no good. Any wooden enclosure will rot in short order with all the necessary moisture and humidity. You need a closed chamber. All of the other ones are open on top. You need something made of expanded PVC material and it needs to be 24 inches tall inside to have room to hang your lights. If you want to save your self a lot of time, trouble and expense, just order a smart enclosure from @Markw84 It is everything you need and its already assembled and done. Its cheaper than buying everything separately and building it yourself, and it is the perfect tortoise life support system. You can easily add on the inexpensive "expansion pack" in a few months when your tortoise outgrows it.

Where are you getting the baby? Almost no one starts them correctly. You will be lucky if it survives the way most breeders do it. I think you should delay shipment until AFTER you have the enclosure all set up, running, tested and adjusted to perfection. You don't want to be making adjustments after thereby is in there, and it takes time to get everything perfect. There will be many unexpected delays between now and August 4th.

The Zoo Med reptibark is from a fir tree? Is this one ok? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QJPWNWG/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Tom]

The Zoo Med reptibark is from a fir tree? Is this one ok? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QJPWNWG/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Reptibark = orchid bark = fir bark

That link is coco chips. I don't like those for tortoises. Too hard to walk on for babies, and the impaction risk worries me.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Hello, it is suggested to keep your sully indoors for 2 yrs. Your tort should be about 10" by then. When you take your tort outside during the first 2 years. Make sure your tort is always supervised. If you turn away for 5 or 10 minutes. It is unbelievable how far they can travel. You also have to be aware of predator type birds and critters. A infrared temp gun is very useful to take temps all over the enclosure. The reason Tom suggested to get rid of the clamp on the lamp. Is because the clamp is known to fail and the hot bulb could fall into the enclosure and possibly start a fire. Or worse fall on your tort.

 

[Ray--Opo]

The Zoo Med reptibark is from a fir tree? Is this one ok? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QJPWNWG/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Here is the substrate Tom is talking about.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's something for you to think about before you spend the money on a pre-built enclosure:

The fellow in San Diego who I'm in partnership with on the tortoises has a keen eye for finding things on craigslist, and over time he has bought quite a few Vision brand enclosures. He loaned me three of them and I've since raised quite a few clutches of babies in them - leopards, desert tortoises, russians. But these were bred to sell, and only lived in the enclosures for, at the most, a year. Here's a Vision enclosure to give you an idea of what I'm talking about :



So about three years ago I hatched a clutch of three Manouria emys emys tortoises. One of them has no eyes and I decided to keep it. The clutch was in a Vision enclosure like shown above. When the two 'healthy' babies were sellable age they were removed from the enclosure and the eyeless baby, now about three years old, has stayed in the same enclosure.

Manouria don't grow as fast as sulcata, but they grow pretty fast. Here's the Vision enclosure with the three babies, then again a current picture to show how big the last one is at three years, and how destroyed the inside of the enclosure is:

In the last picture the enclosure isn't destroyed because the guy can't see, but rather because he's too big to live in that space. I working (in my mind) on how to set him up in a bigger enclosure without stressing him too much because he can't see. But your little sulcata won't last three years in something like my Vision enclosure.

Now my sister - @Maggie3fan - up in Oregon has a portable greenhouse over a very large open enclosure (for a redfooted tortoise) and the greenhouse is great at keeping in the humidity and heat, and it was quite a bit cheaper than the Vision enclosure.

 

[Ray--Opo]

The Zoo Med reptibark is from a fir tree? Is this one ok? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QJPWNWG/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Do you or anyone you know have basic carpenter skills? The greenhouse that Yvonne's sister uses. Is a pretty good and cheaper method. I am sure @Maggie3fan will give you guidance on possibly where to purchase. What you want to achieve with a closed enclosure. Is that any lights or heating elements are contained within the enclosure. This is the best way to keep the humidity and heat from escaping from the top of the enclosure.
The last picture that Yvonne posted is the greenhouse.

 

[Tinytortmama]

Do you or anyone you know have basic carpenter skills? The greenhouse that Yvonne's sister uses. Is a pretty good and cheaper method. I am sure @Maggie3fan will give you guidance on possibly where to purchase. What you want to achieve with a closed enclosure. Is that any lights or heating elements are contained within the enclosure. This is the best way to keep the humidity and heat from escaping from the top of the enclosure.
The last picture that Yvonne posted is the greenhouse.

If I did end up using a wooden type tortoise table and putting the greenhouse over it, could I line the bottom with a shower liner or something that will prevent the wood from rotting?

 

[Tinytortmama]

Here's something for you to think about before you spend the money on a pre-built enclosure:

The fellow in San Diego who I'm in partnership with on the tortoises has a keen eye for finding things on craigslist, and over time he has bought quite a few Vision brand enclosures. He loaned me three of them and I've since raised quite a few clutches of babies in them - leopards, desert tortoises, russians. But these were bred to sell, and only lived in the enclosures for, at the most, a year. Here's a Vision enclosure to give you an idea of what I'm talking about :

View attachment 359458View attachment 359459View attachment 359460

So about three years ago I hatched a clutch of three Manouria emys emys tortoises. One of them has no eyes and I decided to keep it. The clutch was in a Vision enclosure like shown above. When the two 'healthy' babies were sellable age they were removed from the enclosure and the eyeless baby, now about three years old, has stayed in the same enclosure.

Manouria don't grow as fast as sulcata, but they grow pretty fast. Here's the Vision enclosure with the three babies, then again a current picture to show how big the last one is at three years, and how destroyed the inside of the enclosure is:

View attachment 359463

In the last picture the enclosure isn't destroyed because the guy can't see, but rather because he's too big to live in that space. I working (in my mind) on how to set him up in a bigger enclosure without stressing him too much because he can't see. But your little sulcata won't last three years in something like my Vision enclosure.

Now my sister - @Maggie3fan - up in Oregon has a portable greenhouse over a very large open enclosure (for a redfooted tortoise) and the greenhouse is great at keeping in the humidity and heat, and it was quite a bit cheaper than the Vision enclosure.

Those setups are both nice! There was a PVC enclosure on Marketplace but of course it just sold What is in the bottom of the greenhouse enclosure? plexiglass? lined wood bottom?