Stubborn Outside Torts

[chill8]

This is my first year with outdoor torts in the winter. It is 80 in the day right now and 50 at night. Obviously the night temp is to cool for the torts (2 One year olds). My problem is the torts have a covered/heated side of the enclosure and an open side. The torts hardly ever go into the heated/covered side, not even at night. I have been trying to "train" them to go in there by manually moving them to the other side and blocking the door until the next morning or else they will go right back to the open side. Please help! Thanks in advance for any advice.

---

.. Another trick I tried was moving there favorite outdoor hide to the covered side. Didnt work they just hang out in the spot where the hide used to be in the open side.

 

[dmarcus]

Your gonna have to keep blocking then in and eventually they will get it.

 

[chill8]

Hopefully they catch on sooner than later, Thanks!

 

[dmmj]

good luck sulcatas are stubborn

 

[reneereichert]

They are stubborn...I have a 30 pounder I had to carry to his heated house every night last winter (sigh)
Good luck, I hope your guys catch on!

 

[drgnfly2265]

good luck sulcatas are stubborn

Agreed

 

[Weda737]

lol Stubborness = adorable.

 

[Laura]

i got a cart with wheels... mine were to big to carry...
but they arent dumb.. for long..

 

[Tom]

My Daisy FINALLY went in to the big night house on her own for the first time today!!! Woo hooo!!! I went to put her away at dusk and couldn't find her in any of her usual spots. A check inside the night box revealed four adults and one little juvenile all snuggled up for the night.

I have found that whenever possible it is easier to move the heated house to where the sulcata WANTS to be, rather than vice versa. If this is not possible or if it still fails, you must simply put them in there every night and block the door. They will usually figure it out and become comfortable in the new spot after a period of weeks. Some sulcatas don't seem to have the instinct to move to warmth during cold times, but they all seem to have the instinct to move somewhere cooler (underground) during hot times. I find this pretty interesting.

 

[jackrat]

Looks like you've got your work cut out for you. Might do well to follow Tom's suggestion of moving the house to the tortoise.

 

[chill8]

So just an update on my stubborn torts, I boosted the heat in the heated part of the enclosure , made some better hides, and kept moving them every night to the heated/covered side before I went to bed. This whole week before I went to bed they were already where they needed to be.

 

[dmarcus]

Awesome glad to hear they figured it out...