Sulcata living in Florida

[Mikki]

My 3 year Sulcata has a fully insulated outside enclosure with the rubber door flaps and also a close door. I have a ceramic heater hanging inside set on a thermostat and set at 75 degrees at all times. Its HOT during the day & was warm enough at in the enclosure at night that the heater was not turning on. However the last couple night the heater has clicked on due to a "cold front" which only means dry air and less humidity for a few days but it's going to come back full force on Saturday. Sorry! For my question, is having the CHE set at 75 degrees ok? Its a 100 watt bulb. I also wanted to ask if I should put a pan of water inside the enclosure at night when the humidity drops. Scooter has never owned a UVB light because living in Florida even as a small hatchling Scooter received natural sunlight daily. I attached Scooters property area and house enclosure so ya'll can view it. YES my Scooter has a shower!

 

[wellington]

Beautiful sully. The temp should be set at 80. I would put a jug of water in there just because why not, won't hurt nothing. However, if it would involve a bunch of revamping I wouldn't bother as the low humidity will be short lived being your in Florida.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello and welcome fellow Floridian

 

[Tom]

My 3 year Sulcata has a fully insulated outside enclosure with the rubber door flaps and also a close door. I have a ceramic heater hanging inside set on a thermostat and set at 75 degrees at all times. Its HOT during the day & was warm enough at in the enclosure at night that the heater was not turning on. However the last couple night the heater has clicked on due to a "cold front" which only means dry air and less humidity for a few days but it's going to come back full force on Saturday. Sorry! For my question, is having the CHE set at 75 degrees ok? Its a 100 watt bulb. I also wanted to ask if I should put a pan of water inside the enclosure at night when the humidity drops. Scooter has never owned a UVB light because living in Florida even as a small hatchling Scooter received natural sunlight daily. I attached Scooters property area and house enclosure so ya'll can view it. YES my Scooter has a shower!

I agree that the thermostat should be set to 80. If it is staying warmer than that, the heat will just stay off.

Time to get rid of the CHE and replace it with something safe and effective. The CHE will damage the carapace as the tortoise gets larger. Here are two different heating examples that work:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

That is a wonderful enclosure, but I see two areas of great concern: 1. Those stairs are a serious hazard. Especially if the tortoise sees you coming and going up and down them. At some point the tortoise will try to climb those stairs and you will find it upside down in the sun. Many of them die this way. I would put an 18 inch tall barrier around the base of those steps BEFORE you have a close call or a disaster. 2. The blocks forming the corner shower area also make a perfect set of steps for a tortoise to flip itself. Make tall vertical walls instead of steps over there. A third and less critical point is that I would plant some tortoise safe bushes in the area to make more shade. Make a ring of blocks around the base to protect the plants from the tortoise, but more shade will be of great benefit in your climate. When it is too hot and open, the tortoise must hide from the sun and wait in the shade so it doesn't over heat. begin sedentary slows their GI tract and reduces their ability to pass urates. More shade and cover will keep the tortoise more active more of the time in your hot climate.

In your area, I don't think a water tub inside the night box is necessary, but I also don't think it will hurt during the "dry" parts of the year.

 

[TammyJ]

Scooter looks happy and healthy!

 

[Mikki]

I agree that the thermostat should be set to 80. If it is staying warmer than that, the heat will just stay off.

Time to get rid of the CHE and replace it with something safe and effective. The CHE will damage the carapace as the tortoise gets larger. Here are two different heating examples that work:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

That is a wonderful enclosure, but I see two areas of great concern: 1. Those stairs are a serious hazard. Especially if the tortoise sees you coming and going up and down them. At some point the tortoise will try to climb those stairs and you will find it upside down in the sun. Many of them die this way. I would put an 18 inch tall barrier around the base of those steps BEFORE you have a close call or a disaster. 2. The blocks forming the corner shower area also make a perfect set of steps for a tortoise to flip itself. Make tall vertical walls instead of steps over there. A third and less critical point is that I would plant some tortoise safe bushes in the area to make more shade. Make a ring of blocks around the base to protect the plants from the tortoise, but more shade will be of great benefit in your climate. When it is too hot and open, the tortoise must hide from the sun and wait in the shade so it doesn't over heat. begin sedentary slows their GI tract and reduces their ability to pass urates. More shade and cover will keep the tortoise more active more of the time in your hot climate.

In your area, I don't think a water tub inside the night box is necessary, but I also don't think it will hurt during the "dry" parts of the year.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate your advice very much and I apologize I am just now getting back on the forum seeing this. I actually already did remove the block around the corner area of the shower and filled it in with Rock. The steps we are getting a gate to close them off now that you brought that to our attention. We have it blocked off so he can't get under the steps and get stuck but now that you mentioned him watching me walk down to him I've watched out the window every day while he walks his miles on his path he's looking up onto our landing area to see if I'm coming and a the same time every day he parks it & waits by the steps for me... I do have tall grass out there that he hides under, plus we made him that grass burrow you see in the photos. We also put up a sun shade over his pool area. I want to go get more tall grass so I have about 8 all together and planted all in one area for him to hide in. I really don't know what kind of plant in Florida I can get that he could eat if a leaf should fall etc that can have full sun and that would give good shade for him. Any ideas would be appreciated! Thank you for the night box idea. I'll be looking into it. As far as the temp I was always told at night time they like it cooler so that's why its set at 75. During the day I do have it at 80.

 

[Tom]

Thank you for your response. I appreciate your advice very much and I apologize I am just now getting back on the forum seeing this. I actually already did remove the block around the corner area of the shower and filled it in with Rock. The steps we are getting a gate to close them off now that you brought that to our attention. We have it blocked off so he can't get under the steps and get stuck but now that you mentioned him watching me walk down to him I've watched out the window every day while he walks his miles on his path he's looking up onto our landing area to see if I'm coming and a the same time every day he parks it & waits by the steps for me... I do have tall grass out there that he hides under, plus we made him that grass burrow you see in the photos. We also put up a sun shade over his pool area. I want to go get more tall grass so I have about 8 all together and planted all in one area for him to hide in. I really don't know what kind of plant in Florida I can get that he could eat if a leaf should fall etc that can have full sun and that would give good shade for him. Any ideas would be appreciated! Thank you for the night box idea. I'll be looking into it. As far as the temp I was always told at night time they like it cooler so that's why its set at 75. During the day I do have it at 80.

Everything grows well in Florida. How about a Moringa or mulberry tree? Hibiscus or lavatera? Spineless opuntia? African hibiscus?

 

[Mikki]

Beautiful sully. The temp should be set at 80. I would put a jug of water in there just because why not, won't hurt nothing. However, if it would involve a bunch of revamping I wouldn't bother as the low humidity will be short lived being your in Florida.

I thought at night time they like it a cooler that's why I had it at 75. In the day time I have it at 80 and he uses the sun to bask in. So i should have it at 80 degrees at all times day and night? Well that makes it easy then. I was told by multiple people for 3 years now they like it colder at night time

 

[Mikki]

Everything grows well in Florida. How about a Moringa or mulberry tree? Hibiscus or lavatera? Spineless opuntia? African hibiscus?

I have a hibiscus its showing in the photos but its fenced off and he eats it as it grows through the fence. I tried it without the fence AND IT was eaten ALL up with roots pulled out and all LOL!! YES I like the mulberry tree idea. I just went on Sunday to the flea market nursey to get one and they were out so funny you mentioned it. I'll find one this weekend even if i have to drive an hour away!! I have the biggest cactus that's about 30ft tall & 20ft wide and I advertise on a Florida tortoise group to give boxes of pads away every year because it grows so wildly crazy. I have probably 50 yellow flowers on it now but I'll end up with well over 200 fruit!! This thing is massive.. It is on another area of property tho but I'll plant a pad & start another one for him.

 

[Tom]

I thought at night time they like it a cooler that's why I had it at 75. In the day time I have it at 80 and he uses the sun to bask in. So i should have it at 80 degrees at all times day and night? Well that makes it easy then. I was told by multiple people for 3 years now they like it colder at night time

Cooler at night means dropping to 80. Low 90s is goof for daytime in an indoor controlled closed chamber. Outdoors, they can move in or out of the sun and regulate their own core temp, but no lower than 80 in the box is a good plan. In summer when every day here is 100 or higher, and night temps stay warmer, they burrow into the ground, so I just unplug the boxes.

 

[Mikki]

Cooler at night means dropping to 80. Low 90s is goof for daytime in an indoor controlled closed chamber. Outdoors, they can move in or out of the sun and regulate their own core temp, but no lower than 80 in the box is a good plan. In summer when every day here is 100 or higher, and night temps stay warmer, they burrow into the ground, so I just unplug the boxes.

Ok. Thank you so much! I'll turn it up 1st thing in the morning. Its humid as heck right now where I'm at in Fl and it feels hot in his house so hopefully at 75 he will be ok. I'll see if i can go out and use a flash light to turn it up. Thank you again!!!

 

[Mikki]

Cooler at night means dropping to 80. Low 90s is goof for daytime in an indoor controlled closed chamber. Outdoors, they can move in or out of the sun and regulate their own core temp, but no lower than 80 in the box is a good plan. In summer when every day here is 100 or higher, and night temps stay warmer, they burrow into the ground, so I just unplug the boxes.

I was able to get it up. He had a light in his house. Scooter has every opportunity to burrow and just never has. Idk if that's normal that some torts don't once becoming domesticated(I think you know what I mean, not being in the wild) Scooter will make dig enough that he's indented into the sand but that's as far as it goes.

 

[Tom]

I was able to get it up. He had a light in his house. Scooter has every opportunity to burrow and just never has. Idk if that's normal that some torts don't once becoming domesticated(I think you know what I mean, not being in the wild) Scooter will make dig enough that he's indented into the sand but that's as far as it goes.

Some of them just don't dig. Others dig like crazy. Be glad yours doesn't. It can be a pain when they do.

The high humidity that males you uncomfortable does nothing to a reptile that doesn't use sweat as a cooling mechanism. Its really just the temperature that matters to them as far as thermoregulation. The humidity does have benefit for them for growing and maintaining hydration, but it doesn't make them feel hotter, like it does us.