What is the lowest temperature a sulcata can stand?

[alben909]

Just for my education, whats the lowest temp a sulcata can live in?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

I would think it would be different for a hatchling and an adult! Providing they are healthy, We put our adult tortoises under heat at 60f and our hatchlings are at 70f.

 

[Laura]

live in? that is different then what they can stand.. Mine was left out and i didnt know he hid.. i thought he wasin his box.. when i found him, he was ice cube cold.. prob that way a few days.. :-( this was last year... I gave a warm soak,., and placed in the warm house.. and no worse for wear...
How long could he have lasted? I dont know.. but Im sure I got lucky..
they can be pretty hardy.. but i wouldnt do that on purpose to them.

 

[alben909]

yes what can they stand.

 

[Tom]

I saw one the sleeps outside with temps in the high 20's. It was alive, but very lethargic. I would not do this. Most of them will get sick with temps that are too low. Occasionally you'll find one that just seems to survive it.

This is a complex question. If one came out of a 85 degree house into zero degree weather, it would survive for a while. It would not die upon contact, but how long could it survive that? 10 minutes? 2 hours? 4 hours? Maybe... What effect would this have if it did it regularly? I don't know.

I do know that they can live long term just fine with night temps in the 60's, as long as they can warm up during the day.

I am waiting for the actual real data, but I speculate that in the wild their burrows never get below the 70's. The temps have been recorded in some wild burrows in Senegal, but the data has not yet been compiled and published. I will post the numbers as soon as I get them.

 

[matt581]

You guys might think im nuts but....There was a Sulcata that goes to the same vet that i go to and he got out in late fall they looked all over nothing then the next spring they were still looking and all winter long in (MI) dug himself underground 10ft + and was still alive and he did live yes he was freezing and did have a cold but that crazy he made it thats a lucky tortoise and the family that has him for being alive.

 

[nicoleandrocky]

You guys might think im nuts but....There was a Sulcata that goes to the same vet that i go to and he got out in late fall they looked all over nothing then the next spring they were still looking and all winter long in (MI) dug himself underground 10ft + and was still alive and he did live yes he was freezing and did have a cold but that crazy he made it thats a lucky tortoise and the family that has him for being alive.

whoa, that is an incredible story.... 10 feet is pretty far

 

[SailingMystic]

You guys might think im nuts but....There was a Sulcata that goes to the same vet that i go to and he got out in late fall they looked all over nothing then the next spring they were still looking and all winter long in (MI) dug himself underground 10ft + and was still alive and he did live yes he was freezing and did have a cold but that crazy he made it thats a lucky tortoise and the family that has him for being alive.

Amazing! They never cease to amaze me. They've been around before the dinosaurs -- but I'm still an over protective mom when it comes to cold temps I can't help it.

 

[matt581]

You guys might think im nuts but....There was a Sulcata that goes to the same vet that i go to and he got out in late fall they looked all over nothing then the next spring they were still looking and all winter long in (MI) dug himself underground 10ft + and was still alive and he did live yes he was freezing and did have a cold but that crazy he made it thats a lucky tortoise and the family that has him for being alive.

Amazing! They never cease to amaze me. They've been around before the dinosaurs -- but I'm still an over protective mom when it comes to cold temps I can't help it.

Ya i agree to dig that deep tho sulcata's are smart tortoises for sure.