SULCATA TORTOISE

a friend of mine in our herp club has a herd of them here in florida. he is a breeder and keeps them outside year round. i am planning on getting a hatchling from him.

i will see him tonight. want me to get his email for you?

Originally Posted by Lucas339

a friend of mine in our herp club has a herd of them here in florida. he is a breeder and keeps them outside year round. i am planning on getting a hatchling from him.

i will see him tonight. want me to get his email for you?

That would be great...hope you did. I just saw your post today.
Thanks

the meeting was last night but i could get it still.

in the winter i just bring them inside i keep my larger guy in the bath tube (i know it doesnt sound great but it works) hes about 40-50 pounds, i also have 2 others about 4 inches or so in the winter i keep them in plastic tubs, they do great in them, during the summer the only time i bring them in is when a hurricane decides to come up our way.

I know youve probably had most of your questions answered by now, but Sulcatas in FL do just fine... Rain will never be a problem unless your property or the enclosure floods. They seem to like the rain and a nice puddle on occassion. Also, this is a borrowing animal so with enough rain the borrow can flood and possibly cave in, however, tortoises arent stupid and ive never had one get trapped in a borrow due to rain.. if the soil is weak you could have a problem but if you live on 2 acres then the soil is probably more of a natural consistency and should be fine, but the concern is worth noting. A covered area is recommended, not so much for rain, but for temperature regulation, it will give your tortoise an place to stay cool. in the past what i have done (and many other keepers do as well) is build a hot house, as i call it. its like a dog house (for that matter, you can use a large dog house) but i would wire in a ceramic heat lamp (ceramic bulbs work well and radiates heat, not light) for the winter months and turn it off in the warmer months. so you have a hot house and shade area all in one. sometimes this house will suffice as a borrow to some individuals. Sulcatas are very tough and hardy! all things considered, just pay attention and your tortoise will tell you exactly what it likes and dislikes and what makes him/her happy and comfortable.. Theres a ton of sulcatas and breeders in Florida, and they thrive here.

Thanks, Nathan, for a local perspective on it! The only thing holding me back now is whether to use a portable-type cage or a permanent one.
I think I may do some field herping and experimenting with the portable, and bring it in during the winter. Then, after I see how that goes, maybe invest in a sulcatta.
I was just talking to a local breeder a few minutes ago & she brought up yet another type of portable pen that I hadn't thought about, for our summer & fall seasons. Might be better than using a small chain link kennel.

An update to a previous question I had regarding putting fencing down underneath a penned area...I've still been researching this. I did read somewhere that said putting down wire fencing of some kind IS a good idea to keep the tort from burrowing out of the pen.
As you can see, I'm not one to jump right into something...
I'm looking forward to the Daytona Show--by August I should be ready to make a purchase!

Well, I went to the F.I.R.E Show today and picked up a little somethin'-somethin.' At 3 weeks old & with the intent to keep it indoors for at least the first year, I figure I have plenty of time to get an outdoor pen ready for it...I have a couple of chain-link kennels of various sizes, so for most of the 2nd year I figure I will keep it in the smaller kennel and back in the reptile room when it gets cold. I want to have the perfect, permanent pen for it after that. I already have the spot picked out for it, it's just a matter of making it into a garden area like I saw in a magazine.
And since I don't know whether it's a male or a female, I've given it a non-gender specific name: Pat. Photos to follow!

Congrats!!

Why, thank you, my dear!
Here's a pic of the little cutie...

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