I have for several years wanted and studied all I could about Sulcatas. Living in Florida I had the perfect environment for a tortise and had plans on getting one soon now that I feel I know all I need to give him a great life but now, My husbnd has been offered a job in NY. I have never seen snow and have no clue what to expect. Can anyone tell me will be possible to set up a full finished basment and be able to keep it warm enough so my tortise will be able to thrive.? What kind of heating should I use for him. Any set up ideas would be apreciated as well. Again as i have said i have spent years getting ready for my tortise and know just about all there is to know about raising them i just have no clue about raising them in NY. I would be heart broen if I could never have my guy.
2006-07-27 01:23:36 · 5 answers · asked by Rain 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
I think your question should be, What would be necessary to make a sulcatta prosper in NY?
There are already many sulcatttas in NY... I have even heard of released / escaped sulcattas within NYC.
However sulcattas grow rather large as you know and need large areas outside to do best. A young sulcata can hang on in a basement setup but will never thrive. And get ready for a huge power bill. With all the proper UVB bulbs & heat source you'll need, your electricity bills will definetly be way up.
I know it is a heartbreaker ( I have torts also & would hate to have to give mine up) but I think it would be best to adopt your sulcata out to a good home in Florida. There are smaller tortoises that would be much more appropriate for the NY life. Will you have any space outside they could go in the warm seasons?
W. Hermanns, Egyptians, Pyxis are all smaller torts that would be much easier to grow inside - yet they too would do better if they could go outside during the warm seasons.
Good luck with the new job & life!
2006-07-27 03:57:18 · answer #1 · answered by carl l 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, a sulcatta will out live you. When it is young, you can get away by keeping it indoors during winter and outdoors in summer (cage/pen on balcony). This is for small sulcattas under 6" and larger ones will need more room to roam. They are a grazing and roamin species of tortoise, similar to cows and deer. How can you keep a cow or deer in a small yard... might work for a while, but as it gets bigger, it will need more grasses and weeds to forage upon. It will dig deep holes and re-do your yard. Sulcattas grows slow, but their diet is specific. The need lots of ruffage, weeds and grasses only. Do not feed proteins or fruits. This will cause pyramiding (lumpy shell), which happens to most sulcattas. I find to rear a sulcatta well without pyramiding is tough. The reason is b/c keepers do not provide a wide variety of weeds and grasses. It's hard to get in NY (I assume NY city).
If you have not purchased one yet, I would discourage you from buying a sulcatta. However, you can still keep smaller tortoises like Hermann's or Greek Tortoises which stay under 6-8", compared to the HUGE 20-25" 50-100 pound sulcatta.
2006-07-27 11:00:26 · answer #2 · answered by wu_gwei21 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to http://www.tortoise.org and read their articles about living with Sulcata.
Sulcatas are big tortoises that need a LOT of food, room, heat, and dryness. They do best outdoors but get really difficult to transfer between indoors and outdoors when they get big.
You can do this, but what are your emergency plans? Power out in the winter? Food budget running tight? Need to transport a 100lb tortoise to the vet?
Personally, I'd suggest Red-foots- they have better personalities anyway! ;-)
2006-07-27 13:18:28 · answer #3 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tortoises are frequently kept as pets in England, where the climate is often cool or even cold. Many owners there induce hibernation in their pets during the winter, essentially "storing" them in a special place for a few months. I think with heating mats, etc. you should be fine. You might want to look at European web sites about pet reptiles.
2006-07-27 09:13:45 · answer #4 · answered by vanveen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you put in heat lamps and heat mats then there should be no problem.
lamps hang from the celing so palce enough to keep it the right temp. you could make one end a bit cooler so it can chose haw warm it wants to be.
2006-07-27 08:29:30 · answer #5 · answered by Joanne 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋