How to Build Heated Tortoise House from Arizona Sulcata

Here I will show how to build a heated tortoise house for about 5-7 adult Sulcata Tortoises. For those with single tortoises you can do something like this on a smaller scale or dog igloos and houses work great with a CHE mounted inside.

[@chantellbrooks9828]

Hey mr Austin I just put a down payment down for two sulfates I’m excited

[@jennifersnyder9126]

Do you suggest this for someone that loves in Prescott Valley :-) yes it's AZ lol but we do get cold here in the winter and I just got 2, 3yr old sulcatas. I want to make sure they are 100% happy outside.

[@azsulcata]

They will need a heated shed to escape the cold when needed. Adult Sulcatas should never drop below about 60 degrees.

[@JennBX1]

Hey Austin. I live in Maricopa, it gets chilly at night, due to not as much concrete as Phoenix. Do your Torts get lethargic-ish in the winter?

[@azsulcata]

They definitely don't come out as often in the winter simply due to the colder temps and less sunlight but they shouldn't become lethargic if they are kept warm enough. All mine still come out and graze during daylight hours unless it's an exceptionally stormy or cold day.

[@JennBX1]

@@azsulcata my 5 y/o little female comes out and loves to bask in the sun. She is in a little shelter on the patio , as she gets too cold and smashed up in the burrow. She has a heat lamp and basking bulb in her house. But my 8 y/o male doesnt want to come out much. He has a shallow burrow, as the ground here is harder than my old house in Ahwatukee. I have a shelter built around the entrance with a heat lamp at night and a basking light during the day. He will come up and sit under the lights most days. I threw Timothy hay down the burrow in hopes that it would alleviate the cold ground a little. But, his skin is so cold, and I know his hole isnt deep enough to keep him warm, but he stays down there and freezes. Ive been giving him Romaine that has water in it so he doesnt get dehydrated. Just worried about him. 😔

[@slowpoke4557]

You didn't say anything about the power source to run those 3 heat lamps, how do you have them plugged in?

[@azsulcata]

Heavy duty outdoor extension cord and a weatherproof power strip. I only ran 300 watts which is well within what a normal outlet can handle.

[@slowpoke4557]

@@azsulcata I need to get an outdoor power switch I guess. My sulcata is only a couple months old so I have time

[@chadsincrediblegaming_889]

Do u ship tortoise to Michigan

[@azsulcata]

Yes, I ship all over the US.

[@chucklindsay3909]

Looks like a shock hazard.

[@azsulcata]

It's been working safely for years. Everything was rated weather proof for outdoors and the wattage being run is well under the capacity for each circuit breaker and outlet.

[@kamonsatidkit8250]

how much for baby ? and how olds?

[@azsulcata]

Pricing can be found here: www.azsulcata.com/sulcata-tortoises Hatchlings are sent out once they are 3-4 weeks old.