My husband fell in love with these little guys (haha) about 4 months ago. My main concern and the reason I still firmly hold a no is where do you keep a tortoise that large?

Here in Kansas a backyard habitat wouldn't work, at least not year round.... There are a few pet shops that sell them though so I can't help but think that someone else has figured a way? I was thinking maybe a heated shed in the winter? Any ideas? I can't devote a room I know that.

Any and all input appreciated!

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Love Always,
Audrey

If you have the room in your yard you could build an indoor/outdoor enclosure for it. It could have a door that separates the inside part from the outside part and you could seal it good so the heat from the indoor part doesn't leak out during the winter. Don't know if it would work good but it's an idea

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Steve

You'd also need to heat the floor of the shed.

I know a few people who free range them in their house (No dogs!) and just tape a depends or garbage bag on them to minimize mess.

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Only when the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Cree Indian Prophecy.

hehe fun.

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wow! That is NOT a diaper I want to change!

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Love Always,
Audrey

Trust me it is not a diaper you want to change.

My Oscar is a free roamer in my house, he wears Depends.

You need to be prepared for what you are getting yourself into.They do not go around things, they go through it! That includes knocking over your curio with Grandmas colletibles in it, etc. They are a LOT of work and you will essentially become a slave to it. There is no being gone all day as you will come back to a destroyed house. I have to hire a sitter for the tortoise in the winter, to make sure he gets everything his little heart desires, or my house will be destroyed! I have replaced the sheetrock in certain parts of my house 3 times because he has destroyed it! He got stuck behind the the toilet once and ripped off the water line, flooding the bathroom causing so much damage the wall and the linoleum and sub floor had to be replaced.

They are not easy, that is for sure. I personally feel they do not make good pets in the average home.

Burnout rate is very high with them. Oscar goes to tortoise camp a few times a year to give me a break. If not I would have made soup out of him and a great salad bowl a long time ago, lol. ( kidding)

Remember they get HUGE and they are heavy. When they are 100 pounds plus if they do not want to move, they don't. I forsee many pulled muscles and a lot of sore backs, lol.

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead.

not to mention, it'll probably outlive you.

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Only when the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Cree Indian Prophecy.

Yeah those are the 2 other reasons I said no to him. Becuase I looked at him and said what do you do with a 100+ tortoise? He said love him and right then I thought yeah whatever lol! He will be doing the loving and I will be doing the cleaning.

I have done a lot of research on them and would still like to have one, just not yet I don't think.

Also how dependable are those depends? I mean how much leaks out?
Just out of curiosity......

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Love Always,
Audrey

My mother has 6 grown sulcatas. We live in an area that gets in the low 30s in the winter... no snow usually though. Her 6 live outside all year. My dad has built hutches for them that are heated (floor and basking), have UVB lighting, and are under a large patio cover. The torts are able to come and go as they please (even during the winter); however, they usually choose to stay inside where it is warm.

Sulcatas should NOT be allowed to brumate (hibernate) because this is not a natural occurrence for them in the wild.

You would have to be crazy to keep one indoors (yes, Nicole fits this description ). If you really want a tort, you might be better off to find a smaller species.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

are russian tortoises pretty small? that may be a good choice.

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