Can i have a tortoise live in my yard?

Question

i am getting a sulcata tortoise this tuesday. it is 12 inches long and weighs five pounds. i read online that a tortoise can live in a yard as oppose to a tortoise table or enclosure. is this true. if this is true how can i keep him in the yard? i wouldnt want him to escape.

Answer 1

Try a sturdy gate/fence. Make sure there are no stray animals out. Also get a little house (dog house or something) so he can go in it when it rains. Good luck!

Answer 2

A 12 inch Sulcata is going to weigh a heck of alot more than 5 pounds. Anyway, they're are not a beginner animals and there is alot to know to care for these properly, and I don't feel like typing it all. Start googling Sulcata care and learn as much a you can. They need alot of food, good temperatures, and can dig. Keep them away from animals that are not Sulcatas, including dogs. The main thing to know to be able to answer whether or not it can live outside is where you live. Personally, I feel a yard outside is the only way to keep a large Sulcata. In my opinion, trying to keep a 12 inch Sulcata in a tortoise table or other small indoor enclosure is animal cruelty. In the wild, they may wander 1 to 3 miles every day. I know mine get alot of exercise outside, and they keep my grass trimmed!

Answer 3

it depends.

how cold does it get there?

Sulcatas cannot hibernate.

Answer 4

Eventually a Sulcata needs an outdoor enclosure. They just get way too large to keep on a tort table.

Keeping it outside depends on a lot of things. Where do you live? They don't hibernate, so you need to be able to provide heat when needed (usually a large shed turned into a heated house is used-- you can see a pic of one set up here-- http://africantortoise.com/outdoor.htm -- there are tons more pics on here too), they eat a ton, and can easily dig HUGE burrows in your yard, dig under fences (will need to basically have your fence either buried a few feet under, or pour cement a few feet under the fence all around), or even crash right through them if they see something, or think there's something on the other side they might like. Sulcatas have been known to be able to disrupt the foundations of houses, so they have serious destruction capabilities you need to take into account.

Answer 5

You can if.....

-It is 80 during the day and 60-70 during the night

-A sturdy fence that is un-digable ( to dig under it)

-mesh wire on top

-a shaded area and sunny

-shelters

-grass and weeds in the cage that he can munch on

-put a water bowl and swimming bowl (SAME)

Answer 6

Ahhh... A Sulcata Tortoise will live for many years, get to about 30" long, and weigh about 100 lbs- WAY to big for a tortoise table.

They NEED outdoor pens that run big- 50'x50' is kinda small. They will then make burrows throughout the pen that can run 15' deep. The pen will look like it was bombed over and over.

This is a powerful animal. It can walk under most chain-link fences without hardly noticing it. A solid wood or stone wall about 20" high, with a taller fence behind it would be good.

http://www.tortoise.org or http://www.sulcata-station.org have great articles on this.

Answer 7

you can when it gets bigger but until it does it is best to keep it on a tortoise table, you can put a baby out for a few hours a day the natural sunlight will do it good as long as the temps are up in the high 80's, but it will need to be brought in at night. you also need a secure enclosure when they get bigger they can push down fencing so don't underestimate a sulcatas strength, here are a few sites on their care http://www.dianeszoo.com/spurthigh.htm    http://home.earthlink.net/~rednine/sulca... http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/sulcata...  best of luck with the new tortoise honey.