Your First Sulcata Enclosure: A Simple Shopping List
Setting up for a new hatchling? Here's the whole shopping list, with what each item is for. Most of it lasts for years.
The essentials
| Item | What it's for |
|---|---|
| 40-gallon long tank or tortoise table | A home for the first year or two. Open-top tables let air move and give more floor space. |
| Heat lamp and dome fixture | Makes a basking spot of 90–100°F at one end. |
| Reptile UVB bulb | Lets your tortoise make vitamin D3 and build a strong shell. Replace every six months. |
| Digital thermometer and hygrometer | Check the basking spot and keep humidity at 60–75%. Guessing is how shells go wrong. |
| Timer | Keeps lights on about 12 hours a day, every day. |
| Substrate | Sand, soil or cypress mulch. Avoid pine shavings. |
| A hide | A half log or box where your tortoise can rest in the dark. |
| Shallow water dish | For drinking and humidity. Shallow enough to walk in and out of. |
| Flat feeding stone or dish | Keeps food off the bedding. |
| Calcium with D3 | Dust on greens a few times a week. |
| A soaking tub | Any shallow container for warm soaks. |
Nice to have
- A kitchen scale to track growth monthly
- A spray bottle for misting
- Edible plants such as dandelion or hibiscus in pots
Set it up before your tortoise arrives
Run everything for a day or two first, so you can check temperatures and humidity. When your tortoise arrives, its new home should already be warm. For the full routine, read Hatchling Care: The First 90 Days.
Ready for your tortoise? See our hatchlings. Every one ships free overnight with a live arrival guarantee.
