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New baby Sulcata!

maggie22195

maggie22195

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Hey guys this is my new baby sulcata. I have attached pics of him and his "house" if you could tell me if it's ideal that would be great. I have his uvb and heat lamp, water dish, cool hide, warm hide, food bowl.

Is it ok if I have him on eco earth? its moist right now but its just all over the place but I wanted to know if it is ok for him. thanks! :)
 

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It shouldnt, just keep ans eye on her. I got mine when She was already large, so i didnt really have to deal with all the issues faced with babies. (poor girl was kept in the same cage her whole life could only move back and forth). Also dont feel lettuce like that as a staple, she should eat mostly grasses like grass (not alphalpha) hay, and weeds like dandlion greens. The Sulcata station has a great diet section. Otherwise the tort will develope pyramid shell.
 
mmdragons said:
It shouldnt, just keep ans eye on her. I got mine when She was already large, so i didnt really have to deal with all the issues faced with babies. (poor girl was kept in the same cage her whole life could only move back and forth). Also dont feel lettuce like that as a staple, she should eat mostly grasses like grass (not alphalpha) hay, and weeds like dandlion greens. The Sulcata station has a great diet section. Otherwise the tort will develope pyramid shell.
Click to expand...

Is grass from our yard ok? or do we need to go buy grass hay?
 
Mine will graze its gettinng hard now though because, of the cold weather. Make sure the grass isnt treated. It will make your tort. very sick ande maybe even kill her.
 
Spring mix is an easy way to provide a variety of greens for your tortoise. Try to get a brand that contains little to no spinach, or pull out most of the spinach (it inhibits calcium absorption, but contains other vitamins/minerals that makes it valuable in small amounts). One of the best things I've seen about tortoise food variety is on TFO's site: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...e-Balanced-Diet-Revealed?pid=185593#pid185593

The enclosure looks good. If you notice that your tortoise starts pyramiding you can put the lid back on the tub, just place it in the opposite orientation from what it is supposed to be or cut out a nice big hole where the UVB is hanging (the clear plastic will block the UVB).

You could also toss in a cuttle bone for calcium supplementation and add a slate floor tile (about $2 at homedepot or lowes) as a feeding station.
 
I have heard that misting the carapace helps with pyramiding, sort of like with red foots.
There are different ways to keep sulcatas. Just have to find what works for you and your tortoise.
Sulcatas are great. I have an 18 month old that is slightly pyramidded from her previous owner.
 
Hi Maggie, I would lower the UVB/UVA lighting to at least 18" above the surface your baby is in & it can be as close as 12". If it is too high, they don't get the full benefit from it. Temps should range in the 70s on cool side to 100 at the basking spot. Sulcatas need to warm up to at least 100 during the day & then need to cool to the lower 70s at night with all visible light off. If you need supplemental heat at night, you can use an under tank heater like is used for snakes or a ceramic heat emitter. Most homes normal nigh time temps are fine for indoor tortoises.

You should also put either coconut coir available at pet shops or online in the hide & keep it moist at all times. The moist hide is usually the one with supplemental heat under it. While they are babies, they need the have access to at least 60-80% humidity for smooth shell growth. Studies have now shown that pyramiding is mostly caused from not enough humidity during their fast growth period. It is also a good idea to soak the darling in a small tub of luke warm water at least 3 times a week & it can be soaked daily if it doesn't drink on its own yet. It will probably defecate in the water, that is normal.

Opuntia cactus pads are very good as a supplemental food to add to what some have already suggested. And Mazuri tortoise chow, obtained in some pet shops or online, softened once or twice a week. Be sure to sprinkle a small amount of calcium with vitamin D3 for good shell & bone growth on its greens. Also if you can get it outside in the sunshine a few times a week it will really benefit from that & will get to nibble on fresh yard weeds. All kinds of yard weeds & grasses are excellent for variety.

Here are a few sites that can help with any questions you might have that no one has touched on: http://www.tortoiseinfo.org, it is a different forum than the one previously given. Both are excellent and the experts there will gladly help you. Here is another good site and they have a yahoo group forum that is excellent: http://www.africantortoise.com. Good luck with your cutie, sulcatas are one of my favorites. And sorry for not responding sooner, I didn't get over here & read this til today.
 
Hi Maggie, I would lower the UVB/UVA lighting to at least 18" above the surface your baby is in & it can be as close as 12". If it is too high, they don't get the full benefit from it. Temps should range in the 70s on cool side to 100 at the basking spot. Sulcatas need to warm up to at least 100 during the day & then need to cool to the lower 70s at night with all visible light off. If you need supplemental heat at night, you can use an under tank heater like is used for snakes or a ceramic heat emitter. Most homes normal nigh time temps are fine for indoor tortoises.

You should also put either coconut coir available at pet shops or online or spaghnum moss in the hide & keep it moist at all times. The moist hide is usually the one with supplemental heat under it. While they are babies, they need to have access to at least 60-80% humidity for smooth shell growth especially at night while at rest. Studies have now shown that pyramiding is mostly caused from not enough humidity during their fast growth period. In their natural environment they sleep in humid hides they dig pretty deep in the ground. It is also a good idea to soak the darling in a small tub of luke warm water at least 3 times a week & it can be soaked daily if it doesn't drink on its own yet. It will probably defecate in the water, that is normal.

Opuntia cactus pads are very good as a supplemental food to add to what some have already suggested. And Mazuri tortoise chow, obtained in some pet shops or online, softened once or twice a week. Be sure to sprinkle a small amount of calcium with vitamin D3 for good shell & bone growth on its greens. Also if you can get it outside in the sunshine a few times a week it will really benefit from that & will get to nibble on fresh yard weeds. All kinds of yard weeds & grasses are excellent for variety.

Here are a few sites that can help with any questions you might have that no one has touched on: http://www.tortoiseinfo.org, it is a different forum than the one previously given. Both are excellent and the experts there will gladly help you. Here is another good site and they have a yahoo group forum that is excellent: http://www.africantortoise.com. Good luck with your cutie, sulcatas are one of my favorites. And sorry for not responding sooner, I didn't get over here & read this til today.
 
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