African Spur Tigh 18 Weeks old =) I need adivise!

[Nicole.Smiles]

Hello,

So i just purchased a Spur Thigh Tortoise and he's the cutest baby ever!




I'm kind of scared a might do something wrong in taking care of him, I've read over a hundred different web pages and everything basically says something different!

So if you had one since he/she was a baby how did you take care of them?

Is humidity in the tank important? I've read in some places yes and some no.
Also what do you feed them? The pet store said Romaine lettuce but i've read that grass, hay and weeds are way better.


Thanks in advance =)

 

[chadk]

He looks OK so far. YES humidity is important. There is a ton of great info on this site for baby sullies. Romaine is OK, but spring mix is better. Grass, hay, and weeds should also be provided if and when you can. A variety of healthy high fiber dark leafy greens is what you want.

Dump the pet store advice and ask your questions here

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Nicole:

to the forum!!

First off, get rid of the idea that your tortoise is called a "spur thigh." While Sulcatas ARE called African spur thighed tortoise, (and you DO have a sulcata), the term "spur thigh" is generally used for smaller Greek tortoises.

Next, yes, you are going to read lots of different ways to take care of your little sulcata. Think of it like a road map. You are looking at the map and you see your house and then you look for Gramma's house. There are many roads to take to get to Gramma's house, but all the roads will get you there. Its the same thing with tortoise care. There is no one correct way.

Here at the forum, you will get a few different opinions on Sulcata care, and they are all good. You just have to choose the way that seems to work best for you.

Here are a few tips on how I like to care for baby sulcatas (but remember...there is no one correct way):

Any baby tortoise is so small that the lights and heaters have them essentially on "slow cook." So I like to soak babies if not every day, then for sure every other day. By soak, I mean I place the baby in a small dish of water that he can't climb out of. The water only comes up to the middle of the side of the tortoise and it is room temperature. I leave the baby in the water for about 15 minutes.

I like to keep babies in Rubbermaid or Sterilite tubs. They are cheaper and easier to handle than glass aquariums.

I use cypress mulch as substrate (bedding). Cypress mulch smells clean and you can moisten it without it getting sour. In the wild baby tortoises live in burrows most of the time, pooping and peeing in the burrow, which brings up the humidity. Humidity helps the shell to grow smoothly (as opposed to bumpy, which is called pyramiding).

I have a small square tile on which I place the food. I feed a mixture of Spring Mix (packaged lettuce mixture from the grocery store), to which I'll add some clean weeds from the yard...dandelion, clover, fillaree, etc. I feed babies every day, as much as they'll eat. I leave left over food there all day and the babies keep coming back to eat even towards evening when the food is dry and crisp.

I also have a small dish sunk into the substrate for water. I like to use a dish with very shallow sides so the baby doesn't tip over backwards into the water when he's climbing out.

All my baby habitats have at least one and sometimes two hiding places, including a few artificial plants placed around for shade from the light.

I use a 100 watt T-Rex UV/Spot light and it is placed 12" above the floor of the habitat. The light is on one end, which causes there to be a warm end (from 80 to 85 except directly under the light, which is hotter) and a room temperature end. If it gets below 70 on the cool end, then you can place a CHE (ceramic heat emitter ) on that end.

I think I've about covered all the basics. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask them. And if we seem to give you conflicting information, remember, there is no one way to do it.

 

[Nicole.Smiles]

____________________________________________________
Thanks for all the great advise!
He seems to sleep a lot though... is that normal?

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[Yvonne G]

Yes, babies do sleep a lot. But if you think he's sleeping more than he should, double check your habitat and be sure its warm enough.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Well Yvonne sure didn't leave anyone else much to say. Except...yes, he's a baby and babies sleep a lot. Also in the wild they are prey so they mostly stay hidden for view...welcome!

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Heck...she beat me by a minute cuz she can type faster...

 

[Nicole.Smiles]

Ok =) Thanks again!
And one more... is there a something i should do to entertain them?
Like toys i could buy or anything like that>?

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Welcome to the forum, Nicole.

Read these threads for more info and some great Sulcata photos:

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-11915.html

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-11666.html

You're in the right place here.

 

[jobeanator]

also, check out sulcata-staton.org and africantortoise.com very good sites on sulcatas

 

[Sunrise]

please keep us updated...post more pictures of u ...and the baby...