How does my baby sulcata look?

[BornInTheBoot]

I just got him/her from a pet store that definitely wasn't raising it right. There was no heat source at all, no hides, moldy food. It was just bad. It's my first tort of any kind but I knew I had to try and save this little guy/girl. So could y'all just help me out and tell me how he/she looks?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[BornInTheBoot]

Hi
View attachment 213017

Hello!

 

[Alaskamike]

The little thing looks fine. Often hard to tell from photos though.

You can assume it was too dry & had questionable care in the pet store but young as he is , probably not for long.

I always give a new baby a long soak in 90f water at first. Get 'em a bit hydrated & an opportunity to drink.

When ya see a baby Sulcata like that I always compare in my mind the huge ones I've seen. Hard to understand how big they get or how fast they can grow. Lol.

The Sulcata section under species specific has all the best care info in " stickies " at the top.

Good fortune to you

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
It looks perfectly okay to me, too, from the photos.
Good links : http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
are a good start.

 

[Markw84]

Your tortoise look great from the photos.

With hatchlings in particular, I go far more by the way the act than the way they look. With a larger tortoise you can see how the growth is coming in, which is a great clue, but hatchlings can look perfect, yet no show there are underlying problems.

I want to see an active tortoise that has strong feeling legs when you hold it pushing against your hand.
When set down I want to see it move away in a determined and coordinated gait.
It needs to feel like something that size that is full of water, not light.
It should be eating vigorously.
I personally believe someone should not sell you a tortoise, nor you buy one, that has not started to grow. That will show good, healthy growth, and no visible start to pyramiding.

 

[sandieandbill]

hello, was wondering if you knew how old he is. I just bought a sulcata baby. aka Elwood and the people i did business with claimed he was six months old. and from your photos, yours looks to be exactly the same size as mine. Im weary of this number they gave me seeing how mine was to be an ivory and again, looks just like yours. regardless, Elwood is very healthy and active, is your tort active too?

 

[BornInTheBoot]

hello, was wondering if you knew how old he is. I just bought a sulcata baby. aka Elwood and the people i did business with claimed he was six months old. and from your photos, yours looks to be exactly the same size as mine. Im weary of this number they gave me seeing how mine was to be an ivory and again, looks just like yours. regardless, Elwood is very healthy and active, is your tort active too?

Um the guy I got it from told me 2 months old but I honestly don't know for sure bc that guy that I got it from was really shady and dishonest.

 

[sandieandbill]

haaa, yea alotta that goin round I guess. I bought mine from tort town in NJ and I paid a good bit more for torts they claimed were above the 6 month mark, bc I'm new at this and didnt want hatchlings but seemingly that's just what I got. Further more I paid an additional 150 bucks for my sulcata bc I wanted the ivory type ,then he arrives and what yah know....not ivory...smhhh

 

[BornInTheBoot]

haaa, yea alotta that goin round I guess. I bought mine from tort town in NJ and I paid a good bit more for torts they claimed were above the 6 month mark, bc I'm new at this and didnt want hatchlings but seemingly that's just what I got. Further more I paid an additional 150 bucks for my sulcata bc I wanted the ivory type ,then he arrives and what yah know....not ivory...smhhh

Yeah that really sucks but all cute little sulcatas need a home so at least it has one now.