i just got a baby ST and need some advise PLEASE READ!

[christianmcervantes714]

I just got a baby tortoise a couple of days ago. i started of with a 10 gall aquarium. i bought a eco terra carpet from petsmart. i should of made my research before i got him. so i sat on my laptop for hours doing my HW on my baby Sulcata. i have a couple of questions i would like to ask you guys.
1. is cypress mulch good for baby sulcatas?
2. i got a hibuscus plant from homedepot is this plant good?
3. where can i buy plants to grow my self to feed my ST
4. my main worry is pyraming so i want to feed him right food?
5. i live in orange county california when can i put him outside?
6. how long do i put him in the sun for?
7. what types of veg do i feed him beside romain lettuce?
8. i am posting a pic of a plant that i think its a hibuscus want to confirm with you guys its ok to feed.
9. what do they prefer the lead or flower and how many time should i feed my sulcata?
10. how much should i feed him at once a hole pedal or part of it?
please help me with as much advise
11. how many times do i spary the mulch to keep humanity up?
12. i have a lid on my sulcatas home cus i read its good for humanity?

 

[ascott]

Welcome to the Forum and very cute baby....

I would remove that wood stuff as the substrate...I would use peat moss, like this;

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/outdoors/landscaping-supplies/premier/peat-moss-3-cu-ft-53928.html

Are you using a 10 gallon tank or are you using the plastic tote that you show here? You can also get a 55 gallon rubbermaid tote from home depot for like 20 bucks and the sides are taller, so you can put the substrate in--you should have the substrate at least 4 inches deep but better if deeper...and the height of the tote allows you to place the uva/uvb/heat lamp at an appropriate height...I also would not clip the light on the side of the tote...but since you have your enclosure against the wall you can get a plant hanger /large (12" bracket) that you can mount on the wall with a couple screws then you can hang your light fixture from that so you get a direct down path for the light instead of the slanted angle...

I would also recommend getting some type of plant(or artificial silk plant) that you can put in the enclosure to give you little baby somewhere to duck under and or behind....babies love to have a sense of security by having a variety of hiding places....

I personally would wait on offering the newly purchased hibiscus to him if there is a chance that it has been treated with herbicides/pesticides or fertilizers....

Your baby can go outdoors for natural sun time now, just make sure that the outdoor enclosure is secure so your little one can not sneak off as well as secure so that something can not sneak off with him...you can set up an enclosure with chicken wire over the top to help keep critters at bay during the day...but I would bring him indoors for cool weather and night....be sure that when you have him outdoors you also provide places for him to hide in and to get to shade so he can keep himself cool and then warm as he chooses..He can be outdoors for a better part of the day as long as he can retreat easily to a cooler place in the enclosure....but should be out at least 30 minutes each day...but longer is better as long as the longer is in a safe place...

You can give him food offerings once in the am after he is up to bask and then again before bed time in the early evening...

I see the lid on the pics here...what heat source does he have when you have the lid on ? If you are using the constant high humidity method then you will want to make sure your night temps do not fall below 80 degrees...and be careful with the way that light fixture is if you use it for a night heat bulb/element...

You can purchase bermuda grass seed from a variety of places, you also can purchase a tortoise blend of seeds from a variety of online places and I think some folks here use a couple of them...I am sure someone will share that with you....I usually get mine directly from the nursery near me...so don't get them online much...

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

I just got a baby tortoise a couple of days ago. i started of with a 10 gall aquarium. i bought a eco terra carpet from petsmart. i should of made my research before i got him. so i sat on my laptop for hours doing my HW on my baby Sulcata. i have a couple of questions i would like to ask you guys.
1. is cypress mulch good for baby sulcatas?
2. i got a hibuscus plant from homedepot is this plant good?
3. where can i buy plants to grow my self to feed my ST
4. my main worry is pyraming so i want to feed him right food?
5. i live in orange county california when can i put him outside?
6. how long do i put him in the sun for?
7. what types of veg do i feed him beside romain lettuce?
8. i am posting a pic of a plant that i think its a hibuscus want to confirm with you guys its ok to feed.
9. what do they prefer the lead or flower and how many time should i feed my sulcata?
10. how much should i feed him at once a hole pedal or part of it?
please help me with as much advise
11. how many times do i spary the mulch to keep humanity up?
12. i have a lid on my sulcatas home cus i read its good for humanity?

Ok here we go.

1.Cypress mulch is great. I use that and orchid bark as my substrates for inside because they dont smell and dont get messy and work great. Peat moss works great too.
2. Hibiscus is fine its just there will be quite a bit of fertilizer in it right now though. Plant it and water it a good amount and it will be fine in a week or two. Then you can feed him leaves and flowers.
3.You can buy plants online or seeds which I prefer. sulcatafood.com has a great mix for sulcatas.
4. Pyramiding comes from lack of humidity and hydration. Not diet.
5. Cali is perfect for a sulcata. As long as its above 70 then you are good. Since hes so small I would bring him in at night though.
6. Put him in the sun for however long its out and warm enough. You need to build him an enclosure outside so he can get his UVB needs.
7. Its been a couple years since I have fed veggies more than twice a month. I just dont do it. I grow my seed and give them mazuri and I'm satisfied with those two things.
8. Wheres the pic?
9. Your sulcata will prefer the flower. They love bright things. Feed him as much as he'll eat. You can just leave food in there and he will munch on it throughout the day.
10. Just give him the whole flower. The rest will just day shortly afterwards anyways.
11. This really depends on how open your cage is. I would recommend something like a 50 gallon rubbermaid tub from lowes or homedepot. I use the one from lowes though.
12. Yes its much better for humidity.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi christianmcervantes714:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Is your name Christian?

and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[wellington]

Hello and WELCOME . If you haven't yet, check out the threads at the bottom of my post. All very good for sulcatas

 

[christianmcervantes714]

@ascott thanks for the info. i read in a website that cypress mulch is good. i checked at my local homedepot and they did not have the moss thing u mentioned not even the mulch i got it at petsmart. i posted a picture of the hibiscus plant. i think they are but want to double check before i feed him this. the plant i got i will be transferring it into my organic green house. i am working on making his a house outside. whats a good list of plants that i could buy at a nursery.
@eweezyfoshezzy the picture of the plant is on my attachments. should i dust of the plants for calcium too or is there a veg that i could feed him to give him calcium and thanks again guys for taking your time and giving me info i love this little guy cant wait to have me roaming around in my back yard i just placed a order on a ton of seeds i have a greenhouse which will be perfect to grow my own food i dont use any chemicals and also have organic grow too.

 

[christianmcervantes714]

Hi christianmcervantes714:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Is your name Christian?

and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

hi christian well i am in orange county cali n this is my first tortoise

 

[christianmcervantes714]

thanks everyone

 

[Kenazfehu]

I find a hard plastic kiddie pool to be a good place to allow my sulcata to get some sun. I put it on uneven ground and add warm water to pool at one end - not very deep, or course. Then I pull some grass and clover and dandelion (whatever I can find around the yard) and put in there for him to graze.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

yeah its a hibisucus for question 8. You wouldnt have to mist that often with the setup on your last pic. What is the temp on the other side of the enclosure because your heat lamp is in a tiny corner of the enclosure. I use 50 gallon rubber tubs from lowes and they are around 15-20 bucks and they are great indoor enclosures. For outside I build my own enclosures or I use kiddie pools.

 

[christianmcervantes714]

yeah its a hibisucus for question 8. You wouldnt have to mist that often with the setup on your last pic. What is the temp on the other side of the enclosure because your heat lamp is in a tiny corner of the enclosure. I use 50 gallon rubber tubs from lowes and they are around 15-20 bucks and they are great indoor enclosures. For outside I build my own enclosures or I use kiddie pools.

thanks glad to know i have food for him already just put other hibiscus in organic soil and going to wait for it to get big before i feed him the one i got a homedepot. his basking spot is 90 something degree and his cool spot like 70-83 still waiting to get humidity meter. i thought about the plastic 50 gall tub but i want a clear one to be able to him make sure he doesn't flip or something. i am going to build him a enclosure outside in my backyard. ill keep u guys posted. what is a good way to keep humidity up like a water dish under the basking light or just mist once a day let me know i leave top close during the day to keep it in and open it twice a day. it is 90 degrees out here during day hasent got any hotter i live 20 min away from the ocean

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[christianmcervantes714]

oh would a 40 wat 120v red light bulb work for night heat source?

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Hello and welcome!

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

Welcome!