im posting here for some help and advise, please let me know if any thing i am doing in not right or if you have any thing to add.
So lets start with the story..
i live in the the middle of florida around the orlando area..(dont know if the location will help) my wife is driving and im checking some stuff on my cell when she swerves and jams on her breaks saying something about not running “it†over... she then turns around and says “omg it is†i get out to fine a small shelled friend. I see turtles/tortoise on the road a bit around here and im the person you will see running in to 5 lanes of interstate traffic to get it off the road so they are not ran over. This time im a little worried about just moving this little guy off the road because it looks like a baby so i bring him home....i stop by a pet store and grab a home for him and some supplies but im not sure what im doing...
so i have been doing some research and after a visit to a reptile vet this is what i have so far:
I think its a baby sulcata
i have not gotten him to eat yet but i found the following diet im going to get some of this stuff first thing tomorrow :
“No meat or fruits!!! Never!! This is important. The worst thing you could do is give them too much protein. The best thing they can eat is hay. Just not alfalfa hay because it has a lot of protein in it as well. Grasses are also recommended. Just make sure you grow your own and they dont get exposed to any with pesticides in it.
NEVER give them: cheese, dog food, peas or beans, commercial tortoise diet, fruit, grains, or veggies in large quantities.
At least 75% of their diet should be:
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides)
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon -- which actually originated in Africa!)
Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata)
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparious)
Western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii)
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
Arizona Fescue (Festuca arizonica)
Lawn Fescue (Festuca arundinacea)
Sheep Fescue (Festuca ovina)
Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)
The rest should be edible weeds such as:
Dandelion -- both the yellow flowers and the leaves
Prickly Pear Cactus pads (Opuntia species) -- You can scrape off the needles with a sharp knife or burn them off by holding the pad over the flame of a gas or propane camp stove.
Broadleaf Plaintain or Buckhorn Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceola)
Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea grossulariaefolia) -- flowers and leaves
London Rocket or Tumble Mustard -- leaves only; they tend to reject the flowers
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) -- flowers and leaves
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) -- flowers and leaves
Roses (Rosa species) -- flowers only
Sowthistle
Chickweed
Hibiscus (Hibiscus species) -- flowers and leaves
Mulberry (Morus species) -- leaves only; give the mulberry fruit to box turtles.
Geranium (Pelargonium species) -- leaves and flowâ€
AS far as his home:
i have him in a glass terrarium that is using coconut shavings for bedding, I have a small walk in food bowl and one for water, i treat the water with reptisafe. I keep the temp at 85 during the day with both UVA and UVB bulbs and the humidity above 80% as much as possible by spraying the glass with treated water as well. durning the night i have a night bulb and i keep it around 80.
i plan on making an out door pin when he gets a little bigger but not worrying about it right now.
no im a little worried that he is not eating or drinking...he just buries him self in the bedding and stays there...i can put him in his food or water bowl but he dosnt seem to eat or drinks just chills and then at some point he will get out and buries him self
i really like the little guy but every thing i know i learned over a few days and im not 100% sure what is right...
once i get him the right food im hoeing he will eat and i am going to be putting some calcium stuff on it,
i really need to know if there is anything i should be doing or something i said that i should not be doing for this guy or even if it is a sulcata.
So lets start with the story..
i live in the the middle of florida around the orlando area..(dont know if the location will help) my wife is driving and im checking some stuff on my cell when she swerves and jams on her breaks saying something about not running “it†over... she then turns around and says “omg it is†i get out to fine a small shelled friend. I see turtles/tortoise on the road a bit around here and im the person you will see running in to 5 lanes of interstate traffic to get it off the road so they are not ran over. This time im a little worried about just moving this little guy off the road because it looks like a baby so i bring him home....i stop by a pet store and grab a home for him and some supplies but im not sure what im doing...
so i have been doing some research and after a visit to a reptile vet this is what i have so far:
I think its a baby sulcata
i have not gotten him to eat yet but i found the following diet im going to get some of this stuff first thing tomorrow :
“No meat or fruits!!! Never!! This is important. The worst thing you could do is give them too much protein. The best thing they can eat is hay. Just not alfalfa hay because it has a lot of protein in it as well. Grasses are also recommended. Just make sure you grow your own and they dont get exposed to any with pesticides in it.
NEVER give them: cheese, dog food, peas or beans, commercial tortoise diet, fruit, grains, or veggies in large quantities.
At least 75% of their diet should be:
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides)
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon -- which actually originated in Africa!)
Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata)
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparious)
Western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii)
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
Arizona Fescue (Festuca arizonica)
Lawn Fescue (Festuca arundinacea)
Sheep Fescue (Festuca ovina)
Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)
The rest should be edible weeds such as:
Dandelion -- both the yellow flowers and the leaves
Prickly Pear Cactus pads (Opuntia species) -- You can scrape off the needles with a sharp knife or burn them off by holding the pad over the flame of a gas or propane camp stove.
Broadleaf Plaintain or Buckhorn Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceola)
Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea grossulariaefolia) -- flowers and leaves
London Rocket or Tumble Mustard -- leaves only; they tend to reject the flowers
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) -- flowers and leaves
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) -- flowers and leaves
Roses (Rosa species) -- flowers only
Sowthistle
Chickweed
Hibiscus (Hibiscus species) -- flowers and leaves
Mulberry (Morus species) -- leaves only; give the mulberry fruit to box turtles.
Geranium (Pelargonium species) -- leaves and flowâ€
AS far as his home:
i have him in a glass terrarium that is using coconut shavings for bedding, I have a small walk in food bowl and one for water, i treat the water with reptisafe. I keep the temp at 85 during the day with both UVA and UVB bulbs and the humidity above 80% as much as possible by spraying the glass with treated water as well. durning the night i have a night bulb and i keep it around 80.
i plan on making an out door pin when he gets a little bigger but not worrying about it right now.
no im a little worried that he is not eating or drinking...he just buries him self in the bedding and stays there...i can put him in his food or water bowl but he dosnt seem to eat or drinks just chills and then at some point he will get out and buries him self
i really like the little guy but every thing i know i learned over a few days and im not 100% sure what is right...
once i get him the right food im hoeing he will eat and i am going to be putting some calcium stuff on it,
i really need to know if there is anything i should be doing or something i said that i should not be doing for this guy or even if it is a sulcata.
he is a cute little guy though. One thing I would make the out door pin large seeing as that kind of tort if that really is what he is can get quite large.
