just a few questions

[Nybors]

what can i use to heat the bottom of my tortoise table.. right now it is a plastic bottom but we are building a wooden one... is there a pad or something i can use to help heat from the ground up?

We have 3 sulcata tortoises so how do i know if they are all eating? I have only seen one of them eat. There is no bulling going on = they are babies. I've only had them for 3 days and I'm worried about the little one because he/she is not much of a mover and i've never seen he/her eat...
How should i feed them? I have been cutting grass and weeds from outside and adding some spring mix from the store also (chopped up small)... I put a little water on it to keep it from drying out and put it in the dish and leave it all day. When i get home around 4 i throw out what is left and put fresh food..We are not putting a lot being there is always some left.
how much should they eat daily?

Should i turn off the uvb light and basking light at night? Do i just leave on the red heating light overnight.?.

Is it normal for them to move their "houses" around and even destroy them? they seem to push them out the way and get in the corner to burrow together. How deep/thick should i put the carefresh and timothy hay. i also just got in some cedar forest floor... should i mix all 3? right now i just have the 1st 2 with the hay on top..

Is it ok to hold them? I would like to hold them - could i snuggle with them on the couch as long as i keep them warm.. ? Do they like to have their heads rubbed or bellies? i know it sounds silly but i want to interact with them so they know me.

Is there a way i can mark them to tell them apart? I can tell now by their sizes but i'm sure it will get confusing.

Out of the 3 one is constantly trying to escape, lol, always trying to climb out of the enclosure. while the littlest one is usually always sleeping and hiding in it's shell.. is this just their personalities or am i doing something wrong?

I know it's a lot - im sorry and some of it may sound silly but i'm very enthusiastic about our new babies!

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge

 

[mike taylor]

OK there's a lot you are doing wrong . The substrate needs to be cypress ,coco choir , or birch bark. The lights should be off at night . You need to cover your Tortoise table to hold in humidity . What you are feeding sounds good . Even if you don't see bullying doesn't mean it's not happening . If you post pictures of your setup we can better help you . Go to the African Tortoise section and check out Tom's threads on sulcata care . You'll better understand where I'm coming from. Welcome to TFO !

 

[Nybors]

OK there's a lot you are doing wrong . The substrate needs to be cypress ,coco choir , or birch bark. The lights should be off at night . You need to cover your Tortoise table to hold in humidity . What you are feeding sounds good . Even if you don't see bullying doesn't mean it's not happening . If you post pictures of your setup we can better help you . Go to the African Tortoise section and check out Tom's threads on sulcata care . You'll better understand where I'm coming from. Welcome to TFO !

ok i just printed it all out.. i had went to his threads but missed one... apparently them one that tells me what to do lol - i had only read the ones that say what not to do and what to feed them.. wow i guess i got some shopping to do!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

You have painted a good picture of your system with words, but a real picture would be sooooo much better.

Don't use cedar, it's toxic, yeah, that's why we line clothes storage areas with it. I don't care what someone else told you, it's toxic, don't use it. Coco husk, coco coir, cypress mulch, real soil, are all best items. Avoid any purchased soil if it includes fertilizer or any kind of water holding additives. Read the bag, don't rely on the clerk to know. Don't get soil with pearelite(sp) or vermiculite in it.

All lighting that illuminates should be turned off at night. Red heat lamps have been implicated in pyramiding, best to use heat pads or heat panels or regular flood lights (day time), not spot lights, use flood lights. Read the packaging. 45 to 75 watt is the range, but you only KNOW when you measure the temperature with a thermometer or heat sensing gun. There are heat mats for floor areas, but they should not be used other than to bump up ambient by a few degrees, they should not be used as a primary heat source. Heat from underneath is less desirable, it not how it works in nature so much, tortoise physiology does not work well with it.

There are really good narratives that @Tom will direct you to, that he has written. Many folks are very passionate about this fun interest. You will see.

 

[mike taylor]

Everyone of us started just like you . We learned quickly how to fix up things on the cheap . Most of the stuff you need is at the hardware store . I'd only buy uv lighting from the pet store . You don't have to buy the zoomed crap that's over priced . They sell a big bag of cypress mulch at home depot . The fixtures are at home depot . Food and water bowls you guessed it home depot .

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and your new sulcatas.
Have a look at http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/ first for information you may have missed.
I prefer to heat from above, rather than below, not only as it is more natural but heating from below tends to dry out the substrate which is undesirable when you're trying to keep up the humidity.
Check out http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/ for the best ways of keeping the humidity in.
And also http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/ for the reasons why this is good.
Tortoises don't need friends and are better off alone, though sometimes more than two can work, bullying, though subtle may occur.
See http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/bad-day-for-baby.114328/ for more details on this.
A good food guide, besides the one under sulcata tortoises is http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm
Look for the ones in bold print particularly.
Give them as much food as you like, they won't overeat, they like to graze and nibble all day.
Tortoises are attracted to red objects and some say red lighting encourages them to eat their substrate, though ive never used red light myself.
Holding them a little is okay, but they should mostly be left in their enclosures, indoors and outdoors, the sofa is not a controlled temperature to keep them on for long, but many torts like a good head and neck rub. They will get used to and even enjoy a bit of interaction.
You will soon be able to tell them apart easily enough.
One tries to escape, one is okay, the third hides, this is natural, they have differing personalities and this leads to potential bullying in many cases.
Good luck, and after you've got the set ups right you will have many happy years ahead of you with you tortoises.

 

[Tom]

An open table is no good for sulcatas. You can't keep the heat and humidity in.

None of the substrate you mentioned is good. Orchid bark works best.

I fear your tortoises are too cold.

Babies do not have much margin for error. You need to get these things fixed ASAP.

What type of UV bulb are you using?

Get a CHE instead of the red bulb.

Sorry to be so negative, but its important to point these things out so you know what you need to do.

 

[Nybors]

Thanks I'm working on all this now! My husband is building them a large house enclosure. .. he just got called offshore so I'm making do for a few days... u guys have been so much help..thanks
5.o uvb and a 50 w repti tuff...I will be orders the chi

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

CHE. (Ceramic Heat Emitter) provides heat but no light and should be fitted to a thermostat.

 

[Yvonne G]

Thanks I'm working on all this now! My husband is building them a large house enclosure. .. he just got called offshore so I'm making do for a few days... u guys have been so much help..thanks
5.o uvb and a 50 w repti tuff...I will be orders the chi

NO!!! Don't order the 5.0 UVB. That's a compact fluorescent bulb and they are known to cause eye pain/problems in baby tortoises. I'm afraid you're going to have to bite the bullet and spend a few extra bucks and buy a Mercury Vapor Bulb. They cost around $50, but are so much better at providing the needed UVB. Plus they also provide heat in the same fixture.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to you as well as your torts, to the forum!

How about posting pictures of your torts, so as to enable us to help you more.

And reading the threads that Adam (Tidgy's Dad) mentioned in his post would also help you.

Good luck!

 

[Tom]

Thanks I'm working on all this now! My husband is building them a large house enclosure. .. he just got called offshore so I'm making do for a few days... u guys have been so much help..thanks
5.o uvb and a 50 w repti tuff...I will be orders the chi

5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You will want at least a 10.0 and be sure to get the long tube type, not the compact florescent type. The "regular" 10.0 tubes need to be mounted about 10-12" from the tortoise to be effective. If you need to mount it higher, look into the 10.0 HO tubes, or a 12%HO tube from Arcadia.

Also, it is pretty unlikely that a 50 watt bulb will give you enough heat, and its also probably a spot bulb, which is not good for tortoises because it concentrates too much heat into too small of an area. You will probably need a 100-150 watt flood bulb for an open topped enclosure. The mercury vapor bulb that Yvonne mentioned would fill this role nicely.

In addition to this, you will still need night heat. You can't let babies get cold at night. A ceramic heating element set on a thermostat will maintain your ambient temps where they need to be day and night.

Its all explained in here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

And here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/