Newbie with Sulcatas

[hogluvr]

First of all thank you for this wonderful forum and the opportunity to join. I have been reading stuff here for days. Have owned a couple of box turtles and a russian tortoise in the past but totally new to sulcatas. Had a pair of young ones arrive Wednesday. I am setting things up according to your recommendations and will undoubtedly have a lot of questions in the days and weeks to follow, but here is my first one. Is it possible to overfeed a baby Sulcata? TIA

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. No it is not possible to over feed them.

Here is all the care info you need, and they should never be kept in pairs, so get two of everything.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[Maggie3fan]

Welcome..hog lover...hog as in animal or motorcycle???

 

[hogluvr]

Welcome..hog lover...hog as in animal or motorcycle???

Ha ha motorcycle but I’m moving to the country in the Spring so you never know… 🤣

 

[hogluvr]

Hello and welcome. No it is not possible to over feed them.

Here is all the care info you need, and they should never be kept in pairs, so get two of everything.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thanks I have been reading through all this since I got them, that was my first mistake. May take your advice and get a third, still sorting out all my mistakes

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome!

 

[hogluvr]

Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas!

 

[Len B]

I will suggest that you not go overboard and spend a lot of time and money on their first enclosure because they most likely are going to outgrow it pretty quick. Give them everything they will need to thrive. But remember it's only temporary. As Tom said pairs won't work so keep them separated or get a third one. Also hatchlings have a tendency to end up upside down so keep an eye on them. This problem doesn't last long but it happens. Good Luck and Merry Christmas.

 

[hogluvr]

I will suggest that you not go overboard and spend a lot of time and money on their first enclosure because they most likely are going to outgrow it pretty quick. Give them everything they will need to thrive. But remember it's only temporary. As Tom said pairs won't work so keep them separated or get a third one. Also hatchlings have a tendency to end up upside down so keep an eye on them. This problem doesn't last long but it happens. Good Luck and Merry Christmas.

Thank you. Yes right now I’m concentrating on getting the heat, humidity and lighting right. They have voracious appetites so I’m hoping that’s a sign they’re healthy!

 

[ryan57]

The "cute" manageable enclosure thing goes out the window pretty quickly as Len said.

This little one "Figgy" gained 15g this week and is 120g, out of the danger zone and thriving. Eats the portion you see above twice a day.107deg basking spot, 78-80 where it dug out in the hide, etc. day light, CHE and Arcadia UVB. My daughter bought me this one to add to the journey.

This is the problem. Stump is 1yr and 10months since hatching. Hatched March 2nd 2022.

First Christmas - Second Christmas. Today I don't want to even think about the 3rd, 4th and beyond.
Oh...

This was about 2/3rds of it tonight. He wasn't done. It was 95% grass and 2 small rocks. He ate about 2 huge heaping 14" plate portions of grass today... plus his greens and Mazuri.

 

[ryan57]

The "cute" manageable enclosure thing goes out the window pretty quickly as Len said.View attachment 364514View attachment 364516View attachment 364515

This little one "Figgy" gained 15g this week and is 120g, out of the danger zone and thriving. Eats the portion you see above twice a day.107deg basking spot, 78-80 where it dug out in the hide, etc. day light, CHE and Arcadia UVB. My daughter bought me this one to add to the journey.

This is the problem. Stump is 1yr and 10months since hatching. Hatched March 2nd 2022.
View attachment 364517
First Christmas - Second Christmas. Today I don't want to even think about the 3rd, 4th and beyond.
Oh...
View attachment 364518
This was about 2/3rds of it tonight. He wasn't done. It was 95% grass and 2 small rocks. He ate about 2 huge heaping 14" plate portions of grass today... plus his greens and Mazuri.

If you zoom in to the center you'll see my expedition in the driveway. He walked 1/4 mile to the end of the road today and stopped by to see the 10 kids playing with their gifts outside.

We made the mistake of letting him stay under his light in a small doggie bed against the brick one night last winter when he was small. (Below) I used to take him out after his evening soak and place him on this bed. Now he has decided that he lives in our living room in that huge 52" round doggie bed thing with the heated blanket. It's completely obvious that that is his favorite spot in the world. Even after digging burrows during the day and hanging out until the sun goes down, he still goes back to the back door mat to come in and then walks to his bed.

This spring he will have to move into his new conservatory wing of the house at least during the day because he's getting too big for the office during the day especially if there will have to be 2 separate areas now that Figgy is here.

 

[Tom]

@ryan57 I guess there was no "white Christmas" for you this year. That pic could be from here in sunny Southern CA!

The looks on your wife's face in the two pics tell this story better than any amount of words ever could... 😁

 

[hogluvr]

Holy cow! Good thing I’m moving in the spring! 7-1/2 acres and all the grass hay they could ever want!

 

[hogluvr]

BTW does anyone have a recommendation for a good souce should I decide to get a 3rd?