Hello everyone, I'm a new user but I've been reading the forums for awhile now. I have a two year old sulcata Dorell and I'm a little worried about his shell, his Scutes aren't pointed like a cone at all but flat and raised, with white lines in between the Scutes. I'm in the process of switching him to a grass diet due to my location he's been eating green leaf lettuce escarole dandelion green and flowers and other weeds I can get my hands on, he has a large tank and adequate heating and uvb as well as housing. I soak him about 5 times a week. He seems pretty healthy although he's having a hard time adapting to the grass diet. I just would like to know if he's okay and has the proper conditions here are a couple pictures
Pyramiding? Scutes are raised but flat advice please!!
- Thread starter troy723
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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
Your baby IS pyramiding. All the new growth is at an upwards slant, and not level. Upwards = pyramiding.
Its not due to the diet, but rather from being kept too dry in his first year. Baby tortoises need a pretty moist environment. You can correct the orientation of the new growth by wetting the substrate and providing a humid hide (moist sphagnum moss in the hiding place). But be sure to not let the baby get cold or even cool while in the moist environment. Watch to be sure his habitat stays warm.
If you want to try to incorporate more grass in the diet, cut it up with scissors and mix it all in with the greens. If you wet the greens, the grass will stick to them. Greens are an ok food. You can also add some edible weeds to the greens.
Your baby IS pyramiding. All the new growth is at an upwards slant, and not level. Upwards = pyramiding.
Its not due to the diet, but rather from being kept too dry in his first year. Baby tortoises need a pretty moist environment. You can correct the orientation of the new growth by wetting the substrate and providing a humid hide (moist sphagnum moss in the hiding place). But be sure to not let the baby get cold or even cool while in the moist environment. Watch to be sure his habitat stays warm.
If you want to try to incorporate more grass in the diet, cut it up with scissors and mix it all in with the greens. If you wet the greens, the grass will stick to them. Greens are an ok food. You can also add some edible weeds to the greens.
Hello and Welcome
. Please read Toms threads below in my post for raising them the humid way that will help to stop any further pyramiding.
. Please read Toms threads below in my post for raising them the humid way that will help to stop any further pyramiding.
Hi Troy. Please take a few minutes and read those threads in Wellington's signature. They will answer all sorts of questions for you.
Here is one more on feeding sulcatas not listed there:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-76744.html
Here is one more on feeding sulcatas not listed there:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-76744.html
Thanks guys!! I really appreciate everyone's dedication to help others. I also was wondering if it would be okay to add another sulcata to the enclosure, my setup is roughly four feet by two feet (I plan on building him a 6 1/2 x 3 1/2 encloaure , I've heard they can be aggressive towards one another. Though my Dorell is only two years old and about a 4 inch shell I don't think he could do much damage!!
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I think sulcatas and Russians do well alone. They aren't the kind of species that are "a pack" example such as a pack of wolves. If it was me, I personally wouldn't put another in there. I have a russian and I am very glad with him and think he is doing good by himself. Of course I'm still learning how to do everything right but he's a good little guy
if you would like another sulcata it would probably be better to have a separate enclosure but to allow them to interact supervised to see how they do but definitely have a back up plan such as separate enclosure incase they be aggressive. The experts can help you more with this, but hopefully it helped a little.
if you would like another sulcata it would probably be better to have a separate enclosure but to allow them to interact supervised to see how they do but definitely have a back up plan such as separate enclosure incase they be aggressive. The experts can help you more with this, but hopefully it helped a little.
If you put two sulcata in the same enclosure you are almost certain to have aggression. When they are babies you are not likely to see them ramming each other. The aggression is much more subtle. One of them will get the best of everything (and the most), and the other while be trying to book a ticket out of there. He will will be stressed out to the point that he may stop eating and hide continuously. They will never be buddies.
If you want to add another tort to your enclosure I say go ahead, just make sure you have a backup plan in case they end up not getting along in the future. If I were you I would get two more instead of one, they seem to do better in groups rather than pairs. Of course you have to remember they get BIG so make sure you have enough space for them when they get older. Also enough food.
Re: RE: Pyramiding? Scutes are raised but flat advice please!!
Thats a bit dramatized. An acre would be fine for several torts. But yes, 4x8 would be a minimum.
lismar79 said:
Thats a bit dramatized. An acre would be fine for several torts. But yes, 4x8 would be a minimum.
tffnytorts said:
Hey. She's aiming high. Nothing wrong with that. I like it!
I saw a lone male sulcata the other day living on about 5 acres of weeds and grass. He had a bunch of mature oak trees for summer shade, but lots of open space for winter basking. Talk about a happy, heathy tortoise. He looked great! I wish they all had that much space.
