Sulcata Question

[Carlos83]

Hello everyone im new to this site exited to be here and lean more about my sully.Any good tip's on good diet for my lil two months old sulcata Bubba
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p459/Ikillem1/IMAG0004-2.jpg
How does he look to you people ????

 

[wellington]

RE: Sulacata Question

Hello and WELCOME . He is very cute. Starting a little pyramiding. What's your temps and humidity? Check out the threads below by my signature. They will help a lot on temps and humidity and raising a smooth sulcata. Also check out thetortoisetable.org for a list of things you can feed.

 

[dmarcus]

RE: Sulacata Question

Hello and welcome...

Make sure you have all your husbandry items correct, you do see the start of a little pyramiding but its can be stopped...

 

[Tom]

RE: Sulacata Question

Click the links in my signature for some care sheets that have diet info. You want lots of grass and leafy greens. Weeds are best, but you must ID them and be sure they are from a safe, chemical free source. Grocery store greens are fine too. Lots of variety is key. Also look for hibiscus, rose and grape leaves. Mulberry leaves. Spineless Opuntia cactus pads. Mazuri tortoise chow. ZooMed Grassland tortoise chow. I bought some pasture mix seeds and have been growing and feeing a ton of that. Works really well for me. Its mostly different grasses, with some extra goodies thrown in.

 

[Carlos83]

RE: Sulacata Question

Click the links in my signature for some care sheets that have diet info. You want lots of grass and leafy greens. Weeds are best, but you must ID them and be sure they are from a safe, chemical free source. Grocery store greens are fine too. Lots of variety is key. Also look for hibiscus, rose and grape leaves. Mulberry leaves. Spineless Opuntia cactus pads. Mazuri tortoise chow. ZooMed Grassland tortoise chow. I bought some pasture mix seeds and have been growing and feeing a ton of that. Works really well for me. Its mostly different grasses, with some extra goodies thrown in.

I have him in my garage at 76°humidity And 90°degrees how's that ???still gong to purchase a red CHE bulb,right now he has a 75watt uvb light set up...

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p459/Ikillem1/IMG414.jpg
Im going to change things up a bit on the weekend

 

[Carlos83]

RE: Sulacata Question

This is his outdoor play pin till he grows out of it LOL.. It's 12ft Long 2ft high ! !
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p459/Ikillem1/IMG403.jpg
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p459/Ikillem1/IMAG0008.jpg
He started digging !
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p459/Ikillem1/IMAG0005.jpg

 

[Dizisdalife]

RE: Sulacata Question

The UVB lamp should hang straight down. They aren't very effective when used at an angle. Also, the clamps are prone to failing, letting the lamp fall into the tortoise's pen. There is a stand for hanging lamps sold where they sell the lamps. I bought one for about $20, but built a few simple ones from wood for a lot less. You will want to invest in a decent digital thermometer. Temperatures are critical to baby sulcatas. A good thermometer lets you be confident about the enclosure temperatures.

 

[Carlos83]

RE: Sulacata Question

The UVB lamp should hang straight down. They aren't very effective when used at an angle. Also, the clamps are prone to failing, letting the lamp fall into the tortoise's pen. There is a stand for hanging lamps sold where they sell the lamps. I bought one for about $20, but built a few simple ones from wood for a lot less. You will want to invest in a decent digital thermometer. Temperatures are critical to baby sulcatas. A good thermometer lets you be confident about the enclosure temperatures.

ok big thanks ill be looking into that for sure ..

 

[Peaches bts]

RE: Sulacata Question

Nice looking tort. U need to bump your basking to 100F and cool side should be at least 80 - 85F. Best of luck.

 

[Tom]

RE: Sulacata Question

Joe and Tess are both right on. There are four temps that you need to know and constantly adjust. Well... Not everyday constantly, but at least seasonally.
Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night.
To my knowledge, no one makes a 75 watt UVB bulb. I think you must have one of those reptile basking bulbs that advertise UVA on the package. If your tortoise is getting some sunshine a couple hours a week, you really don't need indoor artificial UV bulbs. Just regular incandescent bulbs, or the one you already have will work just fine.

The seasonal temperature extremes in my garage are pretty wide. Be prepared for that in the heat of summer and the cool of Fall. Does his pen there get much sunshine? That is a great amount of space for him.

 

[Carlos83]

RE: Sulacata Question

Joe and Tess are both right on. There are four temps that you need to know and constantly adjust. Well... Not everyday constantly, but at least seasonally.
Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night.
To my knowledge, no one makes a 75 watt UVB bulb. I think you must have one of those reptile basking bulbs that advertise UVA on the package. If your tortoise is getting some sunshine a couple hours a week, you really don't need indoor artificial UV bulbs. Just regular incandescent bulbs, or the one you already have will work just fine.

The seasonal temperature extremes in my garage are pretty wide. Be prepared for that in the heat of summer and the cool of Fall. Does his pen there get much sunshine? That is a great amount of space for him.

he only gets 3 to 4 hours of sun a day I spray him every other hour to stay cool..
So im going to use the bulb I have for his cooling area,now the hot area witch bulb would you recommend ????

 

[Dizisdalife]

I used a PowerSun 100W for basking spot and UVB when Chuck was kept inside. I also had a temp gun to check the temperature below the basking spot at the height of his shell. Again, the lamp hung straight down so I could adjust the temperature by raising or lowering the lamp. My indoor enclosure was small so the 100W worked just fine. In a larger inclosure a 150W might be necessary. One way to tell if the basking temp is too hot or too cool is by how much time your tortoise spends beneath it. If he seems to hang out there all the time it is likely too cool. If he spends very little time beneath it, or hangs out at the very edge of the light then it is likely too warm. A temp gun lets you measure the spot to be accurate.

 

[Carlos83]

Oh ok well I got him in a 36x32 and 2 1/2 tall ,ill be doing some work on the enclosure this weekend,Also I bought this light today for his basking spot, Are these any good ??I was told they are ...
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p459/Ikillem1/IMAG0069-1.jpg

 

[Dizisdalife]

I don't have any experience with the infrared heat lamps. Always have used a ceramic heating element (CHE) for the ambient heat and especially for night time heating. When I use them they are controlled by a thermostat so that a constant heat (within a few degrees) can be maintained. I believe you can do the same with an infrared since they are not the self ballasted type. Overheating the tortoise, especially a baby, can quickly dehydrate it. Maybe one of the other members here can advise you on the use of the infrared that you have.