Antoni
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2016
- Messages
- 110
You're right. I just have to be diligent with him while he's a baby and provide what it needs. Thanks again for walking me through thisSoil that you buy in a bag at the store is made from people's yard waste that is composted at the seller's facility. There is no way to know what the soil is made of. It could be oleander clippings which are super toxic, or it could be harmless chemical free weeds from an empty lot. It could be lawn clippings treated with "weed n feed" or it could be tree leaves that dropped in the fall. The point is that you don't know. There is no way to know unless you composted the soil yourself from your own ingredients. That is why I say not to use soil. And its also messy and muddy too. It is for these reasons that I say orchid bark works best for this species. Orchid bark doesn't turn to mud, it has nothing toxic in it, it resists mold and fungus, and you can keep the lower layers damp while the upper layer that is in contact with the tortoise can stay relatively dry-ish.
If your tortoise is like mine, it will try to eat the moss. This can cause intestinal blockage and the moss is not a good food item anyway. This is why I don't use moss.
Tropical species of reptiles don't "adjust" to cooler temps. They need what they need. Some species are more adaptable than others and can survive the wrong temps and conditions, but they don't "get used to it". Adult sulcatas can tolerate a wide range of temps and conditions, but the goal should still be to provide them with optimal conditions and temps when we can. Babies, not so much. Babies have a much smaller margin of error and low tolerance for incorrect conditions.
Burrows are good for them here in SoCal in summer, but our nights are too cold for the rest of the year. I let my adults use there own self-dug burrow all summer, but I cover the hole and make them use their heated night boxes for spring, fall and winter. See it here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/
I also came up with this for smaller juvenile sulcatas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/
Something to keep in mind is that we live in a temperate climate. We have winters and cold nights. Sulcatas come from the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara desert. They have two seasons: Hot and hotter. Sulcatas can survive our temperatures, but they need some help in the form of electrically heated shelters during our cooler months. During the heat of the day and the occasional cool winter night over there, sulcatas stay in their burrows where the temperatures are warm day and night, and they humidity is at least moderate, if not high. I'm taking about adults above, and all of this is even more critical for a baby.
I think its awesome that you are here and asking questions! You will learn faster that way. I hope my info is helpful to you and your tortoise.