Is this normal behavior? (Baby sulcata)

Kgwiaz

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Stonington
hey everyone,
I have my baby for about a month now. He (assuming its a he) is still a literal baby.
Normally once I turn out the lights at night he just goes to sleep, however tonight I noticed he was kinda just sitting there. He wasn't sleeping because his eyes were open but he wasn't moving, almost as if he was sleeping. (He is not dead. He moved when I picked him up.) Is this normal?
He ate today, I gave him his daily soak and he was acting normal today excpet this one thing.

For details of his enclosure:
Day Temps are around 75°-80° with a basking spot of 95°f. He has the space to get out of the heat.
Night time temp drops to about 75°-80°
He has access to water and food all the time.
Humidity is about 75°-80°.
I have a uvb and uva bulb
The substrate is a mix of organic topsoil and cocofiber.
I feed him a mix of romaine, hay and grass.
I also did switch his enclosure to bigger one today, so maybe its stress from that? I'm not fully sure.
I tried to find something online about this behavior but I havent had any luck.
 

Hamiltondood

Active Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
248
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, Texas
how much soil are you using? i've heard soil isn't good for sulcatas. you should try to feed a more varied diet. what brand of bulbs do you have? please provide pictures of the enclosure. it's possible he's sulking because you changed him enclosure but maybe wait for another answer. here is a good caresheet :
here is a list of food you can feed him (and other things)
other members will see this post soon and can be a better help than me ? good luck!
 

Hamiltondood

Active Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
248
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, Texas
how much soil are you using? i've heard soil isn't good for sulcatas. you should try to feed a more varied diet. what brand of bulbs do you have? please provide pictures of the enclosure. it's possible he's sulking because you changed him enclosure but maybe wait for another answer. here is a good caresheet :
here is a list of food you can feed him (and other things)
other more experienced members will see this post soon and can be a better help than me ? good luck!
 
Last edited:

Kgwiaz

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Stonington
how much soil are you using? i've heard soil isn't good for sulcatas. you should try to feed a more varied diet. what brand of bulbs do you have? please provide pictures of the enclosure. it's possible he's sulking because you changed him enclosure but maybe wait for another answer. here is a good caresheet :
here is a list of food you can feed him (and other things)
other members will see this post soon and can be a better help than me ? good luck!

I use a 50/50 mix of the cocofiber and soil about 4 or 5 inches deep. Thats what i read was best (before buying him) but I have learned most of what i learned before is wrong :( and now I'm trying to fix it all quickly. So thats possible that I have been misinformed.

I have also been trying to add more into his diet but he is very picky and it takes time for him to try new things. He just recently began eating a little bit of hay.

I'm trying my best to get his enclosure good for him because I love him but there's so much info out there and it all contradicts eachother.
 

Hamiltondood

Active Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
248
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, Texas
I use a 50/50 mix of the cocofiber and soil about 4 or 5 inches deep. Thats what i read was best (before buying him) but I have learned most of what i learned before is wrong :( and now I'm trying to fix it all quickly. So thats possible that I have been misinformed.

I have also been trying to add more into his diet but he is very picky and it takes time for him to try new things. He just recently began eating a little bit of hay.

I'm trying my best to get his enclosure good for him because I love him but there's so much info out there and it all contradicts eachother.
you should try mazuri tortoise diet. most tortoises don't like the LS version but love the regular kind. i got mine from tortoisesupply.com. it should be fed 2-3 times a week.
 

Kgwiaz

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Stonington
you should try mazuri tortoise diet. most tortoises don't like the LS version but love the regular kind. i got mine from tortoisesupply.com. it should be fed 2-3 times a week.

I just bought some last week and soaked it in water so he can bite it, but he hasn't even tried it. Im still trying to have him eat that though. He is literally so picky
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
hey everyone,
I have my baby for about a month now. He (assuming its a he) is still a literal baby.
Normally once I turn out the lights at night he just goes to sleep, however tonight I noticed he was kinda just sitting there. He wasn't sleeping because his eyes were open but he wasn't moving, almost as if he was sleeping. (He is not dead. He moved when I picked him up.) Is this normal?
He ate today, I gave him his daily soak and he was acting normal today excpet this one thing.

For details of his enclosure:
Day Temps are around 75°-80° with a basking spot of 95°f. He has the space to get out of the heat.
Night time temp drops to about 75°-80°
He has access to water and food all the time.
Humidity is about 75°-80°.
I have a uvb and uva bulb
The substrate is a mix of organic topsoil and cocofiber.
I feed him a mix of romaine, hay and grass.
I also did switch his enclosure to bigger one today, so maybe its stress from that? I'm not fully sure.
I tried to find something online about this behavior but I havent had any luck.
The behavior you noted is certainly due to the sudden change in territory.

Most of the care info you find for this species is old, out-dated and just plain wrong.

Soil should not be used under tortoises. Its made of composted yard waste and could be anything. Coco coir is safe, but very messy. Fine grade orchid bark works best.

Most breeders don't introduce enough types of different foods. This makes for a picky tortoise and YOU have to do lots of extra work to get them going correctly. Hay is no good for babies. Hay is for adults. For babies you can use tender, freshly spouted grass, but also use lots of suitable weeds, leaves, flowers and opuntia pads. If you must use grocery store greens, favor endive, escarole, dandelion greens, arugula, cilantro, and mix in others for variety. You must also amend grocery store greens by adding something for fiber and variety. All of this is explained in detail in the care sheet.

Your night temps are too low. Keep it above 80 every where, all the time. Your humidity could be a little higher too.

What types of bulbs are you using? Where is Stonington? Is using real sunshine an option for you?

Read the links that hamiltondood left for you. That is the current and correct care info.
 

Kgwiaz

New Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Stonington
The behavior you noted is certainly due to the sudden change in territory.

Most of the care info you find for this species is old, out-dated and just plain wrong.

Soil should not be used under tortoises. Its made of composted yard waste and could be anything. Coco coir is safe, but very messy. Fine grade orchid bark works best.

Most breeders don't introduce enough types of different foods. This makes for a picky tortoise and YOU have to do lots of extra work to get them going correctly. Hay is no good for babies. Hay is for adults. For babies you can use tender, freshly spouted grass, but also use lots of suitable weeds, leaves, flowers and opuntia pads. If you must use grocery store greens, favor endive, escarole, dandelion greens, arugula, cilantro, and mix in others for variety. You must also amend grocery store greens by adding something for fiber and variety. All of this is explained in detail in the care sheet.

Your night temps are too low. Keep it above 80 every where, all the time. Your humidity could be a little higher too.

What types of bulbs are you using? Where is Stonington? Is using real sunshine an option for you?

Read the links that hamiltondood left for you. That is the current and correct care info.

Okay, I will definitely change everything. I really did try to get all the info before buying him but I guess I didn't look in the right places. There's literally so much out there.

I will bump up the night temp and humidity and I'll stop feeding him the hay. How would you suggest getting him fiber?

Unfortunately its getting cooler here since im on the east coast of the US, so there's not much of an option for real sunshine. (I got him at the end of August so I did bring him outside then)

I'm using the reptisun 100watt basking bulb, a t8 (10.0 uvb) bulb and I have a 100 watt and a 75watt heat emitter for night time.
 

Hamiltondood

Active Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
248
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, Texas
Okay, I will definitely change everything. I really did try to get all the info before buying him but I guess I didn't look in the right places. There's literally so much out there.

I will bump up the night temp and humidity and I'll stop feeding him the hay. How would you suggest getting him fiber?

Unfortunately its getting cooler here since im on the east coast of the US, so there's not much of an option for real sunshine. (I got him at the end of August so I did bring him outside then)

I'm using the reptisun 100watt basking bulb, a t8 (10.0 uvb) bulb and I have a 100 watt and a 75watt heat emitter for night time.
Switch to a t5 tube. If you’re using a coil bulb, it could damage or blind his eyes. The tubes are a bit pricey but they’re worth it.
 

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