Atlas has learned how to burrow (I started it for him and he just dug deeper) in this 100+ degree weather. Luckily he quickly comes out for food when I need to bring him in for the day.
Nothing to exciting but here's an updated growth chart.
I know this is a dumb question but I'd feel bad if something went wrong because I didn't ask... is it ok to grow cactus where my sulcata will be roaming? I checked and the cactus that I'm going to plant is safe for tortoises to eat (Cereus Peruvianus), but I know Sulcatas can be persistent about...
I set up Atlas's outdoor pen a few weeks ago and today was the first day he got to use it (it was a beautiful day outside!). I planted a pasture grass mix for him to roam in but he wasn't too sure about the grass since it was his first time experiencing it. I'm hoping to keep him in his pen for...
I checked the temps with my infrared temp gun and it showed 81*F at the cool end and up to 95*F on the hot end (at the height of the substrate). I have a thermostat to regulate the enclosure temp. I just thought Sulcatas liked to burrow?
Yes, he has a hide but he likes to burrow down to the bottom of his substrate when he's in his hide. When I look inside his hide I usually just see the top of his shell.
I'll back off the calcium then. I thought I've read that they instinctually eat more calcium (cuddlebone) when they weren't getting enough so I thought he may have not been getting enough with the couple of pinches of calcium that i give him in his food a week.
Here is a close-up of his face...
I noticed over the past few weeks that my Sulcata seems to be getting raw around his mouth. I have never seen him rubbing up against the side of his enclosure but I do use terra cotta saucers as his food/water bowls and I am thinking that might be what's causing it. I provide him with a saucer...
If you can find this tote anywhere (it might be hard since it's made for storing artificial Christmas tree trees and that time has passed) I'd recommend that. I got one and it's prefect for a small Sulcata.
Here is my setup using that tote:
Atlas has grown 55g since October 30th!
(Picture is blurry because he wouldn't stop zooming around)
This past weekend I set up a webcam inside his tote so I can see what he's doing during the day. I also added some small aloe plants to add some variation to his enclosure (they were offshoots...
So far I've been putting my Sulcata outside for an hour or two around three times a week so that he would get the UV that he needs but it's getting too cold (and cloudy) to do that. Now I'm looking for a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB bulb to mount in his container to give him the UVB he needs during the...
Do you think something like this would be fine? I saw this at my local hardware store nursery and it has bigger chunks than the cypress mulch but it didn't say orchid bark so I didn't get it.
Wow, I didn't know sphagnum moss was dangerous to them when ingested. It seemed like a lot of people mixed it with other substrate to keep the humidity up. I do use the type that is almost like dirt (not the long strands) but only a small portion of the cypress/moss mixture is sphagnum moss...
I use Cypress mulch with sphagnum moss mixed in for moisture retention. I've been trying to find a source for cheap bulk orchid bark but haven't had any luck. I haven't seen it at the local nurseries and the hardware stores just have small expensive bags of orchid bark.
I'm not sure he'd cooperate lol. He's more of a runner than a hider so whenever I pick him up or put him somewhere he doesn't want to be he's instantly on the move. He's surprisingly strong for his size (trying to push away from my hand when I'm transferring him to his morning bath). The second...
I've had my hatchling Sulcata for a couple of months now and I've become more attached to him than I thought I would! I didn't weigh him when I first got him but from October 30th to November 5th he gained 15 grams (50g > 65g). I've never measured him but I'd say his shell is between 2.5-3...