Advice on enclosure

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We've had Andy since he was a tiny little hatching, he just turned 3 in May. He outgrew his baby enclosure and so we just made him this new one last night. It is on a table right by the window which gets lots of natural sunlight. He also gets to go outside for at least an hour a day, where he happily eats the neighbors weeds. Apparently our weeds aren't to his liking. (weird tort) The red thing is a plastic container that we are going to fill with varying depths of river rock and fill with water so he can choose how deep he wants to "swim" He LOVES soaking.

So, my question is, can you think of anything that I can do to make his home better?

Thanks
Kristy

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome! He's 3 years old? The pool is a great start! What are you using for his basking light? Perhaps a flat rock, tile, or unglazed terra cotta plant saucer to eat off of to help with keeping the beak down. I also like to have a cuttlebone sitting around in all my enclosures for an added source of calcium when and if the tortoise wants it, along with it being good for beaks.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome...

 

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I feed him on his terra cotta saucer but he makes a horrible mess of it so I take it out as soon as he is done eating. He uses it as a combo food dish/toilet. He has always ignored his cuttlebones but after reading some posts here I crumbled it into small rock size and spread them and he will eat them occasionally. I've always used a regular basking lightbulb for him, but since I moved him in front of the window and he gets lots of sun that way I wasn't sure if I should still keep it on for him. We live in Florida and the average temperature in the house is about 80-85 in the summer. In the winter I keep a heat lamp on in his habitat.

 

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pyramiding?

I have heard of pyramiding before, but I didn't realize that their shells should be completely smooth. Now I'm worried that I may have been taking poor care of Andy for the last three years. Looking at his shell, what changes should I make and how serious would you consider it?

I really should have found this forum three years ago when we got him!

Thanks
Kristy

 

[Tom]

RE: pyramiding?

The time to prevent pyramiding is when they first hatch. At three years old, everything is pretty well set. Sulcatas all tend to start to smooth out at around twelve inches or so anyhow. At this point in time, just feed him a great diet, keep him hydrated with occasional soaks and a suitable shallow water bowl always available, build him a very large outdoor pen for lots of sun, shelter, grazing and exercise, and he should grow up and be just fine.

Then call the person who either kept them in a beef jerkey maker, or taught you to keep them in a beef jerkey maker, and tell them what you have learned. This dehydrated baby thing must be stopped one person at a time.

 

[Laura]

RE: pyramiding?

its pretty advanced.. and he is very dark.. is he outside much? plenty of calcium?
It can be stopped and they can smooth out with new growth.. he will always have some bumps tho..

 

[jason g.]

RE: pyramiding?

its pretty advanced.. and he is very dark.. is he outside much? plenty of calcium?
It can be stopped and they can smooth out with new growth.. he will always have some bumps tho..

Just curious but what does being dark mean? Mine is very dark it's one of the things I like about her but she gets sunshine almost everyday and when it's raining she gets fake sun. My vet said to give her calcium everyday it won't hurt her. So she gets it at least 5 days a week. I've heard this a couple of times about something being wrong with sullies that are dark. now and I'm getting worried.

 

[Tom]

RE: pyramiding?

I have heard people say that this means one thing or another, but in my experience it just happens sometimes during their growth. It has happened in many of mine and did not seem to have anything to do with calcium, sunshine, hydration, diet or anything else. I have yet to see any consistent pattern for it in all of the sulcatas I have raised from hatchlings. I would not worry about it one bit if I were you.

On another note now, too much calcium cannot hurt them by itself. The problem is that too much creates imbalances in other minerals and trace elements and interferes with their absorption. I would only use a little twice a week. If they are getting a good diet, a case could be argued that you don't need any. Still, I like to use some for growing babies, juveniles and egg laying adult females. None for my adult boys though.

 

[Laura]

RE: pyramiding?

some of them, its just thier color...
but the ones Ive seen who never see the sun, or very little are darker in color...

 

[jason g.]

RE: pyramiding?

OK thanks guys. Calcium twice a week. I'll trust the guy that's raised them for 20 years. I love my sullies colors so I'm happy it's OK.

 

[TaraDodrill]

Confrere on a great start to an indoor enclosure your little guy really needs a basking light with temps that range from 90-105 degrees. I am still learning, so one of the many experts in the forum, Tom most notably could give you more detailed advice. Stopping the pyramiding your beautiful lil guy has will keep him in excellent health. My Bo Scarlet I got as a rescue could be his twin! Good luck

 

[Zamric]

RE: pyramiding?

WalkingRock was dark till he turned 7 or 8 then he lightened up from the middle of his scute and out.Now he has that trademark "Sucata" markings

 

[Tom]

RE: pyramiding?

some of them, its just thier color...
but the ones Ive seen who never see the sun, or very little are darker in color...

Just want to clarify: I don't know if it means anything or not, its just that I have not seen any pattern to nail down a reason. I have some that are very dark like that that are in the sun all day every day and I've had lighter ones that were in the same enclosure with them. Daisy, my juvenile is dark like that and she has been living outside full time for a couple of years now, and she was outside all day almost everyday for another year or two before that.

I'm willing to learn if somebody knows what causes the color variations, its just that i have personally seen many exceptions to each theory that has been proposed.

 

[TaraDodrill]

RE: pyramiding?

I was just going to PM a similar question about shell color to Tom before I saw this thread. I need to take a few minutes and get on tiny pic so u guys can see what I'm talking about, but I don't think I can do that from my iPhone. So, here goes- Babette's shell seems to be lightening and I surmised that maybe it was because she is getting proper sunlight now and hadn't before she joined my family. But, Tom's views made me adapt my thinking. Babs is a lot darker than Bo Scarlet abd presumably older with a lot less pyramiding. They were rescued from the sane guy. They were living in a large aquarium with two Red Foots and Two Yellow Foots, no basking light or humid hide

So, shell color may just be a characteristic like human eye and hair color. As long as our torts are healthy, they are getting so much more do everyday. They love being able to graze outside six hours a day now. Their outdoor habitat is fabulous thanks to my hubby's love for them too

 

[Laura]

pretty small for 3.. the light thru the window won't benefit him like being outside.. so don't use it as a substitute. what kind of heat source do you have ?

I'd also be careful he doesn't climb up on the hides and then climb over the lip of the pool. they are great escape artists.
also, be carefull with neighbor weeds. make sure they arent spraying anything on them.
The sooner you can get him outside in a large enclosure, the better for him. Bigger the better.

 

[Moofahsa]

Both of my yearlings are that size

 

[JoesMum]

I agree with Laura. UVB does not transmit through walls and windows, so all he is getting is heat from the sun through the window... and not enough of it. However, if he is going outside for an hour every day that will be giving him lots of UVB which is good and supplementary UVB shouldn't be necessary.

You do need that 95-100 under a Basking Lamp. Because torts are cold blooded, basking at this temperature is essential for him to digest his food properly. From what you say the sun is not hot enough through your window to do this.

 

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I posted two different threads yesterday, the other one titled "pyramiding", so I'm gonna answer both of them here just for the ease of it. (moderator note: I merged the two threads together into this one)

Thank you for all of your advice. I'm putting it into practice immediately. Last night we picked up some cuttlebone for him and he LOVED it. Is there a limit to how much we should let him eat?

We live in Florida and our central A/C doesn't work, so we keep the windows open most of the time. That's why I thought that the sun would benefit him there. I didn't know that about the sun not coming through the window. We used a 75 watt basking light before we moved him to his new enclosure during the summer and a heating lamp during the winter. He has only been in his new enclosure two days and we are in the process of making things better for him.

We have always fed him the Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise food soaked in water. He also grazes weeds in the yard. My neighbor is awesome and knows that Andy likes to eat the weeds in her yard so she doesn't fertilize it and we mow it exchange.
I picked up some organic spring mix for him last night and he seems to like it.

Everything I thought that I knew about Sulcata tortoises seems to be wrong. I was told by the breeder that the slower they grow the healthier they are and that too much water would cause shell rot. At this age, approximately how large should he be? How should I help him to gain weight or grow? Should I do anything in particular to help with his pyramiding?

Thanks!
Kristy

 

[Tom]

Just want to say hello and welcome. All good advice above. I would also be careful that he doesn't overheat in that window. Have you set a thermometer probe in there where he sits when its in direct sun? Have you got a temp gun? Under heating can be a problem over time, but overheating is an instantaneous problem. It might be okay in your situation, but I have seen many an animal get cooked through glass like that. If you are carefully watching the temps, then you might be okay, just saying, be careful. Personally, I'd rather have him away from the window and rely on a basking light that I control for his indoor heat.

Having said all of that, what this little man really needs is a large outdoor enclosure to roam around in and graze. Its great to have the indoor pool for night time and cold/rainy days, but outside all day is best for them. Especially when you live in the perfect climate for them.