advise for sulcata care in uk

[tilly123]

hi. need some advise from anyone in uk with experience of sulcata care.
we have a 2yr old female, for approx 1 month. yes we didn't know it was a get 'huge' tortoise!!, no the pet shop didn't advise us!! and yes i have read stuff and thought...what have we done!! BUT we are reading and researching and have plans!.
as we are in the uk, she is currently being kept indoors. we have made a 5ft by 4ft tort table, which the viv we were sold for her forms part of. we have stopped using the heat mat as have read they can cause burns. temp is 20-30 (cold & warm ends).
have 2 problems-
1)Substrate. we are currently using a combo of wood chip, reptile sand and a earth/coconut/soil-which is sold as a brick that you add water too and it swells. Is this ok to use?. have read loads about this but most info seems to be from U.S and we don't have half the substrate they seem to use.
2) she currently weighs 8oz, which doesn't seem much and she hardly eats anything! which doesn't seem right from what i have read. she seems perfectly healthy, active at times (she did pace her viv-hence the tort table) but seems to like the colder areas of her enclosure. we give her hay and grass from the garden (not many weeds or dandalions at the mo) and some of the dried food from the pet shop. the occasional treat of cabbage etc plus supplement. do they eat less in the winter months? is this about the right weight?
any help would be grateful, as bit green to tortoise care. thanks

 

[Annieski]

I only have 1 Sulcata---but if she is indeed 2YRS. ---her weight should be more than 8 oz. A picture speaks a thousand words!
Does she have water available to drink and have you been soaking Her? Also, humidity is a very important aspect of her viv. I would also offer more varied leafy greens[either "Spring Mixture" or individual greens like green and red leaf,endive,raddichio,mustard and collard]. I know others will add more to the husbandry and diet. Please read the "Sulcata Specific" threads for more indepth info.

 

[Laura]

Definate needs a better variety in the diet dept.. Spring Mix- no spinach is the mix of choice. It can be bought in most grocery stores in a bag or bulk. Good for YOU too!
Babies dont eat hay. She needs to be humid and warm. 70F on the cool side and at least 90F on the warm side.
Read Toms Sulcata raising tips. Its a Must for anyone trying to raise a healthy tort.
Welcome!!! come learn and enjoy!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tilly123:

Welcome to the forum!!

I think your little sulcata should be heavier. You have a product called "Rocket Salad" in the U.K. That would be better to feed the tortoise than hay. Little tortoises don't eat hay until they get bigger.

You can also feed him zucchini, bell peppers, raddiccio, turnip greens. You just have to cut it up a bit so he can bit an edge.

 

[tilly123]

hi.
thanks all for your advise and welcome.

i shall try to sort out a photo. ....Also to sort out her food,

special thanks to 'emysemys' as i know what to get at the shops in the uk now. Unfortunately we don't have 'spring mix' we just have a variety of different lettuce leaves and i have read not to give iceburg lettuce under any circumstances, so don't want to make her ill and give her the wrong thing. shall also try the other veg ie. zucchini etc mentioned above, but have read to only give this occassionally?. can i give it to her every day?
although shall stop with the hay! what sort of age do they start with hay?.... as i thought at 2 yrs old she would be ok?

thank you all so much. there dosen't seem to be much info in the uk about these tort's, she is already a very big part of my son's and family life that we don't want to make her poorly.

Corrie

 

[stells]

The best salad mix to feed is Florette crispy salad... there are also a few weeds about such as Dandelion... Plantain... Jack by the hedge... chickweed... speedwell... sowthistle... mallow etc... also there is a product used over here called Readigrass it can be used as substrate in a dry end of an enclosure... and can also be fed...

In a more humid area most use topsoil with reptibark... coconut bark or cypress bedding on top... over here...

Hope that helps a little...

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Corrie:

Thanks to Stells (Kelly) for giving me another UK mixture to add to my memory banks.

If you're trying to put some weight on a tortoise, there's nothing wrong with giving it some veggies. Most of our care sheets say that sulcatas eat grass, weeds and hay, but if a sulcata is walking along the countryside and comes upon a bunch of zucchini that fell off the truck, he's not going to pass it up because he's only supposed to eat grass and hay. He's going to sit there and eat his fill. Its not going to hurt him.

Do a GOOGLE image search for the weeds that Stells mentions in her post and see if you can find any of those near where you live.

Little tortoises won't eat hay until they get to be about 3 or 4 years old. If you start them out with a clean, sweet-smelling grass hay like orchard grass or timothy grass, using it as bedding in a small part of the habitat, they will be more likely to sample it at a younger age. I'm not familiar with the Readigrass, but it probably would also cause a little one to sample a bit and learn to eat hay.

 

[tilly123]

Thanks kelly
just what i needed. have got some lettuce from sainsburys, so will now try the florette. keeping going with the grass and managed to find some dandelion leaves in the garden...once they have de-frosted!.
thanks so much about the substrate, that was really stumping me!, have found a pet shop who will order it in for me.
she is still very nervous, but hopefully now her habitat is set, she will start to come out of her shell!!!!
thanks again everyone
corrie