Hi, I have been an owner of a sulcata hatchling for a month or 2 now. While I have done my research, I unfortunately have NEVER seen a sulcata in person I could compare this with. As such, I would love to know how I am doing at this point.
To make it easier for the one reading this, here are the details:
Enclosure: closed glass enclosure (40x20x20 inches)
Lighting:
1 basking light (50w halogen) I've read that halogen is among the least preferred options for a basking light. However, Incandescent bulbs are no longer available in our place and only halogens are available)
1 ambient lighting (6500k 9w LED);
UVB has yet to arrive but it is a 1pc T5 24w from Lucky Herp. Meanwhile, I bring him/her outside 2 to 3x a week for 30 mins to an hour.
-all lights are on at 7am and off at 8pm.
Humidity: 85% to 97%
Temparature:
Ambient: 28C to 33C (I turn off all lights once it gets over 33C)
Basking: 38 to 42C
Cool side/Humid Hide: 30C more or less
Substrate: an inch or 2 of reptibark
Soaking: 15 to 30 mins daily
Diet: mazuri with ground leaves (such as Moringa, hibiscus leaves and flowers, lettuce, etc.) and ground cuttlefish bone or egg shells
Misting: I find that Misting the substrate once a week would be enough to maintain 85 to 97% humidity.
Now, here he is. He was given to me by a client after telling him that I wanted 1. I have no idea how old he is or how he was kept before he was given to me. I noticed though that he has some extra scutes that I know will never go away. My only goal now is to keep him in the healthiest possible state. Admittedly, he could have spent a few days (less than a week) with me without the desired humidity.
I've been reading in this forum and saw baby sulcatas which I would have otherwise thought to be healthy had it not been for the comments of experienced tortoise keepers here.
So here I am asking for your comments and advice. Any signs that he's about to start having that dreaded pyramiding?
Thanks in advance.
To make it easier for the one reading this, here are the details:
Enclosure: closed glass enclosure (40x20x20 inches)
Lighting:
1 basking light (50w halogen) I've read that halogen is among the least preferred options for a basking light. However, Incandescent bulbs are no longer available in our place and only halogens are available)
1 ambient lighting (6500k 9w LED);
UVB has yet to arrive but it is a 1pc T5 24w from Lucky Herp. Meanwhile, I bring him/her outside 2 to 3x a week for 30 mins to an hour.
-all lights are on at 7am and off at 8pm.
Humidity: 85% to 97%
Temparature:
Ambient: 28C to 33C (I turn off all lights once it gets over 33C)
Basking: 38 to 42C
Cool side/Humid Hide: 30C more or less
Substrate: an inch or 2 of reptibark
Soaking: 15 to 30 mins daily
Diet: mazuri with ground leaves (such as Moringa, hibiscus leaves and flowers, lettuce, etc.) and ground cuttlefish bone or egg shells
Misting: I find that Misting the substrate once a week would be enough to maintain 85 to 97% humidity.
Now, here he is. He was given to me by a client after telling him that I wanted 1. I have no idea how old he is or how he was kept before he was given to me. I noticed though that he has some extra scutes that I know will never go away. My only goal now is to keep him in the healthiest possible state. Admittedly, he could have spent a few days (less than a week) with me without the desired humidity.
I've been reading in this forum and saw baby sulcatas which I would have otherwise thought to be healthy had it not been for the comments of experienced tortoise keepers here.
So here I am asking for your comments and advice. Any signs that he's about to start having that dreaded pyramiding?
Thanks in advance.
Attachments
-
FC696C3A-FAE9-42FF-A797-088105B2B894.jpeg806.8 KB · Views: 125
-
C557C95C-5567-4F55-9848-7C074C076A00.jpeg1,009 KB · Views: 121
-
30D9371C-8053-4A0B-ABF3-6D0C412B6A05.jpeg984.1 KB · Views: 119
-
C0C76C5A-EC6B-4C43-9555-6525CCF9DEF5.jpeg919.9 KB · Views: 117
-
2C2C8626-C809-417C-9CF0-7018C44C9508.jpeg2.1 MB · Views: 119
Last edited: