Are we doing this right....?

[ilovekitty666]

Hey guys! Our names are Katlyyn & Nick, from Tampa bay area, FL! We recently just purchased our first baby Sulcata torts! We want to make sure we are doing the right thing for them, especially as far as the living environment we have set up for them currently. We dont have official names yet. We have three in total. One is from a local exotic pet store, and the other two are from a local breeder. The one from the pet store ( We will call him Tort A) we think is about 3-4 months old not sure of gender, and was in the pet store for 2 months. It was in the complete wrong environment from what we have read, she even said it was sharing an enclosure with iguanas for a little while. They had it in a small glass tank with fake grass flooring and were feeding him squash and romaine once a day. It over all still looks healthy, has a nice hard shell, extremely active and does't seen stressed or bothered by being handled. We purchased them on saturday evening and have noticed that it has only pooped once which was today about 5 minutes ago and it was a really dark shade of green (almost black looking but when squished in a paper towel looked greenish) , after being soaked 3 times in warm water since purchased. The two ( Tort B & Tort C) from the local breeder ( has been breeding for approx. 8 yrs) are between 6-8 weeks old and also look healthy. I did notice the tops of their shells are hard but the sides are a little on the softer side. He said that he gives them calcium about 2 times a week and soaks them 3 times a week. They are also pretty active. Their first night in their closure they didn't really sleep in their humid hides and favored the corners of their enclosure, Tort B & C both pooped this morning during their soak.They seem to be getting a long fine all together for now as we have read the issues with multiples, and are keeping a close eye out and prepared to separate them if need be. We have a 50 gallon bin from Home depot as their indoor enclosure for now while we are building a bigger and more ideal enclosure for them. Currently we are using coco coil ( can't remember which brand) inside of it. We have an ExoTerra 75w basking light and a ZooMed 100w power sun UV mercury vapor bulb. Our heated side of the enclosure ranges from 70%-92% humidity & 86-94 degrees and the cooler side is from 70%-89% humidity & 76-84 degrees. The temps really depend on the time of day. The house we rent from unfortunately is lawn treated (looking to buy our own home within the next year/two) and we are thinking about growing our own plans & grass inside of our pool enclosure area to avoid being sprayed with pesticides. We have kind of been letting them all eat as much as they are willing to eat at this point. So far their diet has mainly consisted of romaine, spinach, spring mix and squash while we are working on growing separate grass for them. Everything seems good so far to us but as first time tort owners we would definitely like other opinions. My fiance will be home from work later and will add in any other info or questions he might have later on. If anyone has any advice it would be extremely appreciated. Thank you

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Very cute! You are going to want to prep for separate housing for each soon though. Sullies are solitary creatures.

 

[ilovekitty666]

Very cute! You are going to want to prep for separate housing for each soon though. Sullies are solitary creatures.

I've read a lot of people say they don't typically get along especially in pairs but are better in groups as long as they have separate places they can go to away from each other in their enclosure. We are prepared to have to separate them but we've seen some people say they have sullies that get along well with their others. Were really just taking it day by day for now and hoping for the best. The last thing we want to do is stress them out. As a stay at home mom thankfully j am able to keep my eye on them majority of the day and check in on them often.

 

[daniellenc]

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

This thread above will provide a ton of help for now as your diet needs help. You can collect all of this right in your area in untreated areas. Sulcatas can’t tolerate a ton of sugar which squash is so it should be a rare treat and not fed daily.

Also, your tort from the pet store likely has some parasites and should not be with the other two. Read up on quarantine ASAP and separate.

I’d also suggest building three enclosures now which are 8x8 each. If you won’t own your own home for a year or two and your yard is treated these guys will be indoor sulcatas for awhile which is a shame in your amazing climate. This means they’re going to need a ton of additional indoor space to grow.

 

[ilovekitty666]

Other then seeing a specialist, is there any ways I am able to tell if tort A does have a parasite of any kind? What are some of the signs it does?

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Other then seeing a specialist, is there any ways I am able to tell if tort A does have a parasite of any kind? What are some of the signs it does?

You can usually tell by their eating habits, which is often accompanied by a slow growth rate. If you notice something strange, best not to chance it. Get advice from a vet.

 

[ilovekitty666]

You can usually tell by their eating habits, which is often accompanied by a slow growth rate. If you notice something strange, best not to chance it. Get advice from a vet.

Their eating habits all seem fine. I don't have issues with them feeding. Tort A didn't poop from Saturday evening until about 5pm today. When he did it was pretty solid looking, dark colored but when swished had a super dark green tint. I'm not sure exactly what color it's supposed to be but the other teo torts poop was more brown then dark green when swished into a paper towel. Other then that they all seem active, are eating fine and aren't having any problems soaking or behavioral wise. Hopefully this is a good sign.

 

[daniellenc]

A poop sample dropped off is sufficient usually. Many don’t show signs but transmit it through feces to a healthy tort. Tort B and C may pick it up and get very sick or just carry it around. Most animals have some parasites. Most are harmless and only become problematic if an overgrowth of said parasite occurs. However, some parasites are extremely dangerous which is why a 90 day quarantine is always recommended. You never know until all three become ill. Viruses are also rampant in pet shops which again is why a fecal isn’t a guarantee. Viruses aren’t normally tested for in feces and instead with blood work. So separate, read up on quarantine protocol, and hope for the best. Keep A in the enclosure they share and provide B and C a new enclosure with all new substrate, hides, food/water bowls etc.

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

[QUOTE="

Also, your tort from the pet store likely has some parasites [/QUOTE]

I don't think one from a pet store is any more likely to have parasites then any other

 

[daniellenc]

[QUOTE="

Also, your tort from the pet store likely has some parasites

I don't think one from a pet store is any more likely to have parasites then any other[/QUOTE]
Many are WC or housed with WC species. Pet stores carry far more diseases than your average habitat. Parasites and viruses are everywhere but quarantine is always necessary.

 

[ilovekitty666]

What exactly is WC i'm not familiar with that term

 

[daniellenc]

Wild caught as in imported from their home.

 

[ilovekitty666]

Okay we actually asked that question and the lady from the pet store promised they he was captive bred. Do they normally lie about that?

 

[daniellenc]

They may not know and he probably is but many animals kept near him plausibly were.

 

[TriciaStringer]

One of the biggest concerns I have with the possibility of parasites is that he was kept at one time in an enclosure with an iguana. I’d get him checked.

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

I don't think one from a pet store is any more likely to have parasites then any other

Many are WC or housed with WC species. Pet stores carry far more diseases than your average habitat. Parasites and viruses are everywhere but quarantine is always necessary.[/QUOTE]

I don't think one from a pet store is any more likely to have parasites then any other

Many are WC or housed with WC species. Pet stores carry far more diseases than your average habitat. Parasites and viruses are everywhere but quarantine is always necessary.[/QUOTE]
You are completely right except that sulcatas have not been imported to the USA in years so any baby avalible can only be captive breed nun the less
Quarantine is always very important

 

[daniellenc]

Many are WC or housed with WC species. Pet stores carry far more diseases than your average habitat. Parasites and viruses are everywhere but quarantine is always necessary.

Many are WC or housed with WC species. Pet stores carry far more diseases than your average habitat. Parasites and viruses are everywhere but quarantine is always necessary.[/QUOTE]
You are completely right except that sulcatas have not been imported to the USA in years so any baby avalible can only be captive breed nun the less
Quarantine is always very important[/QUOTE]
Yes I mentioned that. A hatchling sulcata is CB but many other species are not and he was housed with an iguana.

 

[Yvonne G]

There aren't any NEW wild caught tortoises coming into the states from Africa. All the sulcata babies you can buy are captive bred. From my friend Google:
The following tortoise species are not allowed to be imported in the U.S.:

• Leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis)
• African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata)
• Bell's hingeback tortoise (Kinixys belliana)

https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...interstate-movement-of-certain-land-tortoises


If it were me, I would buy another bin exactly like the one you have, cut off opposing ends, sit them together with one sitting slightly inside the other, using silicone sealer to seal the seam and make it water tight. That way you'll have enough room to add some plants in pots and some sight barriers. The bin you have isn't quite big enough because you need to add more 'stuff', plants, etc.