Does this seem accurate

Ryansiegelreptiles

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Does this care sheet I put together for my self seem acurate? Thank you for your help!





Sulcata Tortoise
African Spur Thighed Tortoise

Cage
Can live inside for the first 3 years or so, depending on growth
Need lots of room with a insulated shed

Diet
Should be fed either food every day or more food every two days
Hay or Grass should be available for them at all times
Food with no nutrients shouldn’t be fed
Fruit should only be fed as a treat and should only be used as treats and be fed very rarely
Do research on certain vegetables before you feed them and make sure they can’t hurt the animals

Indoor Cage Set- Up

Water Dish
Food dish
Hide
Humidity retaining substrate
Hydrometer and Thermometer
Lighting
PowerSun bulb housed in a deep dome, with a light hook to hang the lights

Humidity and Water
TORTOISES DO DRINK WATER
Soak them once a week
Humidity is crucial to smooth shell growth

How To Prevent Pyramiding
Dust every meal with calcium
Use a PowerSun bulb
Put them outside for at least an hour a day to get natural sunlight
 

Yvonne G

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The first mistake is African spur thigh - Sulcatas are not spur thigh. That designation is used for Greek tortoises. If you want to refer to it as an African, it would be African spurred tortoise.

How to prevent pyramiding is not by food or supplementation, it is by humidity and moisture. Keeping a new baby in a humid environment its first year of life helps it grow a smooth shell.
 

Maro2Bear

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Greetings, not sure why you are putting together your own "care sheet." There is so much good info under the Sulcata section, seems like you are just making extra work.

Not sure where you are located, but our Sully is just now two years, been outside all Summer, and is over 26 pounds. You don't want a tort this size inside year 'round for the first three years.

Food every other day? We feed our guy all day long, three good portions or more.

Soaking...we soaked our young sully daily for the first two years. Not sure where you read once/week.

I think it's just easier to follow the Sully care sheets that @Tom and others have compiled. It's all good, relevant and up-to-date!

Good luck !
 

Speedy-1

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Sorry but no , it is not very accurate at all. I also found that following the care sheets that experienced people have developed for the novice tortoise owner worked well for me ! :)
 

Ryansiegelreptiles

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Thank you everyone. I don't have a tortoise yet so don't worry. This is the exact reason i wanted to make this, so you guys can tell me what i need to fix. It was all made up of different care sheets and videos i have found. I will continue to do research on the forum to find better info. I will probably delete this if I can find a way.
 

Tom

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Does this care sheet I put together for my self seem acurate?

Sorry, but no. Not accurate at all. I'm not trying to be beam or insulting, but its important that you and anyone reading has the correct info. I'll hit your points in order:
1. Mine outgrow their indoor 4x8' enclosures in one year. A very slow grower might last three years, but I wouldn't expect that.
2. They should be able to graze freely all day every day.
3. Hay is good for larger animals, but not needed for babies. Grass is good for any age.
4. Food with no nutrients? Do you mean lettuce? Even lettuce is okay once in a while as part of a varied diet.
5. Tortoises don't need "treats" and there is no reason to feed them fruit.
6. It might be easier to simply list the right vegetables.
7. Its called a hygrometer, not a hydrometer.
8. MVBs like the Powersun should not be run in deep domes. This causes them to over heat and either shut down or burn out prematurely. Also, MVBs are not the preferred bulb for many people, myself included.
9. Babies should be soaked daily. Once a week is fine for some adults in some situations.
10. Calcium, Powersun bulbs and sunshine have nothing to do with pyramiding. pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry.
11. Supplementing with calcium every day is not good. Its too much. Too much calcium will interfere with the absorption of other important nutrients and trace elements, like zinc for example. Twice a week is plenty for a baby or egg laying adult female. Adult males on a good calcium rich diet, probably don't need any at all.

Hope this info helps. Please ask for clarification on any of these points.
 

Tom

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Thank you everyone. I don't have a tortoise yet so don't worry. This is the exact reason i wanted to make this, so you guys can tell me what i need to fix. It was all made up of different care sheets and videos i have found. I will continue to do research on the forum to find better info. I will probably delete this if I can find a way.

Most of the info out there is old, outdated and incorrect. Its based on 30 year old incorrect assumptions. Be careful what your read. Or at least be careful what you believe.
 

Ryansiegelreptiles

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Sorry, but no. Not accurate at all. I'm not trying to be beam or insulting, but its important that you and anyone reading has the correct info. I'll hit your points in order:
1. Mine outgrow their indoor 4x8' enclosures in one year. A very slow grower might last three years, but I wouldn't expect that.
2. They should be able to graze freely all day every day.
3. Hay is good for larger animals, but not needed for babies. Grass is good for any age.
4. Food with no nutrients? Do you mean lettuce? Even lettuce is okay once in a while as part of a varied diet.
5. Tortoises don't need "treats" and there is no reason to feed them fruit.
6. It might be easier to simply list the right vegetables.
7. Its called a hygrometer, not a hydrometer.
8. MVBs like the Powersun should not be run in deep domes. This causes them to over heat and either shut down or burn out prematurely. Also, MVBs are not the preferred bulb for many people, myself included.
9. Babies should be soaked daily. Once a week is fine for some adults in some situations.
10. Calcium, Powersun bulbs and sunshine have nothing to do with pyramiding. pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry.
11. Supplementing with calcium every day is not good. Its too much. Too much calcium will interfere with the absorption of other important nutrients and trace elements, like zinc for example. Twice a week is plenty for a baby or egg laying adult female. Adult males on a good calcium rich diet, probably don't need any at all.

Hope this info helps. Please ask for clarification on any of these points.
Thank you so much. I think I need to use more reliable sources now. A lot of this was from either youtube videos, or some websites. I think I'm going to look around the forum, i know you wrote something on babies I'm going to check it out and look at other articles, do you recommend any other articles online and on the forum?
 

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