Glad to be here!

[Luvanrs50]

Hello to all you Tortoise experts! I'm new here to the forum and am very impressed! My family has a hatchling sulcata that we got back in June of this year, his name is Spots (named by my daughter ) A few weeks ago he was not doing too good, very lethargic and not eating. I took to the forum and came upon a few threads by Tom and Maggie that seemed to have saved our little guys life!! We started soaking him in the baby food carrot/vitamin bath and after a week he really perked up! He is now back to his active self and eating up a storm outside on his daily romps! My only question now is about how long before his plastron hardens back up or will it ever? Thanks so much, any advice is welcome as we are new to the tortoise world! Thanks so much! Jaime

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome ! I wish I could answer you question but I will leave that to others with more knowledge .

 

[Careym13]

Welcome to TFO!! Glad to hear your tort is doing better! Can you provide us with more info about how your tort is housed and what his diet is like? You said the tort goes outside, for how long and how many times per week? Are you providing cuttlebone or any other calcium supplements? Any UV lighting in the enclosure? I know that is a lot of questions, but we will need this info to get you the right advice

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum. Calcium will harden the shell. Glad you got him on the right track.

 

[Luvanrs50]

Welcome to TFO!! Glad to hear your tort is doing better! Can you provide us with more info about how your tort is housed and what his diet is like? You said the tort goes outside, for how long and how many times per week? Are you providing cuttlebone or any other calcium supplements? Any UV lighting in the enclosure? I know that is a lot of questions, but we will need this info to get you the right advice

Hi and thank you for getting back to me! His inside enclosure is a Rubbermaid container with orchid moss as the substrate, he has a log to hide in and we have the dual heat lamp/uv lighting set up. He has an outdoor enclosure that before he was sick he would be in for about an hour a day. It got infested with ants so right now I'm giving him supervised romps in the grass for about 15-20 min 2/day, weathering permitting. When he's inside we provide him with romaine and we also have some pellets that we soak and make soft that the breeder gave us that he likes. We soak him about 20 min a day as well. When he's outside he constantly grazes. We just started giving him calcium liquid when he was sick but not before as we didn't know about that When you say cuttlebone is that like the thing birds chew on? I will get him one for sure! Let me know what else I can tell y'all! Thanks so much!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Jaime!

Calcium PLUS either sunshine or a good UVB light is what hardens the shell and builds strong bones.

 

[Careym13]

Hi and thank you for getting back to me! His inside enclosure is a Rubbermaid container with orchid moss as the substrate, he has a log to hide in and we have the dual heat lamp/uv lighting set up. He has an outdoor enclosure that before he was sick he would be in for about an hour a day. It got infested with ants so right now I'm giving him supervised romps in the grass for about 15-20 min 2/day, weathering permitting. When he's inside we provide him with romaine and we also have some pellets that we soak and make soft that the breeder gave us that he likes. We soak him about 20 min a day as well. When he's outside he constantly grazes. We just started giving him calcium liquid when he was sick but not before as we didn't know about that When you say cuttlebone is that like the thing birds chew on? I will get him one for sure! Let me know what else I can tell y'all! Thanks so much!

You are very welcome

What kind of light bulb and heat element do you use? What are your 4 temps (basking, warm side, cool side and night)? Did you read the Sulcata care sheet that Tom wrote?

I think you should definitely get more variety into the indoor diet...grazing on grass outside is great but he needs much more than Romaine and pellets for his indoor diet (plantain, hibiscus, mulberry, grape leaves, etc. are all good staples).

Cuttlebone is the stuff some people give to birds, you can just break it into pieces and leave it in the enclosure for the tort to chew on as it feels it needs it. I would add a powdered calcium supplement that you sprinkle onto wet greens a couple of times a week. Just a pinch is all you need because if you put too much on your tort might not like it.

Also, can you post up a photo of your enclosure?

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome. As was said, the diet sounds like it was lacking calcium. Now that your straightening that out and getting him his UVB, then the shell should improve. What kind of pellets? Madurai or something else? So glad he has started coming around.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Jaime

 

[bouaboua]

We are glad to have you. welcome to the forum.

Welcome.

 

[Luvanrs50]

Hi and thank you for getting back to me! His inside enclosure is a Rubbermaid container with orchid moss as the substrate, he has a log to hide in and we have the dual heat lamp/uv lighting set up. He has an outdoor enclosure that before he was sick he would be in for about an hour a day. It got infested with ants so right now I'm giving him supervised romps in the grass for about 15-20 min 2/day, weathering permitting. When he's inside we provide him with romaine and we also have some pellets that we soak and make soft that the breeder gave us that he likes. We soak him about 20 min a day as well. When he's outside he constantly grazes. We just started giving him calcium liquid when he was sick but not before as we didn't know about that When you say cuttlebone is that like the thing birds chew on? I will get him one for sure! Let me know what else I can tell y'all! Thanks so much!

You are very welcome

What kind of light bulb and heat element do you use? What are your 4 temps (basking, warm side, cool side and night)? Did you read the Sulcata care sheet that Tom wrote?

I think you should definitely get more variety into the indoor diet...grazing on grass outside is great but he needs much more than Romaine and pellets for his indoor diet (plantain, hibiscus, mulberry, grape leaves, etc. are all good staples).

Cuttlebone is the stuff some people give to birds, you can just break it into pieces and leave it in the enclosure for the tort to chew on as it feels it needs it. I would add a powdered calcium supplement that you sprinkle onto wet greens a couple of times a week. Just a pinch is all you need because if you put too much on your tort might not like it.

Also, can you post up a photo of your enclosure?

The light is a zoo med brand kit, with two lights side by side, one a heat bulb and one a UVB, the UVB bulb is long and skinny, is that the type y'all are referring to as twisted that is bad for them? I'll take a pic of his indoor enclosure tomorrow as he is in my daughters room and she's sleeping. His basking temp is 95, cool side and night time are 74 and warm side is 85, these temps are after I adjusted them when I noticed he was sick. Are these temps ok? I really appreciate the info! And I've read Toms sheet and will get him some more indoor grazing food and powder calcium!

 

[Luvanrs50]

And another question I had is how concerned should I be with humidity indoors? His indoor enclosure is very shallow so should I be monitoring humidity as well?

 

[Luvanrs50]

Hi and welcome. As was said, the diet sounds like it was lacking calcium. Now that your straightening that out and getting him his UVB, then the shell should improve. What kind of pellets? Madurai or something else? So glad he has started coming around.

Not sure what type of pellets as they were in a generic bag when we got them from the breeder. Is there a certain kind that is good besides the fresh wild greens?

 

[Luvanrs50]

And another question I had is how concerned should I be with humidity indoors? His indoor enclosure is very shallow so should I be monitoring humidity as well?

Ok so I just found Toms sheet I thought I read but this must be the one y'all were talking about. So yes it seems we have him in too shallow of a container that probably doesn't hold humidity which could have definitely contributed to his sickness. What type of enclosure would be best? A fish tank?

 

[Tactical Tort]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Alaskamike]

Ok so I just found Toms sheet I thought I read but this must be the one y'all were talking about. So yes it seems we have him in too shallow of a container that probably doesn't hold humidity which could have definitely contributed to his sickness. What type of enclosure would be best? A fish tank?

A fish tank can work. Just remember that it is only the floor space the tortoise has to use. So if you go that route , try and find the biggest one you can get. Sometimes used ones are available that may not still hold water. Craig's list is where I would look.

A large rubber maid type container works too - much cheaper

If you look in the Enclosures thread you will see many ideas. With tortoise habitats you can get as elaborate or simple as your imagination & budget allows.

I like plexiglass for a top. It's easy to cut , durable and light. But people have covered tops with plastic effectively to hold in moisture.

If you have the room , my favorite quick fix is an old bookshelf. Take out shelves and lay it on its back. You can make legs for it or place it on a table. Seal the edges inside with silicone , and paint the inside with DryLok .. Or line it with a shower curtain.

My 2 favorite substrates are Eco earth and orchard bark. I like the Eco on the bottom with the smaller sized orchard bark on top. When you ad moisture you just pour some water in the corners , it wets the Eco earth and the top orchard bark stays dry. Creates a humid environment with a top.

Your MVB light must be under the top and well secured - so I run a wood piece down the center to hang from

Look at all the pictures. You will get many ideas and see it doesn't have to be difficult and you don't need to be a carpenter.

Good fortune with your baby.

 

[Luvanrs50]

A fish tank can work. Just remember that it is only the floor space the tortoise has to use. So if you go that route , try and find the biggest one you can get. Sometimes used ones are available that may not still hold water. Craig's list is where I would look.

A large rubber maid type container works too - much cheaper

If you look in the Enclosures thread you will see many ideas. With tortoise habitats you can get as elaborate or simple as your imagination & budget allows.

I like plexiglass for a top. It's easy to cut , durable and light. But people have covered tops with plastic effectively to hold in moisture.

If you have the room , my favorite quick fix is an old bookshelf. Take out shelves and lay it on its back. You can make legs for it or place it on a table. Seal the edges inside with silicone , and paint the inside with DryLok .. Or line it with a shower curtain.

My 2 favorite substrates are Eco earth and orchard bark. I like the Eco on the bottom with the smaller sized orchard bark on top. When you ad moisture you just pour some water in the corners , it wets the Eco earth and the top orchard bark stays dry. Creates a humid environment with a top.

Your MVB light must be under the top and well secured - so I run a wood piece down the center to hang from

Look at all the pictures. You will get many ideas and see it doesn't have to be difficult and you don't need to be a carpenter.

Good fortune with your baby.

Thank you so much, I will work on improving his indoor habitat today and get a hygrometer to measure the humidity!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Jaime, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Spots.
Here are some good ideas http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/
Good fortune!

 

[Luvanrs50]

You are very welcome

What kind of light bulb and heat element do you use? What are your 4 temps (basking, warm side, cool side and night)? Did you read the Sulcata care sheet that Tom wrote?

I think you should definitely get more variety into the indoor diet...grazing on grass outside is great but he needs much more than Romaine and pellets for his indoor diet (plantain, hibiscus, mulberry, grape leaves, etc. are all good staples).

Cuttlebone is the stuff some people give to birds, you can just break it into pieces and leave it in the enclosure for the tort to chew on as it feels it needs it. I would add a powdered calcium supplement that you sprinkle onto wet greens a couple of times a week. Just a pinch is all you need because if you put too much on your tort might not like it.

Also, can you post up a photo of your enclosure?

Ok here are some photos of his indoor enclosure, as I've read now I see it's too shallow and not holding humidity for my poor little guy.

You are very welcome

What kind of light bulb and heat element do you use? What are your 4 temps (basking, warm side, cool side and night)? Did you read the Sulcata care sheet that Tom wrote?

I think you should definitely get more variety into the indoor diet...grazing on grass outside is great but he needs much more than Romaine and pellets for his indoor diet (plantain, hibiscus, mulberry, grape leaves, etc. are all good staples).

Cuttlebone is the stuff some people give to birds, you can just break it into pieces and leave it in the enclosure for the tort to chew on as it feels it needs it. I would add a powdered calcium supplement that you sprinkle onto wet greens a couple of times a week. Just a pinch is all you need because if you put too much on your tort might not like it.

Also, can you post up a photo of your enclosure?

Here are some photos of our indoor enclosure, I see now as I've read it's too shallow and not holding humidity for our little guy so we'll work on that!

 

[Careym13]

If your light is coil style it can damage your tort's eyes. I would stop using it immediately if that is what kind it is. Definitely work on getting a "closed chamber". I use a raised garden bed with a greenhouse tent over the top. But as was mentioned above, there are tons of great ideas in the closed chambers thread.

If your tort is getting frequent outdoor time, you don't necessarily need indoor UV. I use a mercury vapor bulb for daytime light/UV and heat (it is all in one), but depending on the size of your enclosure a MVB might make it too hot.

What are you using to heat the enclosure at night? Your basking temp isn't bad, but for a young baby I would try to get it up around 100. 74 is too cool for night and for cool side. Temps should be no lower than 80 at anytime. Because Sulcata's need high humidity, temps under 80 in a humid environment is a recipe for a respiratory infection (I learned this the hard way).

So, aim for 100 basking...cool side and night no lower than 80.

Get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter...produces no light) and a ceramic fixture for night heat ASAP. Get temps above 80 before you worry about anything else. When you cover your enclosure, you need to hang all light/heat fixtures...the clamp style holders can fail and as a result are not as safe.

Mazuri and ZooMed Grassland pellets are two of the more popular tortoise pellets...Look them up and compare yours to photos to see if that is what you have.

Let me know what other questions you have, I know this can be overwhelming