Hello everyone!

[ZigyTillyandTot]

Hello, my name is Courtney and I am the proud owner of, now, three, sulcatas. I currently live in Portland Oregon for anyone wondering.

I have been around sulcatas since the 6th grade when I fell in love with them. In December I purchased my first sulcata a hatchling named Zigy whom I like to believe is a boy. In February I adopted a 2 1/2 year old named Tilly that is currently 6.5" and is on the left in the attached pic and just last week I saw a sulcata on craigslist that looked like she needed help so I made the leap and got a third!

The third is named Tater-tot and the old owner just divulged that she is 6 yrs old even though she is only 7"! This is the reason I searched out tortoise forum. I noticed a small indent on her lower side about where her scutes meet which I hope to be able to get pics of soon and she has an overgrown beak I am slowly tying to whittle down. With more digging I was able to diverge that she had never had a uvb bulb, she was only let out in natural sunlight maybe once a week, and she has been fed only spring mix and some pellets geared toward box turtles... needless to say I am concerned. I have taken her to the vet and they said she was fine as far as samples and her breathing goes. If anyone has any advice I would be glad to hear it!

Thanks,
Courtney, Tilly, Zigy and Tater-tot

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Courtney, and welcome to the Forum!!

We have quite a few PNW members here on the Forum. You're in good company.

 

[shanu303]

Hello Courtney and Welcome to TFO !! the three of them are really cute

 

[mike taylor]

Welcome,check out Toms care sheets on your sulcatas.

Sent from my C771 using TortForum mobile app

 

[sibi]

Hi and welcome Courtney. Zigy is about 6 months now, right? And, Tilly is almost 3 months shy of 3 years old, right? Is Zigy is in the pic with your hand? If so, that would make the pic with the two sullies Tilly and Tater Tot, right? Is Tater Tot the one on the left side?

The reason why I'm asking which is which is because all of your sullies look like they have pyramiding going on. Tom is an experienced member that has written care sheets for sulcatas. He addresses ways that you can prevent further damage of pyramiding. Unfortunately, Tilly and Tater Tot are over a year old and the special treatments for prevention is not effective anymore. This doesn't mean they can't benefit from the treatment. It's just that the chances of having a smoother, healthier shell is diminished over time. Read Tom's threads on humidity and you'll understand. Zigy is the only one under a year that you can help stop the pyramiding.

Finally, if you can take closer pics of Tater Tot and the dent in his shell, that would help to determine if he's possibly suffering from metabolic bone disease (MBD). Can you give his weight too? It appears that TT is Stunted in growth, which is another sign of MBD. I'm presently caring for such a tort now, and there may be a lot of similarities. He'll need calcium supplement and plenty of sunshine. Also, for your sullies, what kind of lighting are you using? can you take pics of their enclosures? Sorry for all the questions and requests. It's just that I want to give you as much information as you need to help your babies thrive. Thanks.