Hello from the oregon coast.

[jess054u]

Hey every body just I'm new to this and just wanted to introduce myself and say hey. I'm jessica and I just got a baby sulcata a few months ago an I love him. We named him spike which seems to be a pretty popular name in the tortoise world. I feed him Timothy hay mixed with zoo med grassland tortoise food and nature zone juvenile baby bites. I give him all of that mixed together every other day. Was to
D they don't need to eat every day. I also have turtle cuttle bones in his tank for him to eat at any time. For bedding I use Zella's bark blend. The humidity is only at about 35% and it it hard to keep it much higher than that. The temp on the basking side is around 85 during the day. He seems very happy and healthy and I think I'm doing everything right but every day I learn something new so any tips or advise would be much appreciated. Thanks and I'm really enjoying this site. Jessica



Spike eating a dandelion

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Jessica.

I don't know where that "they-don't-need-to-eat-every-day" thing came from, but it couldn't be further from the truth. A tortoise wakes up in the morning, sits in the sun to warm up, then goes off wandering the universe looking for food. He'll do this every day.

I feed my babies every day. However, it has been my experience that babies won't eat hay. I feed mine a mixture of dark leafy greens, spring mix, mullberry and grapes leaves and weeds.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Your tortoise does need to eat every day, at least should, that's what they would do in the wild. He also needs what available 24/7 in a large enough saucer he can soak in. He also needs to be soaked in warm water every day for 20-30 minutes. The basking needs to be 95-100 degrees, the all over temps should be 80 with a humidity of 80%. Give a calcium supplement 2times week. He also needs a UVB bulb or outside natural sun is better when temps permit. Keep the substrate moist and cover at least half the enclosure to help hold humidity in. Also read the threads at the bottom of my post. They will help you a lot to raise a healthy, smooth sulcata.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[tortadise]

Welcome!

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome. I will tell you my experience with my sulcata, I feed her everyday, I give her lots of greens, like turnip greens, collard greens, kale, grasses, etc. Occasionally I'll add mazuri, carrotts, aloe Vera, cucumber, romaine. Lots of greens. Sulcatas need humidity, and hydration. Possibly the reason why you can't get your humidity above 35* is because of substrate? Lots here to read up on. I hope you get the answers you need. Good luck to you.

 

[sibi]

Hello and welcome. Do you have the tort in a tank? If so, how large is the tank? You should be able to keep humidity high (about 80%) if you use a top to close the tank. The heat and vapors should build humidity. If you are not using a tank, whatever enclosure you have should be half or 3/4 covered to hold in the humidity. Even a cloth can cover an enclosure. You'll enjoy raising your baby sulcata! Oh! and your baby needs to eat EVERYDAY to be happy.

 

[jess054u]

Welcome to the Forum, Jessica.

I don't know where that "they-don't-need-to-eat-every-day" thing came from, but it couldn't be further from the truth. A tortoise wakes up in the morning, sits in the sun to warm up, then goes off wandering the universe looking for food. He'll do this every day.

I feed my babies every day. However, it has been my experience that babies won't eat hay. I feed mine a mixture of dark leafy greens, spring mix, mullberry and grapes leaves and weeds.

Ok I guess I need to clarify something. Yes I only feed him every other day but the days I don't actually feed him he gets to go outside and graze. I have a 55 gal tank and the humidity has been staying at 40%. I soak him every other night. I think the hay we r feeding him is grass hay and he loves it. I do not feed him lettuce.

 

[jess054u]

Hello and welcome. Do you have the tort in a tank? If so, how large is the tank? You should be able to keep humidity high (about 80%) if you use a top to close the tank. The heat and vapors should build humidity. If you are not using a tank, whatever enclosure you have should be half or 3/4 covered to hold in the humidity. Even a cloth can cover an enclosure. You'll enjoy raising your baby sulcata! Oh! and your baby needs to eat EVERYDAY to be happy.

Yes I have a 55 gal tank and it is coved with a blanket. He always has water. I soak him every other night.

 

[jess054u]

Www.sulcata-station.org/diet. This is wher I got the information from that says to feed them only once every other day if they are mostly just stuck in a tank and don't get much exercise. It also says that tortoises have much slower metabolism that cats and dogs and don't need to eat as often. Espresso ally if they r stuck In doors.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, too much food and lack of exercise can make your tortoise overweight and fat, however, I still think they need to eat every day. That's why we tell everyone they should get the biggest tub/container/habitat that they possibly can. The more room the tortoise has to wander around, the less likely you'll end up with an obese tortoise. And the bigger the habitat, the more "things" you can put in it. A big rock that he has to walk around in order to see the other side. A nice plant in the middle that breaks up the sight. All these types of things make it more interesting for the tortoise plus makes him have to walk around to see his whole world.

 

[jess054u]

Ya I've done all of that but he still doesn't get as much excercise than if he was outside. He is tiny and in a 55 gal so lots of room with plant in glass bowl in the middle he has to go around. I do have the grass hay spread around in the tank that he can eat on the days he doesn't get fed. He always has food left in his bowl and the days that its nice he gets to wonder the yard and eat. All in all I don't think he's gan starve by any means. In the wild I don't think they to necessarily eat every day. In the winter if they can't find food then they don't eat that day. Also in the wild they are grazers and just eat a little here and there. They don't get fed huge meals once a day. I think it all balances out In the end.

 

[jess054u]

Ok so I now have the humidity at 80% and the temp is at 100. That is with the lights on the inside and the tanks is covered with a lid and a blanket.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[DrewsLife727]

Welcome! Nice sully u got there

 

[Floof]

Welcome to the forum!! That's a lovely little Sulcata you have there. That's wonderful you were able to get his temps and humidity up where they need to be, too!

Ya I've done all of that but he still doesn't get as much excercise than if he was outside. He is tiny and in a 55 gal so lots of room with plant in glass bowl in the middle he has to go around. I do have the grass hay spread around in the tank that he can eat on the days he doesn't get fed. He always has food left in his bowl and the days that its nice he gets to wonder the yard and eat. All in all I don't think he's gan starve by any means. In the wild I don't think they to necessarily eat every day. In the winter if they can't find food then they don't eat that day. Also in the wild they are grazers and just eat a little here and there. They don't get fed huge meals once a day. I think it all balances out In the end.

For the record, it's extremely difficult to want to help if you automatically dismiss all of the advice...

Most the folks offering advice on this forum have kept tortoises a long time and know what they're doing. The advice to feed every day is not just a willy-nilly suggestion from someone who's maybe had tortoises for a year or so--it's something that has been determined through trial and error by knowledgeable keepers who've been doing this for decades to be best for your baby.

Regarding the Sulcata Station, by the looks of it, they're still fairly behind the times as far as Sulcata care. There have been a lot of advances made in the care of Sulcata hatchlings and juveniles just in the last few years. Sulcata Station's Diet page states that overfeeding is the cause of pyramiding... Something that has since proven to be false. This website also seems to state that Sulcatas shouldn't be allowed to get over 85F--again, a terribly false declaration, as they will bask in temperatures over 100F on a regular basis and NEED to get warmer than 85 to properly digest food.

Things like that are why it is necessary to cross-reference across multiple sources and seek out the most up-to-date information that has garnered the most success. You'll find, as you browse around TFO, that the care methods that succeed most often involve high humidity, high temperatures (ambient at 80ish, basking at 95-100ish), and feeding EVERY day, in addition to the obviously necessary large enclosure (a 4 ft tank is a good start for a hatchling) and UVB lighting.

For the record, I ditto the suggestion to feed every day. I don't have years and years of experience by any means, but every day feeding has sure worked wonders for my juvenile leopard tortoise (who is neither pyramided or obese), as well as any other hatchling or juvenile tortoise whose progress we've witnessed here on the forum.

Anyway, it sounds like he's getting fed every day as it is, by merit of grazing outdoors on the off days. It's wonderful that you've been doing this! Getting him outside under the sun whenever the weather is nice enough is GREAT for his health. Nothing beats real sunlight for your tortoise... Though don't forget to get a UVB bulb for him during the cold weather months!

Another thing you might remember, if you haven't already thought of it--now that your humidity is up, you're probably going to want to rethink using hay as your substrate (at least, that's what it sounds like you're doing). Hay molds very easily in high humidity and/or wet conditions, like you're aiming to provide for your tortoise. Soil (plain top soil or organic garden soil--so long as it doesn't have any chemicals/additives or perlite [the white pieces] in it), cypress mulch, and coconut coir all make great choices for a good, moisture-friendly substrate.

Again, welcome to the forum!! I hope you decide to stick around and give our resident tortoise gurus (like Yvonne/emysemys) a chance!

 

[jess054u]

Welcome! Nice sully u got there

Thanks u to.

---

Ok I'm sorry if you thought I was dismissing everything everyone was saying. I wasn't meaning for it to come out that way. But you also need to understand where I'm coming from. Every site and e Rey book I read says something different and it's all very frustrating. I really just want what is best for my tortoise and that is all. I want you to know that I do appreciate the advice. I don't have hay down as substrate I have bark bedding that I got from the pet store. Is this ok? I have been feeding him what I believe is grass hay along with juvenile tortoise bites and grassland tortoise food and dandelions... Plus whatever he gets out of the yard. He also has turtle cuttle bones for calcium. Anything else I should or shouldn't be doing as far as diet goes? Like I said he does graise alot to. Um the humidity thing I'm still not sure about. It's at about 80% and very steamy. My cuz keeps telling me my tort is Gina get a sinus infection and die. that they r desert torts and I'm gna just make him sick having it so wet in there. Plz help. Oh I have a heat light and a UVB bulb plus a night light. It stays a good 100 degrees in the basking area. Ok I think that's all for now. Again thanks for advise.

 

[Floof]

No worries, tone is a hard thing to read online. I'm sorry for misunderstanding you.

You're right, there is a lot of conflicting information on reptile care, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Sulcata and other "desert" tortoises. Like I said in my previous post, there has been some drastic discoveries in tortoise care over the last few years. The biggest and still most controversial is humidity. Past wisdom insists that "desert" tortoises need to be kept bone dry and any humidity at all will, as your cousin keeps saying, cause respiratory infection--to the extent that many keepers would advocate not even offering water. In the past couple years, though, it's been discovered that the primary cause of death in young "desert" tortoises is chronic dehydration and the resulting renal failure.

It's true that keeping your tortoise COLD and humid will cause RI... But keeping him WARM and humid (keeping the ambient temps at or above 80F at all times) will insure his best chance of thriving for you.

The humidity/hydration thing is one that is still new and still, by many "veteran" keepers, rejected because it IS so drastically different than the "old" methods. Unfortunately, this is one thing you probably aren't going to find on a lot of caresheets, and simply have to decide on your own how you want to proceed. My advice? Look around at the forum here and especially focus on Sulcata, Leopard, and Desert tortoises. You'll find, as you look around, that people raising these young "desert" tortoises in humidity are having a great deal more success than raising them dry. I've seen it here with my Leopard tortoise, which is part of why I believe so strongly in using the hot and humid method--I've seen the results with my own two eyes.

Anyway, to your other questions--yes, the bark bedding should work fine. I assume you mean the ReptiBark stuff? IIRC, ReptiBark is supposed to be pretty mold-resistant and geared toward high-humidity species, so it should be fine.

Diet: If he'll eat the hay, that's great. Might mix in a bit more greens for variety.. There's several you can try, a few of which I believe were mentioned earlier in this thread. Spring mix salad (which is a variety of baby greens and lettuces), Collard greens, Mustard greens, Turnip greens, Endive, and Escarole are all great options. If you can find prickly pear cactus pad (produce aisle in some stores), it makes an excellent, high-calcium treat for your tortoise.

If he likes the grassland tortoise food, that's fine to keep mixing in, though personally I'd cut it back to once a week and focus on the fresh foods (Disclaimer: that's just my opinion. Everyone has their own opinion on processed foods and how much/often they should be offered. Personally, I like the processed foods as a supplemental thing, but like to see fresh foods as the primary diet). I don't know whether the juvenile tortoise bites are at all healthy for them, but Mazuri tortoise food is another processed tortoise pellet that makes a good addition to the diet (again, IMO, once a week, though I know many keepers here use it more often than that successfully).

Dandelions are great. You can also find several other types of plants in your yard that are safe for him to eat... One example is plantain (broadleaf: http://www.organic-lawn-care-guide.com/images/plantain.jpg and narrowleaf: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/fort-greene/posts/plantain-english-480.jpg are both good), which is almost as plentiful as dandelions in most areas. If it's as plentiful in coastal Oregon as it is in coastal Washington, you probably have it everywhere! The Tortoise Table's Plant Database is a great place to start in IDing plants around your yard (http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp) as are the Diet and Plant Identification forums right here on TFO.

Phew, that turned into a bit of a novel. I hope that was helpful! Oh, and if you haven't already, be sure to read through the threads linked in wellington's signature back on the first page... Great reading for any new Sulcata owner.

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Welcome

 

[kanalomele]

Welcome to tfo. We embrace all who want to learn about the best ways to care for their pets. We will answer questions tirelessly, but also encourage research and more research. Even those of us with many years of tort ownership are constantly trying to do better for them and push the boundaries of what we thought we knew 20 years ago.