Hello!

[sulcatasister]

Hi! My name is Melissa, and I am from New Hampshire, USA! I am a new Sulcata owner! I have a yearling, and her name is Penelope! I was an unexpected tortoise owner, but a most welcome surprise! That being said, I am still learning about the species of tortoise I have, and would love any advice that can be given to me! Right now I'm feeding her wheat grass, dandelion greens, sometimes Timothy hay, and the occasional mix of collard greens and kale. I supplement with calcium powder. I give her baths every other day. She's in a large wooden enclosure, and I have a mix of coconut fiber and reptisoil as her substrate. She has proper lighting, and plenty of water available to her.

Some questions I have right now include, what kind of hides and enclosures are best for maintaining a bit of humidity for my baby? I am having trouble making sure there is enough humidity, without creating so much that I risk shell rot.

Also, is there a way to definitively sex my tortoise at this age? what I've read leads me to believe she's a girl(hence the name Penelope haha), but I wanted to ask here.

And finally, I live in New England, and obviously it is very cold here right now. I can't wait for the warmer months when she can spend time in my yard! but for now, she's inside, and I was wondering if anyone had any hints about how to make her life as enjoyable as possible while she's inside!

Thank you for your help!

 

[Bambam1989]

Hello Melissa! Welcome to the forum.
Sulcatas are not prone to shell rot so there is no need to be concerned about to much humidity. Mine currently has 90% in his enclosure! There is no way of sexing a young tort unless you take it to a very knowledgeable vet do a very expensive procedure that is very stressful on the tort. Their shells and body change quite a bit as they grow larger(hope you have a big yard).
I am going to provide you with some reading material, read through it and then any questions you still have we can answer.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-45180.html

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/

And this is a handy safe plant ID website
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WmahLkOIbqA

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[sulcatasister]

Thank you Bambam1989! The articles were most helpful! And nice to meet you Yvonne G!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome to the forum! We are glad you’re here.