dallasaggie
New Member
Hi! We *just* got Tortellini, a Sulcata, and are new to the world of tortoises, so we hope we're heading in the right direction. Tortellini is about 8 weeks old and had been fed spring mix and collard greens. We have found that he/she is a dandelion addict as he/she got full on those that we planted in the terrarium (40 gal). He/she won't touch the pellets, but we have found through research that they aren't good for him/her anyways. We're trying to balance Tortellini's diet as such: 75% grass (Timothy hay and oat grass), 25% weeds, greens, and vegetables. For the vegetables, we are using cactus, butternut squash, bell pepper, and carrots (very small portions on those). Is that an okay mix? We've seen such varying diets for Sulcatas, it gets quite confusing! We know to water the high water content veggies, high proteins, and oxalates.
Tortellini is quite the character! He/she is pretty good about soaking but definitely knows when time is up. Today was his/her first full day with us. He/she had a grand old time exploring the terrarium, basked for a good bit, made a hidey-hole, and managed to flip over (luckily I was right there to turn him back over). He/she is drinking nicely. Oh, and he/she LOVES to come out for pets. We don't know if it's bad to take Tortellini out, but you can tell he/she enjoys the pets, etc.
OK - things we're scared of...
- Tortellini isn't real keen on the new food and was going crazy with the dandelions. Is our break down wrong? Does it take a bit for him/her to get used to the change?
- The whole flipping over thing... What if we aren't home and out of the area when he/she flips over? Do they learn to flip back over? We are trying to flip-proof his/her terrarium.
- Calcium and D3 supplements - if we are feeding him/her the raw diet, do we need to supplement it?
- UVB - Should we take him/her outside for 15-30 minutes on sunny days? I know that you can get a lot more bang for your buck from natural rays than the bulbs.
- Out of the terrarium time - Is it okay to take him/her out and handle him/her often?
- Soaking - Do you change the water out while he/she is soaking to keep the water warm?
Ive attached a picture of Tortellini and his/her terrarium (he was soaking on his own). We have since added a cuttlefish fish bone, Timothy hay/oat grass mix, and we pulled his/her food bowl as it was too deep. We probably have a million more questions, but we just want to make sure we are doing things correctly, especially food-wise. All help is very much appreciated!
Thanks!
Glen and Samantha
PS - Tortellini has an Instagram - Tortellini's Tomfoolery!
Tortellini is quite the character! He/she is pretty good about soaking but definitely knows when time is up. Today was his/her first full day with us. He/she had a grand old time exploring the terrarium, basked for a good bit, made a hidey-hole, and managed to flip over (luckily I was right there to turn him back over). He/she is drinking nicely. Oh, and he/she LOVES to come out for pets. We don't know if it's bad to take Tortellini out, but you can tell he/she enjoys the pets, etc.
OK - things we're scared of...
- Tortellini isn't real keen on the new food and was going crazy with the dandelions. Is our break down wrong? Does it take a bit for him/her to get used to the change?
- The whole flipping over thing... What if we aren't home and out of the area when he/she flips over? Do they learn to flip back over? We are trying to flip-proof his/her terrarium.
- Calcium and D3 supplements - if we are feeding him/her the raw diet, do we need to supplement it?
- UVB - Should we take him/her outside for 15-30 minutes on sunny days? I know that you can get a lot more bang for your buck from natural rays than the bulbs.
- Out of the terrarium time - Is it okay to take him/her out and handle him/her often?
- Soaking - Do you change the water out while he/she is soaking to keep the water warm?
Ive attached a picture of Tortellini and his/her terrarium (he was soaking on his own). We have since added a cuttlefish fish bone, Timothy hay/oat grass mix, and we pulled his/her food bowl as it was too deep. We probably have a million more questions, but we just want to make sure we are doing things correctly, especially food-wise. All help is very much appreciated!
Thanks!
Glen and Samantha
PS - Tortellini has an Instagram - Tortellini's Tomfoolery!