How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies discussion thread

[Braden368]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Hello,

Im a new Sulcata owner, So i was told he/she was a sulcata from another topic in this forum. I got it as a gift for Christmas, As i have always wanted one. But I wasnt there when he picked it up and was told to put my lights one on each side, and leave on for 12 hrs and 12 hrs off? Also my tortoise walks the perimeter of his cage and is constantly in one corner of it? Its a class tank for now. The store sold him a kit and it has little pellets in the bottom? Is that okay? Also for humidity how amy i suppose to obtain that? Hes had a 20 min soaking today in warm water, But should i be doing this more than once? Also the reptile place told me to only feed it Romain lettuce for now? Also ive read in the research that they like to go into "caves" should i have something for it to go under? It has a UV light and a Heat lamp now one on each side, But i think i just read you said to put them on one side? Sorry for all the questions I just want him to be healthy.

 

[Blakem]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Hello,

Im a new Sulcata owner, So i was told he/she was a sulcata from another topic in this forum. I got it as a gift for Christmas, As i have always wanted one. But I wasnt there when he picked it up and was told to put my lights one on each side, and leave on for 12 hrs and 12 hrs off? Also my tortoise walks the perimeter of his cage and is constantly in one corner of it? Its a class tank for now. The store sold him a kit and it has little pellets in the bottom? Is that okay? Also for humidity how amy i suppose to obtain that? Hes had a 20 min soaking today in warm water, But should i be doing this more than once? Also the reptile place told me to only feed it Romain lettuce for now? Also ive read in the research that they like to go into "caves" should i have something for it to go under? It has a UV light and a Heat lamp now one on each side, But i think i just read you said to put them on one side? Sorry for all the questions I just want him to be healthy.

If you read the threads attached to Tom's posts, you should follow EXACTLY what they say and you, and more importantly, your tortoise will be in good shape. Too bad you couldn't find the info before you got the little one. But, glaf you found the forum. Please READ, READ, and READ more about how to properly care. There is much info that is imperative to raising a healthy, smooth, sulcata hatchling. Start a thread about your little one, tell us what you do have, temps, supplies, diet, etc... Your little one (although VERY cute) has already started pyramiding, which tells me that it was not kept in the three important H's! Hot, Humid, and Healthy. You'll find that the romaine diet is insufficient for what every tortoise requires. Just like us, they need nutrition from other food sources. The pellets are a bad substrate to have for your little sulcata. It does not hold humidity or heat in that is IMPORTANT for your little one. It is too bad that the keepers have told you the info they have. Keep rreading and good luck!
Heres a picture of my little sulcata, which is almost 10 months old. I'm still learning!

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Hello,

Im a new Sulcata owner, So i was told he/she was a sulcata from another topic in this forum. I got it as a gift for Christmas, As i have always wanted one. But I wasnt there when he picked it up and was told to put my lights one on each side, and leave on for 12 hrs and 12 hrs off? Also my tortoise walks the perimeter of his cage and is constantly in one corner of it? Its a class tank for now. The store sold him a kit and it has little pellets in the bottom? Is that okay? Also for humidity how amy i suppose to obtain that? Hes had a 20 min soaking today in warm water, But should i be doing this more than once? Also the reptile place told me to only feed it Romain lettuce for now? Also ive read in the research that they like to go into "caves" should i have something for it to go under? It has a UV light and a Heat lamp now one on each side, But i think i just read you said to put them on one side? Sorry for all the questions I just want him to be healthy.

The answers you seek are in post number one of this very thread. There is even more sulcata info in the links in my signature. Please do some more reading.

Pellets for substrate are not good.

Humidity is obtained with the correct substrate, misting and a covered top.

They need a place to hide and a humid hide is best for this. Do a search for humid hides and my name for more info.

Daily soaks are good. As they get bigger you can cut back on the number of soaks, but its good to do it every day for at least the first few months.

Romaine is not enough, and really, I wouldn't use it at all. Here is a good diet sheet:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-52677.html

What sort of UV bulb are you using? If its the coil type, I would shut it off and not use it. Those can damage their eyes.

Hope these things help.

 

[jtrux]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Hey Tom, something i've noticed that has come up quite a bit is thermostat recommendations. Personally I don't have one, therefore, I can't make a good recommendation but do you have a particular favorite? I figured this would a good place for that.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I'm using on called "A-Life". I bought about 10-12 of these from LLL Reptile in the last 2-5 years. I've been told they don't make them anymore, but what I think has happened is that some other company has bought them out and put their own label on it. They are rated to 1000 watts. I think ZooMed now has one that looks almost identical to the ones from A-Life that I'm still using. I don;t think it matter though. I don't know of any of them that are bad, or don't work. A Google search for "reptile thermostats" just pulled up a whole bunch of them for me. Looks like both ZooMed and Zilla have units similar to the ones I am still using for around $30.

 

[Dizisdalife]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

The ones rated at 1000 watts are the ones to get. They have two plugs for devices. The 500 watt thermostats have only one plug.

 

[JeffG]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Check out these guys. I have about a dozen of their thermostats, and they are excellent. It is a smaller U.S. company too, and they have excellent customer service. If you email them, you will get a response from the owner of the company very quickly. I can not recommend them highly enough.

http://spyderrobotics.com/

 

[jtrux]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Ive seen them and am considerimg that. Looks like a quality product. Might be a little overkill for me but I love over doing it.

 

[ColleenAnn92]

This info is great! It helped a lot. I just got my Sulcata hatching, Ruby, about a month ago and haven't been able to find any helpful information until now.

 

[timboslice9350]

hello i have had my male sucata (crush) since oct. 12 and his shell is growing except the front plate and the one above it doesnt seem like its growing as fast. then the shell near his tail one side is growing faster then the other. i posted a forum named sulcata shell growth. would love feedback thanks

 

[Jbandy]

Great post Thank You!

 

[Kevlar]

Thanks Tom for this, great care-sheet.
Will try to follow as much as I can.

 

[Doris]

Ok, so I have read the care sheet and saw that the substrate I am using in my enclosures are the worst, sigh. The problem I have is that there is no vet for tortoises, nor stores that carry things for tortoises. They have some things for water turtles, but not my sulcata. I brought back some rep cal for my girl, and have been trying to interest her in the zoo med grassland tortoise food, but she doesn't have much to do with it. Being in dubai I had planned on having her outside all the time, but worried that the temperatures are too hot for her. But after reading more on here, sounds like it might not be? We average 100 degrees during the day, and doesn't get much cooler at night. I don't have her in the direct sunlight outside.any advice on what I can do myself? I am not sure what I can buy here for a substrate, and she would have only sand in the wild here. I will post some pics, and would love some tips on how I can make her life better. Also she is peeling on her neck, legs, and head a bit. Is that natural?

 

[Dizisdalife]

Ok, so I have read the care sheet and saw that the substrate I am using in my enclosures are the worst, sigh. The problem I have is that there is no vet for tortoises, nor stores that carry things for tortoises. They have some things for water turtles, but not my sulcata. I brought back some rep cal for my girl, and have been trying to interest her in the zoo med grassland tortoise food, but she doesn't have much to do with it. Being in dubai I had planned on having her outside all the time, but worried that the temperatures are too hot for her. But after reading more on here, sounds like it might not be? We average 100 degrees during the day, and doesn't get much cooler at night. I don't have her in the direct sunlight outside.any advice on what I can do myself? I am not sure what I can buy here for a substrate, and she would have only sand in the wild here. I will post some pics, and would love some tips on how I can make her life better. Also she is peeling on her neck, legs, and head a bit. Is that natural?

You really are facing some challenges raising a sulcata tortoise in Dubai. Is it possible for you to buy the things you need on-line and have them shipped to you? Try Carolina Pet Supply or Tortoise Supply.com. If you started a new thread on the topic of raising a sulcata in Dubai you could get more suggestions from the forum members.

 

[Tom]

Most of the supplies I buy for my tortoises come from hardware stores. The only "pet" products I use are the electrical appliances like ceramic heating elements, radiant heat panels, and thermostats.

With heat that high, your tortoise needs what the wild ones need. He needs to be able to get underground. Check this out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-28662.html

Indoors you need this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-32333.html

 

[Doris]

Most of the supplies I buy for my tortoises come from hardware stores. The only "pet" products I use are the electrical appliances like ceramic heating elements, radiant heat panels, and thermostats.

With heat that high, your tortoise needs what the wild ones need. He needs to be able to get underground. Check this out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-28662.html

Indoors you need this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-32333.html

So I looked up both links, and I am not sure i can get the wood, but the ratio of sand in the ground is going to be high. There isn't soil unless we put it down, and then it's usually got fertilizer in it. So I am worried about having her on the ground outside due to the sand issue. I think I can get mulch, does it make a huge difference what kind of mulch it is? Maybe I can get coconut stuff, as that's around, for the inside enclosure. Can you believe there is only one hardware store here? Crazy right?! People just don't DIY here. Hmmm I will get creative and show you what I come up with.

 

[Tom]

Just plain old regular dirt will work great for substrate indoors or out.

You don't have to make something so elaborate, but the idea is that even one foot underground, it will be cooler than the surface.

I saw a neat website for California desert tortoises where they dug a little hole, cut a plastic five gallon bucket in half length wise and put it in the hole, then covered the top with about a foot or two of dirt. This made a nice cool burrow for the tortoise to escape the mid day heat and sun.

Check these out:
http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/tap_burrow.html
http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/documents/PhxTucBurrows.pdf

 

[Doris]

Thank you Tom, as others have pointed out all over this website, you are truly wise and helpful

 

[TigsMom]

Great info here, Thank YOU! One question in regards to Sulcata hatchlings and 20 minutes of Sunlight (3 times a week). We live in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. With summer temps of 110-120 Degs F. This Sulcata hatchling is a first for us. I'm thinking the best time for the hatchling to get his sun/bask time is early morning or just before sunset (much like our 2 DT's and 9 Box Turtles plus 2 new Box Turtle hatchlings) to avoid the intense heat and help reduce dehydration. Do you agree or have some other suggestions? He/she has UVA/UVB lights on his indoor enclosure, but we agree in keeping things as natural as possible for them too.

 

[Tom]

Early morning is a strategy used by many AZ tortoise keepers and seems to work very well for them.