How's he looking?

Theodorian66

New Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Northern sacromento valley, CA
So this is Darwin Tortilión
Figured I'd post a couple pics and see what you guys think on how he's looking.
At this point in the year he is primarily outside during the day in a covered outdoor inclosure.
In his outdoor inclosure he has an overhang with provides him with shade.
He has a large, shallow water dish which stays in the shaded area.
His hide in a half cut hollowed log positioned to be half in shade, half in sun for a majority of the day. which he/she has promptly dug into a burrow which extends slightly downwards about 3 inches and to the edge of the encloser.
The substrate used is a Cypress mulch/coconut mix which goes down about 12 inches to provide the opportunity to burrow, which Darwin promptly takes advantage of.
While I do allow the top layer to become dry, I keep the bottom layers rather moist and mist his/her self dug log burrow to ensure he/she has the option if choosing a more humid (hide), or dryer microclimate.

Our temperatures right now are in the 95day/75night range, but during summer goes up to 115day/95night. On days over the 100 mark i go out several times a day and spray his enclosure with cool water to cool it off a bit and ensure that his water dish water maintains a cool temp.

His diet consists of a variety of different weeds for morning and eveningevening time, with soaked grassland tortoise pellets available throughout the day.

I would like to note. When I bought the this little guy from the local pet shop. They were feeding him microwaved peas, lettuce, carrots, and soy based tortoise food. And had even tried telling me that grass was not good for him. He does has slightly raised scutes, which I feel is because of the care provided by the pet store.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180524_131946.jpg
    IMG_20180524_131946.jpg
    900 KB · Views: 54
  • IMG_20180524_132109.jpg
    IMG_20180524_132109.jpg
    867.6 KB · Views: 46
  • IMG_20180524_131628.jpg
    IMG_20180524_131628.jpg
    5.5 MB · Views: 46
  • IMG_20180524_131522.jpg
    IMG_20180524_131522.jpg
    890.3 KB · Views: 43
Last edited:

daniellenc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
2,084
Location (City and/or State)
Maryland
He’s adorable but way too young to be outside full time. The rule is one hour per inch tortoise!
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
A little sulcata like this needs to be in a controlled humid environment to help prevent pyramidding

Have you read the TFO care guides? They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

For those that have a young Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 

Maro2Bear

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
14,712
Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
Greetings in addition to whats already been provided, i didnt note any mention of daily soakings. These soakings are really a critical part of the daily upkeep for youngsters. Good luck and Happy Torting.
 

Theodorian66

New Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Northern sacromento valley, CA
Soaked twice daily for a minimum of 25 minutes.

Also, im confused as to why they HAVE to be kept in a strictly controlled indoor environment.
They aren't kept in an inclosed indoor environment out in the wild. Wouldn't the best thing for these guys be to provide a habitat that simulates what they would have if they were out in the wild?


A little sulcata like this needs to be in a controlled humid environment to help prevent pyramidding

Have you read the TFO care guides? They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

For those that have a young Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 

New Posts

Top