I bought some sulcata tortoises!!!

[Lana Dhaou]

Today, I bought two three-month-old African sulcata tortoises, one female and one male, the male was very energetic and didn't stop running around the box the second we bought him, but the female was very quiet and didn't move at all, like not even one bit, is that normal? I am starting to think she might be sick, but maybe she's just scared because of the new environment.

the shop owner didn't give me anything except the tortoises so we still don't have an enclosure for them, and he said no need for any protein supplements, although i heard from many people that they need a specific protein powder, he also said that they shouldn't be given water as this age, instead, I should soak them and put water on their food, I am so happy! I am planning on buying a water thermometer so when I bathe them the water is not too hot and not too cold, and ill also buy an enclosure, anything else to consider buying? If so please tell me, I want to provide them the best life I can provide!

Also I have a question, does any lamp work as a heating lamp? Cause you know normal lamps provide heat too right? If you have experience in this please tell me, thank you?

 

[TeamZissou]

Welcome.

It's unlikely that the sex of each tortoise is correct given their age. The only way to tell is by endoscopy, which will most certainly not have been done at a pet shop.

Here are a few threads you should read:

Why not to keep 2 tortoises together - a lesson learned the hard way

This is a copy/paste of an article I wrote on my blog last year. I've seen several new keepers ask the question of whether they should get a 'friend' for their tortoise, and so rather than keeping on linking to my blog (which feels kinda self-promoting, which is not my intent), I am creating a...

tortoiseforum.org

Beginner Mistakes

To comment on Tom's article, go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-split-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1tG8s05M5 Over the years many of us, myself included, have made many of these mistakes, and we have certainly seen them made many times by others. With springtime upon us and many new...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Today, I bought two three-month-old African sulcata tortoises, one female and one male, the male was very energetic and didn't stop running around the box the second we bought him, but the female was very quiet and didn't move at all, like not even one bit, is that normal? I am starting to think she might be sick, but maybe she's just scared because of the new environment.

the shop owner didn't give me anything except the tortoises so we still don't have an enclosure for them, and he said no need for any protein supplements, although i heard from many people that they need a specific protein powder, he also said that they shouldn't be given water as this age, instead, I should soak them and put water on their food, I am so happy! I am planning on buying a water thermometer so when I bathe them the water is not too hot and not too cold, and ill also buy an enclosure, anything else to consider buying? If so please tell me, I want to provide them the best life I can provide!

Also I have a question, does any lamp work as a heating lamp? Cause you know normal lamps provide heat too right? If you have experience in this please tell me, thank you?

No way to know the sexes, and they should never be kept in pairs. They do not need protein powder, but some reptile calcium powder a couple times a week is good.

The last link from @TeamZissou is the wrong one for your species. Sulcatas are tropical, not temperate. Here is the correct care sheet and the other two links are good.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Lana Dhaou]

Welcome.

It's unlikely that the sex of each tortoise is correct given their age. The only way to tell is by endoscopy, which will most certainly not have been done at a pet shop.

Here are a few threads you should read:

Why not to keep 2 tortoises together - a lesson learned the hard way

This is a copy/paste of an article I wrote on my blog last year. I've seen several new keepers ask the question of whether they should get a 'friend' for their tortoise, and so rather than keeping on linking to my blog (which feels kinda self-promoting, which is not my intent), I am creating a...

tortoiseforum.org

Beginner Mistakes

To comment on Tom's article, go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-split-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1tG8s05M5 Over the years many of us, myself included, have made many of these mistakes, and we have certainly seen them made many times by others. With springtime upon us and many new...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so much for sharing! I will read those when I have time, yes the exact age wasn't given because there was around 30 tortoises in the same enclosure in the shop, the shop owner said "about 2 to 3 months old" thyre very little, as big as the palm of my hand, but I think they'll grow because I've seen lots of sulcata tortoises grow very massive sizes!

 

[Lana Dhaou]

No way to know the sexes, and they should never be kept in pairs. They do not need protein powder, but some reptile calcium powder a couple times a week is good.

The last link from @TeamZissou is the wrong one for your species. Sulcatas are tropical, not temperate. Here is the correct care sheet and the other two links are good.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you for sharing! I will see those, but the owner didn't give me any powder of any sort, he said that it's normal diet is enough nutrients for them, also he said the one with the wider opening from the bottom is the female cause she needs it to lay eggs, but I don't know, I'm glad to have them anyway, I hope I don't face any problems with them because some people said they fight too much, the owner said it's better to buy two but he probably said that for the money...

 

[Lana Dhaou]

No way to know the sexes, and they should never be kept in pairs. They do not need protein powder, but some reptile calcium powder a couple times a week is good.

The last link from @TeamZissou is the wrong one for your species. Sulcatas are tropical, not temperate. Here is the correct care sheet and the other two links are good.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Aww they shouldn't be kept in pairs? Well I'll see, if they don't seem to get along I'll separate the enclosures, some people have good experiences with keeping them in pairs but others have horrible things happen to them, I hope to be lucky

 

[KarenSoCal]

Aww they shouldn't be kept in pairs? Well I'll see, if they don't seem to get along I'll separate the enclosures, some people have good experiences with keeping them in pairs but others have horrible things happen to them, I hope to be lucky

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.



Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

 

[Lana Dhaou]

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.

View attachment 308464
View attachment 308465
Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

Thank you for replying, and i appreciate the information you gave me, this is probably what I needed thank you, but yes I did do my research before getting a tortoise, I did research on every aspect I can think of and asked many people on this forum and looked for sites like this one for help and spent days not sleeping just researching about those fantastic animals and didn't bring one home until I was very sure that I'm ready and that I have learned enough for starters, we all try and all make mistakes, I might make a small mistake in caring, they might die, they might live, they might fight, they might get along im already scared , but ill definitely try my best in care, if I didn't succeed, it is what it is, and ill learn for next time, please don't freak me out, I'm still learning nobody knows everything when they first start in any topic, we ther pet or whatever, and I did read the sheets immediately with no delay at all and ite read them before over and over again to make sure I understand everything, I said " I will read when I have time" as a way of saying "thank you for telling me this I'm interested in it" and if you got that in anotherras "i don't care about my tortoises so I will not read them" then no, that's not what I meant

 

[Lana Dhaou]

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.

View attachment 308464
View attachment 308465
Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

I really don't understand, how are they this sensitive and need that much care if they live in the wild and are wild animals? The wild is very harsh and has lots of predeators

 

[Lana Dhaou]

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.

View attachment 308464
View attachment 308465
Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

I don't see any signs you said about following each other, eating together, or getting close to each other in any way, every tortoise does their own thing they don't really do anything together at all they do everything by their own and sleep in different corners and everything, so should I separate them if that's the case?

 

[Lana Dhaou]

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.

View attachment 308464
View attachment 308465
Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

Also should I buy all the heating sources you talked about or I buy 1?

 

[Hamiltondood]

I really don't understand, how are they this sensitive and need that much care if they live in the wild and are wild animals? The wild is very harsh and has lots of predeators

Please separate them and follow the advice that KarenSoCal mentioned. The brutal truth is, you can't monitor them 24/7, they might be showing signs when youre not watching.

 

[Lana Dhaou]

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.

View attachment 308464
View attachment 308465
Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

I am planning on taking care of my tortoises outdoors, in that case, do I need to buy lighting? I'll probably need to buy heat because it does get cold in the winters sometimes (but mostly it's very hot in the UAE)

 

[Lana Dhaou]

Please separate them and follow the advice that KarenSoCal mentioned. The brutal truth is, you can't monitor them 24/7, they might be showing signs when you're not watching.

Alright I will, but before buying tortoises, I researched about if they can be kept together and lots of websites said yes, I'm kinda disappointed and scared now I was excited please don't scare me I want to have some fun with my pets but now I'm scared

 

[Lana Dhaou]

This approach could be deadly for one of your tortoises.

As they get a bit older, the aggression starts as bullying. The behaviors look cute to us, like following each other, eating together, sleeping together, snuggling together, but in reality is bullying. You may already be seeing signs of it with the tortoise you called female.

If you miss or ignore these signs (I'll just wait and see if it goes away), one morning you will get up and find a horribly mangled tortoise, or even two.

We all started out not knowing what we were doing. It's preferable to study and learn about a new animal before bringing it home. You did not do this.

Now, you have 2 babies who need specific care to grow and thrive. You can't afford to say "I'll read those when I have time". They need to be separated, and you will need 2 of everything.

Read those care sheets carefully. You need to build or buy 2 closed chambers. We have a member here who builds beautiful chambers, but I don't know if he would ship to UAE.

You need to buy proper lighting, proper heating, and proper food. And you need to do it now, not a week from now.

A suggestion for the closed chambers...get 2 grow tents from Amazon. They are probably the fastest, most economical way to get them enclosed.

View attachment 308464
View attachment 308465
Here's a link for these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PK7J1XZ/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You can buy most of what you need on Amazon and other online retailers. I don't know about shipping to UAE. Here's a few links:

Arcadia ProT5 UVB Kit (Includes Hood)

ProT5 is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high quality internal electronics, a high effective but removable reflector, power cable, fittings kit, free link cable and choice of Arcadia Reptile HO-T5 UV-B lamp. ProT5 uses the very finest electrical components to ensure safe running and long...

reptilighting.com

Heat Mats & Heat Sources - Heat Bulbs & Ceramics - Tortoise Supply

www.tortoisesupply.com

Zilla 1000 Watt Temperature Controller for sale

1

www.lllreptile.com

Read this to help with lights and heat.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

You need an incandescent flood bulb (x 2), for basking. You may be able to buy them in a store. If not, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

For substrate you can use fine grade orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, or coco coir. You would probably look in local nurseries.

That's most of it. I may have forgotten something though.

I hope this info will expedite getting your babies into proper enclosures, with proper equipment, ASAP.

But if they shouldn't be kept in pairs then why does everybody do so? Most people with tortoises have 2 in the same enclousure

 

[KarenSoCal]

Thank you for replying, and i appreciate the information you gave me, this is probably what I needed thank you, but yes I did do my research before getting a tortoise, I did research on every aspect I can think of and asked many people on this forum and looked for sites like this one for help and spent days not sleeping just researching about those fantastic animals and didn't bring one home until I was very sure that I'm ready and that I have learned enough for starters, we all try and all make mistakes, I might make a small mistake in caring, they might die, they might live, they might fight, they might get along im already scared , but ill definitely try my best in care, if I didn't succeed, it is what it is, and ill learn for next time, please don't freak me out, I'm still learning nobody knows everything when they first start in any topic, we ther pet or whatever, and I did read the sheets immediately with no delay at all and ite read them before over and over again to make sure I understand everything, I said " I will read when I have time" as a way of saying "thank you for telling me this I'm interested in it" and if you got that in anotherras "i don't care about my tortoises so I will not read them" then no, that's not what I meant

I did not mean to freak you out, and I am sorry if my post did that.

I sensed an impulse buy of two cuties without research. To me, you would already have an enclosure ready to go with all the equipment running and tested before you brought them home.

That was my impression, and if I was wrong, I apologise. My purpose was to put into you a sense of urgency re' getting all this done. I am picturing 2 babies running around your home with no restriction. That is terribly dangerous for them, plus they are probably not warm enough and are not in humid air (>80%).

We'll move forward from here...along with input from other members. What you need to know is in the care sheets, and we will supplement with advice we've learned through this forum.

Most of the info on raising this species is wrong. The pet shop owner was correct on some things, and wrong on other things. You will have the best success if you forget everything that others have told you, and only go by what this forum recommends. Otherwise, you will be confused and be told opposing methods.

 

[KarenSoCal]

I really don't understand, how are they this sensitive and need that much care if they live in the wild and are wild animals? The wild is very harsh and has lots of predeators

In the wild they each have their own territory, and guard it with ferocity. They have wide open spaces and don't often bump into another tortoise. The only time they get together is to mate. Other than that, they are solitary creatures.

 

[KarenSoCal]

I don't see any signs you said about following each other, eating together, or getting close to each other in any way, every tortoise does their own thing they don't really do anything together at all they do everything by their own and sleep in different corners and everything, so should I separate them if that's the case?

Eventually you will see those behaviors. Maybe they are still too young to exhibit them yet.

You can leave them together, but at the first sign of bullying, you must separate. The one being bullied can stop eating, hide all the time, and just go downhill. Personally, I think I wouldn't wait for that to happen. I would rather they both grow in happy healthy circumstances from the beginning.

 

[Lana Dhaou]

I did not mean to freak you out, and I am sorry if my post did that.

I sensed an impulse buy of two cuties without research. To me, you would already have an enclosure ready to go with all the equipment running and tested before you brought them home.

That was my impression, and if I was wrong, I apologise. My purpose was to put into you a sense of urgency re' getting all this done. I am picturing 2 babies running around your home with no restriction. That is terribly dangerous for them, plus they are probably not warm enough and are not in humid air (>80%).

We'll move forward from here...along with input from other members. What you need to know is in the care sheets, and we will supplement with advice we've learned through this forum.

Most of the info on raising this species is wrong. The pet shop owner was correct on some things, and wrong on other things. You will have the best success if you forget everything that others have told you, and only go by what this forum recommends. Otherwise, you will be confused and be told opposing methods.

Thank you so much for help, I'm scared I won't be able to take good care of them and I don't want them to die because of bad caring, I now know the importance of caring for them and will immediately do what you said, I will buy "Exo Terra "Heat Wave Desert" Heat Mat" for heating, it seems to stick on the bottom of the enclosure and give heat, do you recommend this?

 

[Lana Dhaou]

I did not mean to freak you out, and I am sorry if my post did that.

I sensed an impulse buy of two cuties without research. To me, you would already have an enclosure ready to go with all the equipment running and tested before you brought them home.

That was my impression, and if I was wrong, I apologise. My purpose was to put into you a sense of urgency re' getting all this done. I am picturing 2 babies running around your home with no restriction. That is terribly dangerous for them, plus they are probably not warm enough and are not in humid air (>80%).

We'll move forward from here...along with input from other members. What you need to know is in the care sheets, and we will supplement with advice we've learned through this forum.

Most of the info on raising this species is wrong. The pet shop owner was correct on some things, and wrong on other things. You will have the best success if you forget everything that others have told you, and only go by what this forum recommends. Otherwise, you will be confused and be told opposing methods.

Is there any way to know if my tortoises are too cold, too hot, too humid, do they show signs that they're called or hot? About humidity it's 69% humidity in Dubai today, that's not enough they need 80%, so how can I fix the humidity issue?