kristoformiller
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And a million questions. Can anyone one on one with me ?
I have a baby sulcata
- Thread starter kristoformiller
- Start date
Try reading this first if you have any questions after ask away.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index....ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
— Gus
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index....ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
— Gus
welcome to the forum! ask as many questions as you need!!!!!
Hello and Welcome to the forum. Please click on the link below and you will find all kinds information you need. Do take time and read as many thread as you can. I benefit from lots of those threads.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/
Welcome.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/
Welcome.
Hello and Welcome. There are more threads to read at the bottom of my post. Not sure if they are repeats from what was already suggested to you. We all are here to help, so don't be shy about asking for help if the threads did answer all your questions.
can you post some pics of his enclosure, lights, and tortoise. also can you tell us how you are caring for him. whats his diet? how often do you soak him? whats his cage humidity and temps? what type of light?
kristoformiller
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I'm still preparing the home I haven't actually got the tortoise yet I want to get a good place to live up and running.
So I see have an enclosed habitat that is humid and around the low 80's with a hot spot to bask and a hiding area that is a little extra wet. A shallow water dish and lots of grass and soak daily. Is vitakraft orchard grass good ? Or do you feed them grass along with those ZooMed chunks? I want a healthy tortoise.
make sure the cage is 80% humidity and a good 90+ bask spot. yes daily soaks are good and shallow water dishes. sulcatas do best we lots of variety in there diet, my sulcatas main parts of his diet are different grasses and weeds plus some some lettuces sometimes, also with some grassland tort food once a week, the diet should be around 80% grasses. make sure to give your tort calcium on his food and provide a cuttlebone. sulcatas grow really fast! how big will your starter enclosure be for him? do you have a lawn without chemicals to get some grass from?
Weclome to the forum! Dont foget that torts must be exposed to the....sun and the lght, and take care now that Winter is very near.
Would love to see a pic of your tort once it settles in: they take time to adapt to a new place, a new environment etc. Good luck!
Would love to see a pic of your tort once it settles in: they take time to adapt to a new place, a new environment etc. Good luck!
Hi Kristofer, and welcome to the Forum!
Yes, we can help you, and we're perfectly willing to help you. However, first you must help yourself. We have some very good information for first time tortoise keepers - for keepers of baby tortoises - and about beginner mistakes. Go to the Sulcata section and read the "Important Threads" shown at the top of that section. Then go to the "Tortoise and Turtle Articles" section and read the "Important Threads" that pertain you your subject matter. If, after all that reading, you still have questions, then ask away.
Yes, we can help you, and we're perfectly willing to help you. However, first you must help yourself. We have some very good information for first time tortoise keepers - for keepers of baby tortoises - and about beginner mistakes. Go to the Sulcata section and read the "Important Threads" shown at the top of that section. Then go to the "Tortoise and Turtle Articles" section and read the "Important Threads" that pertain you your subject matter. If, after all that reading, you still have questions, then ask away.
I'll link some good stuff here for you. Read these and then please feel free to ask your questions here, in another more specific thread of your own, or in "conversations" with any one you like here.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
Most important is the source of your new tortoise. Most people start them far too dry. Read this BEFORE you buy:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
Most important is the source of your new tortoise. Most people start them far too dry. Read this BEFORE you buy:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
kristoformiller
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Thank you so much the reading has helped a lot...I feel pretty good about it now I think it's mostly up to my design.
Welcome! 
May
THBs: Darwin & Merlin
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
May
THBs: Darwin & Merlin
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
kristoformiller
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kristoformiller
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Thank you so much Yvonne. The guy I'm getting my sulcata from says since they are desert turtles that I don't need to keep anything in the habitat moist only soak them once a day. I'm wondering what's better between a heat pad or a ceramic heater with a themostat. ..what kind of UVB light....can I really just go Clip my lawn and use that for food ? There are no chemicals or anything in it for sure. And by clover are we talking about the kind we look through when we're kids for one with four leaves? Reading helps a lot but for me asking questions is best. Thank u
kristoformiller
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Please reply anyone
Jump in, Tom. I really don't mind. You have more experience raising baby sulcatas than I do.
Kris:
Your breeder is way off base. His mind set is stuck in the olden days when we all believed the way he does. Now-a-days, we (thanks mainly to Tom) we realize that sulcatas and leopards hatch out during the monsoon season. Most of the land is flooded with lots of greenery growing. It is way NOT dry like he told you.
So, please read the articles in the links we gave you. You'll come to a better understanding on how to raise your little baby when you get it. And first thing you need to do is put him into a shallow bowl of warm water and give him a good soak. Sounds like he's going to need it.
Kris:
Your breeder is way off base. His mind set is stuck in the olden days when we all believed the way he does. Now-a-days, we (thanks mainly to Tom) we realize that sulcatas and leopards hatch out during the monsoon season. Most of the land is flooded with lots of greenery growing. It is way NOT dry like he told you.
So, please read the articles in the links we gave you. You'll come to a better understanding on how to raise your little baby when you get it. And first thing you need to do is put him into a shallow bowl of warm water and give him a good soak. Sounds like he's going to need it.
They don't come from a desert. They come from a grassland area. Gotta have water to grow grass. It is dry for 8 or 9 months a year, but they are underground where it is more humid during this time. THey don't experience hot and dry air. Babies hatch at the start of the 3 or 4 month rainy season as Yvonne mentioned. My friend from Senegal tells me there are puddles, marshes and green growing food every where to eat and hide in. Simulating desert conditions leads to stunted, pyramided and sometimes dead tortoises. Simulating the African rainy season leads to healthy, thriving, growing tortoise babies.
I would never use or recommend a heating pad. I've seen them fail and injure or kill too many animals. I recommend a CHE on a thermostat to maintain warmth. Using one in a closed chamber will make your life easier, and your tortoises life better.
There are several types of UV lights available. I like the new HO long tube type florescent models, or a mercury vapor bulb. I recommend a UV meter to check your UV levels and adjust the height of your bulbs.
Yes. You can really go clip your lawn and use that for food. He problem will likely be that the guy you are getting the tortoise from probably didn't do this, so your tortoise won't recognize it as food for a while. I would start with foods that are familiar to your new baby and slowly, gradually mix in small amounts of the new good stuff you want him to eat. This process can take weeks or months, but its worth it in the end.
kristoformiller
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I've read and retained the info and appreciate it. I did mention to him that they were born during the wet season and his reply was yea that's why you soak them once a day.
Is there a bullet list with brand names and model names? I'll get the best for my baby
