- Joined
- Sep 4, 2012
- Messages
- 3
Hello,
My daughter left for University of Hawai'i as a freshman a few weeks ago, and I am now fostering her 1 year old sulcata until she can get him over to Hawai'i. I've read, read, and read some more about how to properly care for Laertes, but there is so much conflicting information! I don't think my daughter was doing all she should for him, as he is showing some pyramiding. I want to halt the pyramiding and provide the best possible diet and enclosure for him while he's in my care.
Here is what I've done in the past few weeks:
I set up a round baby pool for him filled with a mix of moist Eco-Earth (the brick form) and Plantation soil (also in brick form), purchased a ubv bulb, and put a cuttle bone in his enclosure. She was feeding him kale at first, mixed with a grassland tortoise food (not sure of brand). I told her I read that kale wasn't the best choice, so we started to feed him dandelion greens, and I've recently added some dried Timothy hay, turnip greens, and a small amount of mustard greens to his dish each day. I let him out in the yard to graze on the clover when I can, but that doesn't happen every day, and lately, the weather in northern Delaware has been rainy and WAY HUMID, and just plain miserable, really.
With the conflicting information about soaking, humidity, etc, I think she erred on the side of caution, and only soaked him every two days as a hatchling, and did not keep him in moist substrate; hence, the pyramiding (I guess?). I put a water dish in his enclosure, but I don't keep it in there during the when I'm not home. I also started misting him once a day. I've been using an infared heat lamp because the other bulb she had burnt out, and I haven't had a chance to replace it yet. I leave the heat lamp on all the time, but the UVB bulb only stays on for about 12-14 hours. I also have a half-log hide for him that I keep near the infared bulb, but not directly under it.
I am looking into thermometers and humidity gauges and wanted to know what people here recommend. So, does it sound like I'm doing the right things? I appreciate your help and feedback!
My daughter left for University of Hawai'i as a freshman a few weeks ago, and I am now fostering her 1 year old sulcata until she can get him over to Hawai'i. I've read, read, and read some more about how to properly care for Laertes, but there is so much conflicting information! I don't think my daughter was doing all she should for him, as he is showing some pyramiding. I want to halt the pyramiding and provide the best possible diet and enclosure for him while he's in my care.
Here is what I've done in the past few weeks:
I set up a round baby pool for him filled with a mix of moist Eco-Earth (the brick form) and Plantation soil (also in brick form), purchased a ubv bulb, and put a cuttle bone in his enclosure. She was feeding him kale at first, mixed with a grassland tortoise food (not sure of brand). I told her I read that kale wasn't the best choice, so we started to feed him dandelion greens, and I've recently added some dried Timothy hay, turnip greens, and a small amount of mustard greens to his dish each day. I let him out in the yard to graze on the clover when I can, but that doesn't happen every day, and lately, the weather in northern Delaware has been rainy and WAY HUMID, and just plain miserable, really.
With the conflicting information about soaking, humidity, etc, I think she erred on the side of caution, and only soaked him every two days as a hatchling, and did not keep him in moist substrate; hence, the pyramiding (I guess?). I put a water dish in his enclosure, but I don't keep it in there during the when I'm not home. I also started misting him once a day. I've been using an infared heat lamp because the other bulb she had burnt out, and I haven't had a chance to replace it yet. I leave the heat lamp on all the time, but the UVB bulb only stays on for about 12-14 hours. I also have a half-log hide for him that I keep near the infared bulb, but not directly under it.
I am looking into thermometers and humidity gauges and wanted to know what people here recommend. So, does it sound like I'm doing the right things? I appreciate your help and feedback!