Inherited sulcata from daughter - need some help

[tru2me41ce]

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!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[ascott]

Yes, you are doing good stuff....and I have a sneaking feeling you will be the long term caregiver for this tortoise....sounds like a lucky tort....

Outside time= very important, if your temps are warm along with some rain--and the tort is not sitting in the water ---then outside time is still aok (uva/uvb still comes through the clouds), especially if the outside time is an outside trip and he also has an indoor enclosure to retreat back to....warmth and humidity is a necessary thing from time to time just as a varied diet, exercise and natural sunlight....

Kale is a good food--as part of a varied diet, dandelion is an awesome food and should also be part of a varied diet....variety is key.

Also, if you go to daily warm water soaks and if you keep a warm humid hide available to him for his use along with a varied diet (which you sound as though you are changing him over to) and exercise and outside natural sun time as much as possible then you will be able to halt any further pyramiding...and at the young age you will generally not see much as he is older....

Welcome and we LOVE PICS

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Welcome!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome, tru2me41ce!!

Good on you for trying to give the sulcata the best care you can for the duration.

Is your daughter going to be able to take the tortoise? Has she checked into the import laws?

 

[SulcataSquirt]

Wow. way to step up and make a for the better change for that little guy, They just seem so much happier and healther when their is humidity when their that small. Torts love a routine and love a varied diet. Grazing is the best thing you can let him do, It seems like you may be more interested and have a better bond with this little one that your daughter has. It may be for the best to keep him with you where you can make sure hes getting what he needs everyday. its going to be alot of work for your daughter to handle school, job, and him. good luck and keep up what your doing. Research is your best friend, for the most part the information and caresheets on this site are pretty spot on. HUMIDITY is your best friend to reverse that pyramiding. also warm soaks everyday. if you can get a shallow terra cotta plant sauser you can put that under the lamp to keep the water warm and he will most likely self soak also. thats my torts favorite thing to do along with graze. GOOD LUCK AND KEEP IT UP! ooh yeah WE NEED PICTURES!!

 

[tru2me41ce]

Here are a few pictures of Laertes out in the yard today.

 

[tru2me41ce]

Thanks for your replies. We have looked into the laws regarding bringing reptiles into Hawaii. They aren't too restrictive, actually, and if humidity is a good thing for sulcatas, then Laertes would certainly thrive in the tropical rainforest where my daughter is living. She won't be able to do it until next year, at the earliest, so I'll be taking care of him for at least that long.

Can someone tell me about the Mazuri diet. I've seen some people say do feed, some people say don't.

I've noticed that since I put him in his new home, he's pretty much been under the basking lamp every time I check on him. Should I add another to the enclosure to keep more of the area warm? I'm running the air-conditioning NON-STOP because it's been sooooo muggy here in Delaware.

 

[pam]

Welcome