Hi! I originally posted most of this to the "Welcome" section, but thought it might be more appropriate to post here as it is sulcata related. I'm hoping to get some more in depth insight from the experienced users here. I'm also new to forums (being more used to a yahoogroups format), so I apologize if this is considered a double post and would appreciate any correction on posting procedure.
Hi. I'm new to the group and, like many others here, I'm looking to give better care to my two sulcata tortoises. Some background...
My tortoises were approximately 1 year old on Oct. 1, 2009. I got them as hatchlings about 10-11 months prior. I've been keeping them inside due to their size, but they have a fairly large area (a 3.5' x 3.5' kiddie pool) to roam and have a UVA/UVB heat lamp on 8-12 hour cycles for "sunlight". They also have a hide box. I rarely take them outside as I have dogs that might think they're toys and/or I have seen the occasional bird of prey (falcon, hawk) in my eucalyptus tree. However, I live in southern AZ (Phoenix area) and plan to transfer them outside permanently once they are of sufficient size.
Their substrate is cypress mulch (recommended by a local pet store that "specializes" in fish and reptiles). Their diet is ~98% bermuda grass with occasional (once per month) dark leafy greens (romaine lettuce mostly) and the very rare carrot shaving or strawberry (3 times per year). I started soaking them at 1 year (twice per week), but not before that as one of the web sites I read suggested soaking *juveniles* (over 1 year), but said nothing about soaking *hatchlings* (under 1 year). Though in retrospect, this may have been a mistake.
Anyway, I thought I was doing fairly well with care with advice from the local pet store (though I've since learned they have been wrong about multiple things), but I think I'm starting to see some slight pyramiding in their shells and I'm concerned that I'm not doing something right. I've attached a few pics so that some of the more experienced in the group can (hopefully) tell me if I'm on the right track. Regardless, I feel I can (and should) be giving better care to my little guys and I'm hoping this group will help me.
I've already been informed that I may need a calcium supplement and am buying some cuttlebone this afternoon. Would you recommend an additional calcium supplement? Also, I saw that some people add powdered phosphorus, but haven't really heard the justification for this. Lastly, I was told that I need to moisten my substrate.
I haven't had time to go through the thousands of previous posts so as not ask redundant questions, but I will do so ASAP to avoid redundancy, but I hope someone will help with my immediate questions as I wish to stop the pyramiding *now*.
Some immediate questions I have...
1. Is pure cypress mulch an acceptable substrate or should I add something else?
2. I was told to moisten the substrate. How much water should I add? Should I add to the entire enclosure or only certain parts (i.e. under the lamps)?
3. How deep should I keep the substrate (assuming only cypress mulch)?
4. I realize I need to vary the diet more, but how much (and how often) should I feed a juvenile sulcata (just over a year old)?
5. I want to let them roam the back yard (with supervision) when the weather is nice... are there any normal plants that I need to keep them away from? How can I know whether my grass is going to be toxic to them?
6. Are there any other sulcata keepers in the Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area that I might be able to chat personally with about some of these issues.
7. Does anyone know of a good herp/tort vet in the Phoenix metro area?
Thanks. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Keith
Hi. I'm new to the group and, like many others here, I'm looking to give better care to my two sulcata tortoises. Some background...
My tortoises were approximately 1 year old on Oct. 1, 2009. I got them as hatchlings about 10-11 months prior. I've been keeping them inside due to their size, but they have a fairly large area (a 3.5' x 3.5' kiddie pool) to roam and have a UVA/UVB heat lamp on 8-12 hour cycles for "sunlight". They also have a hide box. I rarely take them outside as I have dogs that might think they're toys and/or I have seen the occasional bird of prey (falcon, hawk) in my eucalyptus tree. However, I live in southern AZ (Phoenix area) and plan to transfer them outside permanently once they are of sufficient size.
Their substrate is cypress mulch (recommended by a local pet store that "specializes" in fish and reptiles). Their diet is ~98% bermuda grass with occasional (once per month) dark leafy greens (romaine lettuce mostly) and the very rare carrot shaving or strawberry (3 times per year). I started soaking them at 1 year (twice per week), but not before that as one of the web sites I read suggested soaking *juveniles* (over 1 year), but said nothing about soaking *hatchlings* (under 1 year). Though in retrospect, this may have been a mistake.
Anyway, I thought I was doing fairly well with care with advice from the local pet store (though I've since learned they have been wrong about multiple things), but I think I'm starting to see some slight pyramiding in their shells and I'm concerned that I'm not doing something right. I've attached a few pics so that some of the more experienced in the group can (hopefully) tell me if I'm on the right track. Regardless, I feel I can (and should) be giving better care to my little guys and I'm hoping this group will help me.
I've already been informed that I may need a calcium supplement and am buying some cuttlebone this afternoon. Would you recommend an additional calcium supplement? Also, I saw that some people add powdered phosphorus, but haven't really heard the justification for this. Lastly, I was told that I need to moisten my substrate.
I haven't had time to go through the thousands of previous posts so as not ask redundant questions, but I will do so ASAP to avoid redundancy, but I hope someone will help with my immediate questions as I wish to stop the pyramiding *now*.
Some immediate questions I have...
1. Is pure cypress mulch an acceptable substrate or should I add something else?
2. I was told to moisten the substrate. How much water should I add? Should I add to the entire enclosure or only certain parts (i.e. under the lamps)?
3. How deep should I keep the substrate (assuming only cypress mulch)?
4. I realize I need to vary the diet more, but how much (and how often) should I feed a juvenile sulcata (just over a year old)?
5. I want to let them roam the back yard (with supervision) when the weather is nice... are there any normal plants that I need to keep them away from? How can I know whether my grass is going to be toxic to them?
6. Are there any other sulcata keepers in the Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area that I might be able to chat personally with about some of these issues.
7. Does anyone know of a good herp/tort vet in the Phoenix metro area?
Thanks. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Keith