Is this enclosure ok? Or is it crap...?

[Tamihealey5163]

It's been my experience they eat as much as they want to eat and when they're full they stop. I think my little butter ball may want to eat a little too much. But you learn as you go and this is a great place for advice. The important thing is humidity. It has been proven that the dryer the conditions the more apt that pyramiding can develop. (I'm not going into housing husbandry for lack of space and time and you can follow that in a different article). So soaking is important which my little guy was never truly fond of...especially if there is not enough humidity contained in environment. My resolution currently now...is a shower! He LOVES a nice warm shower!! Although maybe too small at this point for your needs...i resolved this by installing one of those spray type faucet nozzles on my kitchen sink, set it on low sprinkle and that's how he got hooked on showers. There wasn't a build up of water to scare him and he freely walked in and out of the sprinkles as he liked. Slow growing isn't necessary bad. They don't have shell parents to run to the store at the drop of a hat in Africa and eat what's available for them. Looks like you're doing your due diligence...keep asking questions...you'll get so MANY different answers from people but you'll learn how to weed the info not pertaining to you through experience and education to make the best informed decision for you and your shell baby.

 

[Tamihealey5163]

Search 5m21 on forum. Most posts indicate they (the torts) "prefer" this formula. Bomber would not eat LS but eats this before he heads out of his enclosure for his initial perimeter patrol then grazing. Get mine at an almost local feed store.

View attachment 264865

 

[Tamihealey5163]

Bahahaaa! Perimeter patrol! I LOVE IT! Gotta make sure all is clear and no preditors around! That's EXACTLY what they do

 

[C. Nelson]

Search 5m21 on forum. Most posts indicate they (the torts) "prefer" this formula. Bomber would not eat LS but eats this before he heads out of his enclosure for his initial perimeter patrol then grazing. Get mine at an almost local feed store.

View attachment 264865

Same with my tortoises.

 

[cassieopia]

Hello and welcome. Here is all the correct care info in one place for you:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

I've seen and heard nothing but bad news coming from these FB tortoise groups. Not the place to go for good tortoise care info, apparently.

I showed my enclosure/table and was immediately told to remove them because the humidity was too high! My humidity stays between 80-90 (it very nearly rains inside) and the temps are between 80 and 105. I was also told that the glass on top made it air tight! I just politely said I will keep my humidity up and thanked him, lol.

 

[Tom]

I showed my enclosure/table and was immediately told to remove them because the humidity was too high! My humidity stays between 80-90 (it very nearly rains inside) and the temps are between 80 and 105. I was also told that the glass on top made it air tight! I just politely said I will keep my humidity up and thanked him, lol.

I'm glad you knew better. So many people still incorrectly believe this is a desert species. The consequence of this mass ignorance frequently results in the death of the babies. I have no way to calculate it, but I'll bet more than half of the sulcatas hatched each year die of either cold temps or dehydration issues.

The question I can't get an answer to is this: I understand why people think humidity is bad. That's what every book, breeder, expert and vet has said for decades. Its wrong, but it has been universally repeated since the 90's. Why then, when we demonstrate and explain why it is wrong, show them 100's or 1000's of healthy, smooth growing tortoises from high humidity environments, and explain the while monsoon season hatching in the wild, do they still persist in their ignorant and obviously incorrect assumptions???

I remember reading in history class that people were killed in the old days for proclaiming that the Earth was, in fact, round, and not flat...

 

[TechnoCheese]

I'm glad you knew better. So many people still incorrectly believe this is a desert species. The consequence of this mass ignorance frequently results in the death of the babies. I have no way to calculate it, but I'll bet more than half of the sulcatas hatched each year die of either cold temps or dehydration issues.

The question I can't get an answer to is this: I understand why people think humidity is bad. That's what every book, breeder, expert and vet has said for decades. Its wrong, but it has been universally repeated since the 90's. Why then, when we demonstrate and explain why it is wrong, show them 100's or 1000's of healthy, smooth growing tortoises from high humidity environments, and explain the while monsoon season hatching in the wild, do they still persist in their ignorant and obviously incorrect assumptions???

I remember reading in history class that people were killed in the old days for proclaiming that the Earth was, in fact, round, and not flat...

I went to a reptile expo today and yesterday, and every single Sulcata was pyramiding pretty badly. There was even someone housing a severely pyramided 4 inch Sulcata with a 2 inch hermann’s, and the Sulcata was on top of it in the corner the entire 4 hours I was there. The only inkling of correct info I heard came from a ball python vender telling someone to house their tortoise alone, lol.

 

[Tom]

I went to a reptile expo today and yesterday, and every single Sulcata was pyramiding pretty badly. There was even someone housing a severely pyramided 4 inch Sulcata with a 2 inch hermann’s, and the Sulcata was on top of it in the corner the entire 4 hours I was there. The only inkling of correct info I heard came from a ball python vender telling someone to house their tortoise alone, lol.

So sad...

 

[Chasen]

I'm glad you knew better. So many people still incorrectly believe this is a desert species. The consequence of this mass ignorance frequently results in the death of the babies. I have no way to calculate it, but I'll bet more than half of the sulcatas hatched each year die of either cold temps or dehydration issues.

The question I can't get an answer to is this: I understand why people think humidity is bad. That's what every book, breeder, expert and vet has said for decades. Its wrong, but it has been universally repeated since the 90's. Why then, when we demonstrate and explain why it is wrong, show them 100's or 1000's of healthy, smooth growing tortoises from high humidity environments, and explain the while monsoon season hatching in the wild, do they still persist in their ignorant and obviously incorrect assumptions???

I remember reading in history class that people were killed in the old days for proclaiming that the Earth was, in fact, round, and not flat...

Seems to me that there has to be a high mortality rate or we'd see adults way more than we do compared to the number of babies produced. Aren't sullies the beardies and balls of the tort world?

 

[torti_doyouloveme]

Hey! does your lil' feller like the chewy rabbit house?

I was looking into buying one very similar to yours.. something with a big space and a "hutch". as a TEMPORARY home of course, since i too am a student trying to get it together for my new rescue >2 tortoise
it's comforting to see you had the same idea for an on the fly enclosure. I have him in a 10gallon "under the bed" plastic bin from walmart for now, I try to take him out into my big weed-filled backyard most days when i have time to follow him around as he explores . Tryna keep my lil guy as happy and as comfy as possible as i learn and research more tortoise info. Im working to save up to build a good outside area for him but for now those rabbit hutches dont look too bad. I like your setup, great job! (mines looks way sadder haha) nice to know im not the only one that might be struggling with this.