Meet Hector

[simple]

This is my first tortoise, Hector.
I bought him locally, about 3 weeks ago. So far I have set up an indoor enclosure for him, and an outdoor enclosure so he gets plenty of sunlight. My next plan is to plant some nice stuff for Hector to eat in his outdoor enclosure, any recommendations?

Im also going to set up some form of automatic top off to keep his water bowl full, and some sort of drip system to keep humidity up.
I live in Miami so it is always bright and sunny outside.

Hector

Outdoor enclosure

 

[CELLMASS]

nice. good outdoor inclosure.

im wondering the same thing. i have a list of grass for sulcata to graze on from sulcata station. however my only problem now is finding organic seed. everything at ace or home depot says, "do not use for feed" im actually getting frustrated trying to find some.

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check out california pet supply. i just found it on the mighty internet.

 

[chadk]

You can try carolinapetsuppy.com for seed. Good stuff.

Careful with the low sides - torts can climb better than you think (and get carried off easier than you may think). Otherwise looks great Will need to expand in a year or so.

 

[spikethebest]

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[ChiKat]

Welcome!! Hector is adorable

 

[Stephanie Logan]

How cool that you are able to keep a Sulcata! Miami is a great climate to have a giant tortoise that makes lots of wee and poop. I envy you.

Hector is a great name too!

Make sure you read through as many of the "Sulcata Central" and "Enclosures" threads as you can. You'll get lots of guidelines and care tips to ensure your little Hector becomes Mighty Hector (with a smooth shell)!!

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Weloveourtortoise]

Hector is adorable!!!! Welcome and congrats on the new addition!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

everything at ace or home depot says, "do not use for feed" i

I'm not real sure, but when you read that you shouldn't use the seeds for feed, I'm thinking they mean that the seeds are coated with a fertilizerand pesticide coating and you shouldn't eat the seeds. I'm pretty sure that the resultant plants that grow from those seeds would be ok for the tortoise to eat.

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This is my first tortoise, Hector.
I bought him locally, about 3 weeks ago. So far I have set up an indoor enclosure for him, and an outdoor enclosure so he gets plenty of sunlight.

Hi "Simple":

(May we know your name?)

to the forum!!

Your little sulcata is just adorable

 

[moswen]

you can get a seed mix formulated specifically for sulcatas here:

http://www.sulcatafood.com/

the elephant grass would also be something you should look into for shade and shelter... i use the seed and it grows VERY fast!

good luck with hector!!!

 

[Candy]

Welcome to TFO to both you and Hector. What a cute little guy you have there. I agree on the sides Sulcatas are great climbers, just ask Maggie and Bob.

 

[Scooter]

Welcome to the forum! Hector is a cutie.

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Oh he's so cute!

 

[Kymiie]

*W*E*L*C*O*M*E* to the number 1 tortoise forum!

Nice outdoor enclosure! Yes, it will need expanding sooner than you think!

Im curious!! Where did the name Hector come from? Something tells me its the Disney Film ''HOLES'' Yes?? No??

lol xx

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Wasn't Hector also a character in The Odyssey...a Trojan prince...fought Achilles or something like that?

 

[Tom]

Welcome. Your enclosure ideas sound good to me. Please post some pics, so we can see how you did it.

 

[simple]

Thanks everyone!
The name Hector came from my name...which is Hector. No one calls me Hector though, i go by my middle name "Mariano," so my friend said Hector was more fitting for a tortoise than for me, and it stuck.
There is definitely room for Hector to grow, I have a whole backyard that is free for him to roam when he grows, and i made sure he cant go over the sides, he has been out there for two days now (he sleeps inside) and so far so good, either way the area he is in is screened in (to keep bugs out), so he can't go anywhere.

 

[CELLMASS]

dude your enclosure sounds good. im still working on mine. im gunna set it up so my tort can get enough food, plenty of sunlight, and poohpooh were he wants. post some pics on your enclosure. i'll post some too.

 

[simple]

So i have some big plans for Hector's indoor enclosure.
I used to be into saltwater aquariums (i still am, just taking a break while i go to college and all)
Anyways, I have a lot of left over equipment from my aquarium days so I am thinking about automating Hector's enclosure using this.
I will use a central controller called an AC Jr. to control when the lights turn on and off. It will also measure the temp, and keep a detailed log of it; turn heaters on and off depending on the temperature (it can also override the lamps to turn them on and off in case the temp gets too hot or too cold, and the heater cant control it, in case of an emergency). Im also hoping to add a sort of drip system to keep humidity up. For this i will have small water pumps pump water into the humid area of the enclosure, and into the water bowl. The pumps will be very small, and turn on for 1-3 min intervals a couple times a day. These pumps will be hooked up to a water reservoir, and will also be controlled by the AC Jr.
Now the only thing left for me to do would be place food in the enclosure and adjust the AC as needed. But this is easy as it has a digital screen, and lets you scroll through all the different things it controls.

Also, i have some seeds on the way, so i will plant those soon, but i wanted to know; whats the best way to grow plants in the enclosure? should i plant them directly into the soil, or have them separated from the tortoise in pots? Also what lights should i use and how should they be set up?

Lastly, i was thinking of adding a fan that i could have turn on when temps get really hot and to move the air around. Is this a good idea or just a waste of time? Also, I have some metal halide fixtures from my aquarium days. Some aren't too powerful (around 100 watts) . They create a good amount of heat and worked well to grow corals, would the same go for plants? would it be detrimental to my tortoise? Im still new to tortoises, and just trying to be resourceful so any criticisms or suggestions are very welcome, i know i have a lot to learn

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oh and pics of the indoor enclosure will be up tonight; im just not at my moms house for now.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mariano:

It sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go through for just one little baby tortoise. Too much for my mind to wrap around, but if it works for you and your baby, then go for it!

It might be a good idea to plant the seeds in some sort of tray that you can place in the habitat. Something like a kitty litter pan. Then once the plantlets are growing nicely, you can place the tray down into the habitat's substrate, even with the top of the substrate and the tortoise can go in and munch at will. If it starts to get trampled or eaten down, you can just remove the tray for a while. Also, you can water the tray and the moisture will stay contained and not get your substrate too wet.

I never used UV lights in all my years of tortoise-keeping, but my tortoises always had access to real sunshine at least part of the year. But recently, since this old dog has learned new tricks here on the forum, I've been using the T-Rex Active UV/Heat spot light on my indoor babies. They seem healthy and active (and I was never good with babies before, so maybe that should tell me something). I don't know if this kind of UV is also good for the plants, but if you plant in a removable tray, you can always set the tray in the sun if the plants look like they're needing more than your light is providing.

 

[simple]

Yea i tend to go a little overboard sometimes, i just really like building stuff and watching it work. The set up will be annoying but once i have it dialed right i could go away for weeks and everything should be perfect, and it gives me an excuse to use my gadgets
The pan idea sounds good, i will definitely use that. Also i think ill probably pass on using metal halides, since they are pretty strong lights and probably too much for a tortoise. They could easily light up a whole room. Also whenever im at my moms house, which is most of the week, Hector spends his day outside in the sun. For now i don't have a uv light in his indoor enclosure, since i figured he got enough sunlight. Does he still need one anyways? and do the plants need one to do well inside?