Mr. Waffles!

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MrWafflesMom

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GEDC1066.JPGHi all. My Name is Synthia, from Charlotte, NC & I came across this site some time back, but never joined for lack of owning a tortoise. Well, guess what! That has changed and I'm proud to be the new mommy to Mr. Waffles, a Sulcata tortoise. He is approx 4 months old. I had been researching Sulcatas for a few yrs, and really wanted to adopt one, but there were none to be found in my area. I went to visit my family in Virginia in October and needed to have my African Grey parrot's nails clipped & my brother recommended a pet store called Simply Pets in Chesapeake, VA to do it.

After the nail clipping I decided to have a look around and low and behold, there was my little prince staring me in the eyes. I was reluctant to purchase him at first and took a few days to mull it over and finally decided to bring him home.

I am delighted to report that so far, he appears to be a very healthy, active (for a baby) fella with a hardy appetite. The store where I purchased him had him on a diet of leafy greens/broccoli/carrots and I immediately changed that with Oxford Orchard Grass and Oat Hay. I also have ordered some prickly pear cactus for him & will start growing more nutritious grasses/clover for him in the coming weeks.

Currently his habitat is a makeshift turtle table made of a UBER large cat litter pan (newly purchased at PetSmart for about $30.00). He has coconut shell substrate with a few rocks, food bowl & a shallow soaking/drinking bowl (changed at least 2 times a day) with two hides. I also spray a few times a day for humidity. He has a UVB bulb for day time & I still need a night light for him. I'm a little concerned that the heat from the bulb I have hitting the plastic of the box all day could be harmful (chemically, not a fire hazard), so need to do some research on that.

Ultimately, I have plans on building him a mega tortoise condo for inside and will probably build a shed outside for him in the warmer months. I've seen this a few times & love the idea. I had planned on buying land in the next few years regardless of Mr. Waffle's existence, but I guess he's solidified that course of action.

Anyway, I have no questions or worries right now, but am definitely open to suggestions & if you believe I'm headed towards a road to destruction, please do share your thoughts! I knew the decision to bring home was a lifetime commitment, and I fully intend on sticking with him no matter what.

I came across a poor Sulcata on Craiglist yesterday that was in such poor condition it made me want to cry. I tried to get him so I could put him on the right path, but the person sold him to someone else unfortunately. I only hope the person who he is with now knows how ill he is and that they truly want to help him. Poor fella!!! (Included a pic of him too)
 

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Yvonne G

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Hi Synthia, and welcome to the Forum!
 

mainey34

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Hello and welcome...below my signature there are some threads that have some good reading on raising your young sulcata. I believe you should better regulate the humidity in your enclosure...and your little guy should be eating some greens...
 

shellysmom

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He looks delightful, and the setup looks wonderful. Except maybe the tiny white things that look like aquarium rocks. A few members of the forum have had problems with their sullies eating rocks and getting blockages, which can be pretty serious. Your guy looks pretty small, so maybe at this point they're too big for him to eat, but if he were mine, I'd take them out anyway. Just to be safe. :)
 

MrWafflesMom

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Thanks Mainey34, I give him a greens/veggies about twice a week mixed with the grasses, but not much, as I read many places that the proteins are not good for their kidney function. I'm working on the humidity as well, just will take some trial & error to get it right I guess.

Shelly, you know, I realized those little rocks were bad! I don't know what I was thinking, just wanted a little landscaping I guess, but yes, they will be removed probably later today when I feed him :)
 

Carol S

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Welcome to the Forum. Enjoy your new tortoise. He/she sure is cute.
 

MrWafflesMom

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You guys are ALL TOO kind! Thanks. Tonight, we are thinking of using Tom's suggestion of a tank. Makes sense & I happen to have a very large (75 gl I think) tank sitting in the garage. Not sure if I can mange it on my own though. LOL... How will I ever manage Mr. Waffles when he's a big fella? Guess I need to invest in a dolly. Ha Ha!
 

kathyth

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Please read Charmaines web pages in a posting above.
Your baby is adorable and I like your set up.
It is definitely a learning process.
You definitely joined the right forum and will learn tons about raising him.
That was very nice that you tried to get that poor Sulcata. I agree with you and hope the buyer can help.
Enjoy!
:)
 

MrWafflesMom

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Update: Mr Waffles got an expansion this week and is now residing in a 75 gl. aquarium.
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His temps are finally regulating to where they should be (90-98 in the basking area, am waiting on the ceramic heat element to get it even higher) and about 80 in the cool area. I have the humidity ranging from about 40% up to 66% during the day. Depending on how often I spray.
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He's digging his humid hide box too


He had his first taste of Prickly Pear Cactus today, and, yeah, P-A-R-T-AAA-Y. He loved it. He's eating everything I present which so far has been Orchard Grass Hay, Oat Hay, grass from the yard, a little clover from the yard and occasional veggies mixed in. But he's not a picky eater. I added a cuttle bone, but I'll need to break it down, it's too large for him. I also have been supplementing with "Repashy" brand superfood. Is anyone familiar with this?

We have other things like clover seed coming in the mail this week. I plan to also add soil and some plants to his enclosure in the coming week.

Over all, Mr. Waffles is quite pleased with his digs. He is active several times a day and moves from hot to cool and back often. So far, I see no signs of pyramiding. :D
 

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