My Sulcata

[jbirdcopper]

This is my Sulcata, Fu Manchu, I got him when he was about three months old, he's now almost two.

 

[DeanS]

Cute as hell! Just can't get enough sulcata photos...I should know, I've snapped over 5,000 and I still need more

 

[South FL Katie]

He's beautiful!

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm starting to believe EJ's thought about heat and humidity working together to make a smooth carapace. Here's another sulcata raised in Arizona with a smooth shell. Nice job. My I ask how you took care of the baby when you first got it? Describe his habitat and the way you cared for him. We're trying to figure out why sulcatas and leopards get bumpy. I appreciate it......

 

[dmmj]

I am impressed with your tort's shell, magnifecent job.

 

[jbirdcopper]

Thank you for the compliments, I love him to pieces. When I first got him, it was February here (so too cold to go outside) I got a cement mixing tub put some organic soil and play sand for a substrate, took a dishpan size rubbermaid container glued a big sponge in the top and cut a doorway in the front, I kept a CHE above the house-not necessarily to heat the whole enclosure just to keep the house warm and humid. I used a regular light bulb for day light and heat and a red bulb for night. Every night after work I'd pour a cup of water in one half of the enclosure and mix it into the soil. I fed him Spring mix with cut up pieces of grass/weeds (to small for him to pick out). Kept water and cuttlebone in the enclosure. Then once April/May came (he was still really small) I put him outside full time, in an enclosure on my lawn kept the sponge in his home wet and let him do what I figured he knew how to do- except I still fed him every night. So that was a short story really long, but that's what I did. I will see if I have some pictures of that original set up to post.

 

[Scooter]

He is beautiful! Look at that gorgeous shell!

 

[Missy]

My sulcata is about the same age and it sounds like we did most of the same things except for the sponge. My Tank has some pyramiding. I am taking extra steps now to hopefully stop it. Great job with your little one.

 

[DeanS]

Thank you for the compliments, I love him to pieces. When I first got him, it was February here (so too cold to go outside) I got a cement mixing tub put some organic soil and play sand for a substrate, took a dishpan size rubbermaid container glued a big sponge in the top and cut a doorway in the front, I kept a CHE above the house-not necessarily to heat the whole enclosure just to keep the house warm and humid. I used a regular light bulb for day light and heat and a red bulb for night. Every night after work I'd pour a cup of water in one half of the enclosure and mix it into the soil. I fed him Spring mix with cut up pieces of grass/weeds (to small for him to pick out). Kept water and cuttlebone in the enclosure. Then once April/May came (he was still really small) I put him outside full time, in an enclosure on my lawn kept the sponge in his home wet and let him do what I figured he knew how to do- except I still fed him every night. So that was a short story really long, but that's what I did. I will see if I have some pictures of that original set up to post.

I am looking forward to seeing that enclosure.

 

[Tom]

I'm not sayin' nothin'.

Welcome to the forum, jbirdcopper. Your tortoise is absolutely beautiful and your words are like music to my ears.

 

[Yvonne G]

Sounds to me like Arizona is the go-to place for raising smooth sulcatas!

 

[dmmj]

We could all send our hatchlings there and then get them back after 3 or 4 years, any volunteers?

 

[rwfoss]

Ok, as an owner of a sulcata and a Russian tort, AND living in Arizona, I have to ask about the heat. I can barely stand to be outside with the temps as high as they've been. I guess I just want to have word from other AZ sulcata owners that it is okay to leave her outdoors all day. (Anyone with experience with Russian's in AZ can chime in for me too!)

Obviously my gal will need access to water and shade, which is not a problem. But has we know, shade in AZ doesn't mean cool. It's the difference between 106 and 110.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

So, wait a second here...I thought Arizona's dry climate was less than optimal, though the heat was a positive feature?

Isn't it the humid part of the South that we've speculated is the key ingredient to a smooth shell? Are you guys then congratulating jbird for having built the enclosure/hide with humidity levels high enough to produce Fu's awesome shell?

 

[Tom]

Up in post #6 he elaborates on all the steps he took too maintain humidity. The results of his efforts are stunning. The other smooth one From AZ had a swamp cooler running half the year. The big smooth ones from the craigs list ad get sprinkled every day and have a humid underground bunker to hag out in. I think the AZ thing is coincidental, but the humidity thing seems to be consistent around the country.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Like everyone else, I am impressed with the smooth shell. That's a beautiful tortoise, you did a really good job!!!

 

[jbirdcopper]

Thank you all! Like I said in my intro- I've lurked here for a long time and owe a lot of my knowledge to your all (and unfortunetly my own trial and error).
rwfoss- I have three Russians (as well as my Sulcata and two leopards) I keep everybody outside from spring until fall (and have for years). I am no expert, and only speak as an Arizonian, but during the really hot part of summer (like today 110 ) I give them all lots of shade (and big humid hides), I have all of their pens -probably over- grown with their native grasses and lots of plants, big water dishes, as well as some mud-wallows. I usually run home on my lunch hour and turn the sprinklers on for a few minutes. As you know, living here, it dries out fast, so I have the sprinklers come on at 4 in the afternoon also for about a 1/2 hour. They hide most of the day but I do see my Russians out in the hottest part of the day walking around in the shady areas. I've never had a problem with anybody overheating .

 

[Tom]

jbird, Thanks for all the info. Whatever you have done needs to be a model for everyone else to follow, so all your info about the sprinklers and plants and humid hides is VERY VERY welcome. Basically, you could open up a school on how to properly raise a smooth sulcata and we'd happily be your pupils. I really appreciate you taking the time to share all the details.

How old was your sulcata when you got him/her and how did you house him when you very first got him? I'm thinking that the first couple of months of life are the most critical for shell development and you can help me prove or disprove that theory.Where did you get him? Do you know if the breeder took any steps to keep them in high humidity during the time before you got him?

Also, how did your Leopards turn out? Did you do the same things with them? We'd love to see pics either way. Also, with all the humidity/moisture have you ever had any problems with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections with them?

 

[jbirdcopper]

Thanks Tom! You are one of the reasons I finally signed up and became a member, I admire your thirst for pyramiding knowledge (is that such a thing ) and wanted to share the little bit I know.
I posted everything I did with my Sulcata (as a hatchling) around reply #6 or so. And I can't seem to find the pictures of that set up (darn it) I got him when he was about three months old and he was very slightly bumpy (you could feel them with your hand) and if you picked him up today you could feel it very slightly on the top, the breeder had about 50 of them in a small tub on hay and only one light, I think it would be safe to say he did not try to provide any humidity (typical wrong information type breeder :/). As soon as I got him I set him up like I did in reply #6. I haven't had any trouble with RTIs but I kept a CHE right about the house with the sponges, so it was always a warm humidity (and I think that help them not get sick).
I'm having 50/50 luck with my leopards, they are just shy of a year old. They don't look terrible but I was really shooting for perfect . I housed them together and with the same set up as I did my Sulcata. I have one growing slightly more bumpy then the other but the smooth one would always dig deep into the substrate- where the bumpy one would sleep on top of the food plate. And, I think he was eating most of the food. When I put them outside I split them up and he seems to be smoothing out.

Here's Bert the slightly more bumpy one:

And Ernie the smooth one:

These were a couple of months ago and I don't have any good ones of them outside yet, but will try to get some and post them for you tomorrow.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Y'all notice our Tom is getting really popular. This pyramiding thing is really going somewhere. At first I didn't think we were gonna find anything different...how wrong I was!
My Tony Stewart was 2 yrs when I had Yvonne find a better home for him and he was just slightly pyramided. I may have a picture of him at 2 years.