My torts and enclosure

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Joe, and welcome to the Forum!

I'd like to offer a bit of friendly criticism. Your baby should be living in the house in a closed enclosure with about 80% humidity. Also, you're running the risk of his being hurt by the larger tortoises by keeping them all together.

Please read the threads that we have pinned at the top of the Sulcata section. Tortoise-keeping has drastically changed in the last few years, and we no longer set them up in desert type settings.

Would it be possible for you to scrape away the rocks you're using for substrate and add some fir bark instead. Or coco coir. Or even better yet, move the whole tortoise yard out to that lovely grass area so they can graze on natural grass. Then add a few plants for cover and shade.

Your tortoises look pretty darned good, but I can see that the baby is starting to pyramid. Did you raise all of them from hatchlings?
 

joebonz

New Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
Hi Joe, and welcome to the Forum!

I'd like to offer a bit of friendly criticism. Your baby should be living in the house in a closed enclosure with about 80% humidity. Also, you're running the risk of his being hurt by the larger tortoises by keeping them all together.

Please read the threads that we have pinned at the top of the Sulcata section. Tortoise-keeping has drastically changed in the last few years, and we no longer set them up in desert type settings.

Would it be possible for you to scrape away the rocks you're using for substrate and add some fir bark instead. Or coco coir. Or even better yet, move the whole tortoise yard out to that lovely grass area so they can graze on natural grass. Then add a few plants for cover and shade.

Your tortoises look pretty darned good, but I can see that the baby is starting to pyramid. Did you raise all of them from hatchlings?
Thanks Yvonne! These three are from the same hatch. They are approx. 3 years old. (the little guy eats plenty but just doesn't grow. ) They have been together since birth. The tort shack is heated. They never fight. I put them in the grass every day with a cage over them (for security) while they graze.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Really? Wow! That's quite a size discrepancy. I would definitely move that little one to his own space and see if I could get it to grow.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Keep an eye on them, bullying behaviour from one exerting his dominance can be very subtle to start and happening in plain sight, e.g. staring, following, nudging/barging, (often mistaken for being affectionate), climbing on, hogging the food and best basking spot etc., and if you have a male and female - harassment to mate.

Torts are very territorial and don't like company especially in confined spaces where they can't get away and avoid each other. The little guy could be very stressed which may be affecting his growth, I would give him his own space asap and consider separating the others eventually as well.
 

joebonz

New Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
Their old habitat. I have never ever seen any bullying from any of them. They would spend a lot of their time in the hide together. No problems. The little one eats as well as any of them if not more.
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Nice setup but like @Yvonne G suggested about substrate and @Lyn W about splitting the smaller from the others. He might be getting stressed and keep a eye on the others trying to dominate. Once you're sullies get big your setup would be great for a Russian tort with a few minor changes.
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Their old habitat. I have never ever seen any bullying from any of them. They would spend a lot of their time in the hide together. No problems. The little one eats as well as any of them if not more.
Wow that's a great setup also. Sometimes when there in the hide together. One will block so the others can't get out.
 

joebonz

New Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
Nice setup but like @Yvonne G suggested about substrate and @Lyn W about splitting the smaller from the others. He might be getting stressed and keep a eye on the others trying to dominate. Once you're sullies get big your setup would be great for a Russian tort with a few minor changes.
The substrate (paver base) is easy to clean. These animals poop a lot. The enclosure is 12' x 8' Changing out those other substrates could be daunting. I have read a mixture of sand and dirt is good. I think paver base is much safer. Welcome there opinions.
 

TechnoCheese

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
4,505
Location (City and/or State)
Lewisville, Texas
Definitely get the little one set up in a closed chamber enclosure. It is not normal or healthy for it to be that size.
I highly recommend reading through these-

How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

Keep in mind that these tortoises hatch during monsoon season in the wild. They require 80-100% humidity and temps no lower than 80 day or night when young. Open tops and outdoor housing are not suitable for hatchlings, and I highly recommend changing the substrate of their outdoor enclosure to soil. What you have now seems to be an impaction risk, and these are grazing animals that really should have a yard full of greens to munch on.
 

joebonz

New Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
Definitely get the little one set up in a closed chamber enclosure. It is not normal or healthy for it to be that size.
I highly recommend reading through these-

How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/How-To-Raise-A-Healthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

Keep in mind that these tortoises hatch during monsoon season in the wild. They require 80-100% humidity and temps no lower than 80 day or night when young. Open tops and outdoor housing are not suitable for hatchlings, and I highly recommend changing the substrate of their outdoor enclosure to soil. What you have now seems to be an impaction risk, and these are grazing animals that really should have a yard full of greens to munch on.
Not a hatchling. It is nearly 4 yrs old.
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
I wonder if the little guy has a gut-full of parasites stealing his nutrition?

My thinking is that there has to be a reason he's not growing... differing growth rates are natural, not growing over years is generally not.

Jamie
 

New Posts

Top