nervous new owner

Joanne Hurn

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Jun 9, 2014
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Hiya everyone. I'm getting a baby sulcata tortoise tomorrow morning, that I have wanted for years and my loverly partner got me for my birthday.
7 years ago I got a Herman tortoise but he sadly died after getting a infection and it broke my heart.
So to say I'm nervous about my new addition is a understatement. I have been reading up online on what to feed it and every site says different things!! Can anyone who has one tell me what they feed theirs please??
 

yillt

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Welcome. A good choice. They do grow very large.
 

bouaboua

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Hello and Welcome. You got lots home work to do.

Please check out the Sulcata section of the forum, You will fine lots useful thread and information in it like "Closed Chamber", "Sulcata diet sheet".

Happy reading and Please post some photo of the enclosure that you have prepared for the new little one. Lots expert here may provide very useful comments.

Welcome! ! !
 

Joanne Hurn

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Jun 9, 2014
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Yeah I've already been looking at them and have a good list going. I have set up the viv to what the shop has told me to :) ill post a photo once I'm home thanks :)
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Hello Joanne welcome to the TFO from AZ . There is a lot of reading here for you and your tort . Have a great tort day .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum
 

wellington

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Hello,and Welcome:) Most likely most if not all the stuff the shop told you will be wrong or outdated info. Please, please, read the info on this forum and follow it. Most vets, pet shop owners and even a whole lot of breeders still do it wrong and in an unhealthy way. Some of the great threads are Toms and they are below in my post.
Also, when you baby arrives, soak him/her right away in warm after for 30 minutes, then place in front of some chopped up healthy food inside the heated, humidified enclosure and let it be for a day to get adjusted to its new surroundings. Check on him/her throughout the day, but not really disturbing. The next day and every day after that for about two years do the soak. I do encourage a lot of interaction once you feel he/she has gotten accustomed to his/her new home. With sulcatas, I have read it doesn't take them long. Good luck and with proper info, you shouldn't have any problems, unless he/she were started out really wrong.
 

Joanne Hurn

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Jun 9, 2014
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This might sound silly but when people are saying soak is it just mean put them in a little bit of water and leave them in it?? I have the compressed grass pellets is that ok for it?? I've been reading a lot of the posts and made a few changes already, for the humid hide would any sort of plastic tub do and just keep the inside of it damp??
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Joanne, and welcome to the Forum!

No, you can't use the pellets for substrate. You have to have something that you can moisten, and the pellets get moldy if you moisten them.

Soaking means get a bowl the baby can't climb out of and put warm water so it comes up to the middle of his sides, then leave him there for about 15 minutes.

A humid hide usually consists of moist sphagnum moss stuffed inside a hiding place. You have to keep stuffing the moss back inside, and re-wet it occasionally. Don't let the baby get cool while he's in a moist environment.
 

Joanne Hurn

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Jun 9, 2014
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What's the best substrate to use?? Do I moisten all of it or just the bit in the hide and how often??
So check it every so often and take him out if he's to cool??
 

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