new mom!

[sumsulcatamom]

hi i’m new here and a new sulcata momma
i’m unsure of my baby’s exact age but he’s a wee thing and has been home with me for about a week so far! he’s doing awesome and loves strawberries and green leaf lettuce! he’s very adventurous, friendly, active, and fun!! i have named him(or her, i am unsure until he grows!!) Doom!!! here is a pic of him

 

[Sue Ann]

hi i’m new here and a new sulcata momma
i’m unsure of my baby’s exact age but he’s a wee thing and has been home with me for about a week so far! he’s doing awesome and loves strawberries and green leaf lettuce! he’s very adventurous, friendly, active, and fun!! i have named him(or her, i am unsure until he grows!!) Doom!!! here is a pic of him

Handsome little guy, congratulations. Please read the care sheets on Sulcata feeding needs.
Great knowledge in the archives

 

[TechnoCheese]

Welcome!
Sadly, there are a lot of things that need to be changed about your care and enclosure ASAP. It would quite literally be lethal to leave your care the way it is.

-Carpet should not be used for any reptile. Not only is it impossible to completely clean and traps nails and lizard teeth, but it does not hold the humidity your tortoise needs. Switch it out to fine grade orchid bark, cypress mulch, or coconut coir ASAP.

-your enclosure is much, much too small. A tortoise of that size needs a bare minimum of 36x18 inches, and even that will only last a few months.

-that water bowl needs to be switched out to a terra cotta saucer hurried in the substrate.

-strawberries and lettuce is nowhere near an adequate diet. Your tortoise cannot digest the sugars in strawberries, and lettuce contains almost no nutritional value. You should be feeding broadleaf weeds from outside and young grass clippings.

Give these a read and come back with questions-
The best way to raise a sulcata, leopard, or star- https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181503/

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/

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi! And welcome to the forum!

Doom is just the sweetest baby! But I hope his name is not indicative of his future! Yikes!

I REALLY hate it when I have to start off with a brand new member by telling her the baby's set up is all wrong. But unfortunately, that's what I have to do here.

You see, this is what I think may have happened. You went into a pet store and fell head over heels with a scaly baby. You decided to bring him home, and asked the pet store employees what you needed to buy. They told you, you trusted them to know what they were talking about, and you bought it.

The problem is that they did not have a clue of the proper care for a tortoise of any species. I am hoping that you know how huge this sweety is going to get. It takes a few years, but 150 lbs or more is common.

I can't see all of your enclosure, so if I'm wrong, please forgive me...with what I see, you are not going to have Doom for long if you don't change his environment promptly.

I see TechnoCheese has just posted as I've been typing. She is absolutely correct in her assessment. Read those care sheets ASAP! If you don't have any heating lights on Doom, it must be done today. I also see that his eye is half closed. If you are using any kind of curly or compact lights for UVB, turn them off.

We don't want to scare you! But babies can get sick very fast, and he has already had a week go by.

Let us help you keep him healthy!

 

[leoturt]

Welcome!
Karen and Techno are absolutely right in their care advice! Sulcatas are one of the tortoise species that should never be fed fruits. Lettuces are quite useless as was told. And there are other foods and veggies that should never be fed as they can literally severely harm the tort.
Take some time to research and you will make a world of a difference positively to your tort ?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Welcome!

Hopefully by now you have located the Sully Care Guide. Lots of great info on best of substrste, enclosure, food, lighting, humidity, soaking.....etc.

✅✅ https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

Good Luck

 

[sumsulcatamom]

Hi! And welcome to the forum!

Doom is just the sweetest baby! But I hope his name is not indicative of his future! Yikes!

I REALLY hate it when I have to start off with a brand new member by telling her the baby's set up is all wrong. But unfortunately, that's what I have to do here.

You see, this is what I think may have happened. You went into a pet store and fell head over heels with a scaly baby. You decided to bring him home, and asked the pet store employees what you needed to buy. They told you, you trusted them to know what they were talking about, and you bought it.

The problem is that they did not have a clue of the proper care for a tortoise of any species. I am hoping that you know how huge this sweety is going to get. It takes a few years, but 150 lbs or more is common.

I can't see all of your enclosure, so if I'm wrong, please forgive me...with what I see, you are not going to have Doom for long if you don't change his environment promptly.

I see TechnoCheese has just posted as I've been typing. She is absolutely correct in her assessment. Read those care sheets ASAP! If you don't have any heating lights on Doom, it must be done today. I also see that his eye is half closed. If you are using any kind of curly or compact lights for UVB, turn them off.

We don't want to scare you! But babies can get sick very fast, and he has already had a week go by.

Let us help you keep him healthy!

thanks very much. his home is very temporary as he’s still so small i will be giving him a larger inclosure as he grows! he has a heating pad on one half of his tank. and i also have been feeding him vitamin powder with his food. i also feed him more than just lettuce and strawberries those are just his snacks he eats most ferociously. also, what should i use as the ground instead? they told me to use carpet and i just planned on replacing it. i know that sandy is lethal as they can inhale it

 

[sumsulcatamom]

thanks very much. his home is very temporary as he’s still so small i will be giving him a larger inclosure as he grows! he has a heating pad on one half of his tank. and i also have been feeding him vitamin powder with his food. i also feed him more than just lettuce and strawberries those are just his snacks he eats most ferociously. also, what should i use as the ground instead? they told me to use carpet and i just planned on replacing it. i know that sandy is lethal as they can inhale it

i’m very aware of how old and big they get. i’ve always had a love for tortoises, growing up in south florida.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Please read those links given to you in the above threads. We have new information on raising baby sulcatas, and judging from your baby's eyes, you need to make some changes immediately.

 

[TechnoCheese]

thanks very much. his home is very temporary as he’s still so small i will be giving him a larger inclosure as he grows! he has a heating pad on one half of his tank. and i also have been feeding him vitamin powder with his food. i also feed him more than just lettuce and strawberries those are just his snacks he eats most ferociously. also, what should i use as the ground instead? they told me to use carpet and i just planned on replacing it. i know that sandy is lethal as they can inhale it

Read the links I posted above. I also gave a few substrate options.

As for enclosure size, your tank is already much, much too small. You need 36x18 or larger now, not as he grows. There is no way for you to offer a proper temperature gradient or roaming space with what you have now.

Heat mats should not be used for tortoises. They’ve evolved to absorb heat from above, and heat mats don’t do much to raise ambients. You need a ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel on a thermostat.

 

[Skip K]

Just my two cents. Listen to the people when they advise changing out the carpet and putting in a substrate that can hold water for humidity. I’ve also found that a water dish like yours ( I have the exact same one) was not being used because the babies didn’t want to climb into it. I positioned the water dish in the coconut coir...to ground level so the babies didn’t need to climb into it and now they all occasionally have a drink or wander through it. Now for my opinion on fruit. It’s rare indeed that I feed any fruit to our torts...even our Redfoots...but they do...all of them ..get the occasional fruit treat. Sugar is hard for certain torts to digest and they are other considerations pro and con. I have given twice...in two months...a small amount of watermelon mixed in with their greens to our baby Sulcatas...but only for hydration purposes...but when they are big enough...to get their little turtle faces to eat cactus...fruit will be almost eliminated from their diet. Our leopard gets the rare occasion fruit as do the Redfoots. Now the reasons I do not have any regular fruit servings are...besides the sugars...a tort can get a sweet tooth and only want to eat fruit...and if a tort grazes outside there is a pretty good chance they will have a slight parasite load...as in the wild. This is no problem for a healthy tort...but sugars can cause a parasite “bloom”...which can overwhelm a tort if it indeed has parasites. Another problem I have read about but not experienced is beak rot from left over fruit that gets deposited on their mouths after eating. Listen to the advice of the people above. Reptiles have a nasty habit of hiding illness until it’s too late....and babies have not even been established enough to withstand incorrect conditions for any period of time. Good luck with your baby!

 

[sumsulcatamom]

hi i’m new here and a new sulcata momma
i’m unsure of my baby’s exact age but he’s a wee thing and has been home with me for about a week so far! he’s doing awesome and loves strawberries and green leaf lettuce! he’s very adventurous, friendly, active, and fun!! i have named him(or her, i am unsure until he grows!!) Doom!!! here is a pic of him

View attachment 295360

hello everyone! i have changed the flooring and gotten new lights. i added a humidity thermometer w his regular one and also got a wheatgrass plant. i’m going to get him a bigger enclosure also but was unable to do so today! his eyes are ok as i’ve been monitoring them, i turned off the other light as soon as i saw your comments! also got a ceramic heater! i appreciate all the help, hence why i came here. he has been soaking himself and climbing into his water which totally scared me at first (he doesn’t hesitate to climb as best as he can and i dug his water area into the flooring so it’s level) any other tips are appreciated! i read that taking him in the lawn every once in a while is good?? is that safe at this age??

 

[Skip K]

That’s what I call affirmative action! Well done

 

[sumsulcatamom]

That’s what I call affirmative action! Well done

thanks so much! i strive to be a good tortoise mom!!! i have lots to learn

 

[Skip K]

And I let my baby Sulcatas out in the yard when it’s warm enough...in a temporary enclosure ( basically some boards resting against each other). But I have to watch them the entire time as the temp enclosure has no cover and winged predators would have no problem carrying one off. Fun to watch them 4 wheel dr over the tall grass. Currently in the process of building a new, protected, outdoor tort enclosure with considerations for the babies as well

 

[KarenSoCal]

I'm very happy that you are making changes!

As you make them, we would like to be sure you are switching to the correct products. If you buy exactly the items in the care sheets, same brand, strength, etc, that's good.

The only way we may be able to save you some money is if you ask us about what to buy. Pet shop stuff is expensive, and you can get the same things online or in Home Depot or Lowe's. What "flooring" did you get? And lights? More on that later.

I know we seem very picky about everything, and we are! Infants of most species are fragile, an in order to survive, conditions must be right on!

You baby needs 4 things right now...proper temperatures, proper lighting, proper humidity, and proper foods. I made food last because right now, food is the least important. That's how serious the first 3 are!

Let's start with temp. A basking area, provided by a certain type of bulb, that shines onto a piece of flat rock, that has a temp of 95-100°F for 12 hours a day.
An overall temp in the enclosure, at the coldest spot, of 80°F.
At night, the entire enclosure never falls below 80°F.

I cannot write out to you every detail of those care sheets. Read them, then post a pic of what you want to buy, and we will help. Or come on here and ask..."which light should I buy for basking?"

Also, the enclosure must be covered on the top with something that keeps in heat and humidity. I know you are getting a new one, but til then you could put aluminum foil over the top.

 

[Maro2Bear]

And I let my baby Sulcatas out in the yard when it’s warm enough...in a temporary enclosure ( basically some boards resting against each other). But I have to watch them the entire timeView attachment 295451 as the temp enclosure has no cover and winged predators would have no problem carrying one off. Fun to watch them 4 wheel dr over the tall grass. Currently in the process of building a new, protected, outdoor tort enclosure with considerations for the babies as well

Yikes, i see THEM refers to three of them!

 

[sumsulcatamom]

I'm very happy that you are making changes!

As you make them, we would like to be sure you are switching to the correct products. If you buy exactly the items in the care sheets, same brand, strength, etc, that's good.

The only way we may be able to save you some money is if you ask us about what to buy. Pet shop stuff is expensive, and you can get the same things online or in Home Depot or Lowe's. What "flooring" did you get? And lights? More on that later.

I know we seem very picky about everything, and we are! Infants of most species are fragile, an in order to survive, conditions must be right on!

You baby needs 4 things right now...proper temperatures, proper lighting, proper humidity, and proper foods. I made food last because right now, food is the least important. That's how serious the first 3 are!

Let's start with temp. A basking area, provided by a certain type of bulb, that shines onto a piece of flat rock, that has a temp of 95-100°F for 12 hours a day.
An overall temp in the enclosure, at the coldest spot, of 80°F.
At night, the entire enclosure never falls below 80°F.

I cannot write out to you every detail of those care sheets. Read them, then post a pic of what you want to buy, and we will help. Or come on here and ask..."which light should I buy for basking?"

Also, the enclosure must be covered on the top with something that keeps in heat and humidity. I know you are getting a new one, but til then you could put aluminum foil over the top.

I'm very happy that you are making changes!

As you make them, we would like to be sure you are switching to the correct products. If you buy exactly the items in the care sheets, same brand, strength, etc, that's good.

The only way we may be able to save you some money is if you ask us about what to buy. Pet shop stuff is expensive, and you can get the same things online or in Home Depot or Lowe's. What "flooring" did you get? And lights? More on that later.

I know we seem very picky about everything, and we are! Infants of most species are fragile, an in order to survive, conditions must be right on!

You baby needs 4 things right now...proper temperatures, proper lighting, proper humidity, and proper foods. I made food last because right now, food is the least important. That's how serious the first 3 are!

Let's start with temp. A basking area, provided by a certain type of bulb, that shines onto a piece of flat rock, that has a temp of 95-100°F for 12 hours a day.
An overall temp in the enclosure, at the coldest spot, of 80°F.
At night, the entire enclosure never falls below 80°F.

I cannot write out to you every detail of those care sheets. Read them, then post a pic of what you want to buy, and we will help. Or come on here and ask..."which light should I buy for basking?"

Also, the enclosure must be covered on the top with something that keeps in heat and humidity. I know you are getting a new one, but til then you could put aluminum foil over the top.

i got him cypress mulch and a ceramic heat emitter! i got an LED light as someone mentioned but i’m unsure as to which light i should be using for his UV. i plan on taking him outside also, i think i can manage watching him for out there while he’s still tiny. i have a few different lights at home for him and my gecko but i don’t have the packaging anymore so i’m unsure of which would be best. i bought a new light bulb for him which is supposed to be a lightbulb and basking bulb and it’s 50-60 watts pretty sure. but i’m not sure if that’s adequate? pet store ppl weren’t much help and there was no hardware store near

 

[Skip K]

Maro...just the tip of the tortberg. 3 baby Sulcatas, 2 Redfoots, 1 Leopard, 1 monster Rhinoclemmys Areolata ( Furrowed Wood Turtle), 7 rescue Eastern Boxies and 2 rescued 3 toes....oh and one cantankerous African Grey.

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

Good luck!