New Sulcata Foster Parent, Would Appreciate Advice!

[madbad]

Hi, guys just wanted to introduce myself and tell you my story. 2 days ago a cute lil Sulcata Tortoise was kind of dumped in my lap. My sister-in-law is a generally irresponsible person with serious drug problems and while LIVING OUT OF A CAR!!, purchased a Sulcata . Her plan was to keep it until it was too big then take it to the tortoise refuge in Anderson, CA.. My wife and I caught up with her living out of her car and brought her and her tort home.

Currently, I live in apartment with no yard and cant provide a real future for my new lil buddy. Normally I would be trying to re-home this guy (and really now is the time because he is still small and so cute!) but I don't actually own this beautiful beast, and I'm not exactly sure what to do about this.

I don't really think he is getting the best care from it's owner, after spending just a couple hours on these forums I have noticed a litany of problems with it's care (low temperature, poor diet, dehydration, no UVB bulb, low humidity substrate, undersized tank). Luckily, with the help of these forums, all of these problems can be solved (except the fact that it has no future in an apartment).

So far I have: Adjusted the basking lamp to make sure he is getting enough heat (his lamp wasn't pointing directly at his basking spot also i ordered a temp gun off amazon so this wont happen again). Purchased some dark leafy greens (he LOVES kale) and I am going to harvest wild grass today, I also ordered some Mazuri. Started him on a daily soaking regimen (he has peed once and pooped twice since I got him day before yesterday both times while soaking and everything looked as I expected it to). I replaced his dirty Cyprus bark bedding with half and half Cyprus and coconut bedding (hydrated I also have a hygrometer coming). I'm going out today to shop for a UVB bulb and a ceramic heat emitter. He is living in a 20 Gallon aquarium so I am going to do some research and next week on payday im gong to make some sort of enclosure (Rubbermaid tub? any recommendations or links?)

What have i missed?

Healthwise, the tort seems pretty good, regular bowel movements, healthy appetite (once the temp was fixed) and loves to roam his tank (which also happens to be it's name! Tank!) he is 52.3 grams but I have no idea of the age. Ill get you guys a picture soon, I have terribad photographic equipment so it may be rough.

My MAIN CONCERN is for my new pal's future, I'm certain I don't have the resources to care for a growing Sulcata, and I'm almost positive the actual owner won't ever be able to give it the home it needs. She is dead set on keeping it though (she seems to think it will be like 20 years before it gets too big to handle).

Is it legal for me to surrender someone else's animal? I don't really GAF if she gets mad at me (temporary anger vs the life of an animal, amiright?), but I don't really want to break the law here. Anyone else have luck convincing someone to surrender their tort? Would her knowingly putting the tort back in to the bad situation of living out of her car constitute animal abuse or animal cruelty? (maybe I could gain some leverage there...)

The upside to this whole mess is that I have now caught Tortoise Fever! I really want my own lil guy! Are there any Torts that can thrive (not just tolerate) living in an apartment situation?

Thanks for reading my book you guys. I really appreciate the knowledge base you folks have created, it beats the hell out of any other information I found out there in the web.

Until next time

 

[Destben]

If she can not care for the little guy and you cant provide the space needed I don't think she has a choice but to surrender it. if shes under the influence then i seriously doubt she has documentation of any sort proving ownership or would go to the authorizes. I'm sure the ASPCA would take the animal away if reported (although i wouldn't surrender it to a shelter of any sort as there is a lot of bad info out there and it probably wouldn't be cared for correctly). If you can find a tortoise rescue, which i bet a bunch of people on here can point you to a good one in your area. As for a smaller tortoise for yourself, you need to keep in mind even the smaller species need a lot of room. Maybe try looking in the russian tortoise section and see if you would be able to provide a good home and then if so search out a breeder to get a healthy tort. Pet stores have this kind of tort but don't care for them well and they are often sick due to bad info. You could keep the sulcata if you can move into a home with a yard big enough for him when he is an adult. Bare in mind they do grow quickly.

 

[madbad]

Thanks for your reply! I'm certain this guy is going to need to be re-homed. At this point It's a matter giving him the best care I can while he is here and trying to convince my wife and sister-in-law that we can't take care of it.

 

[Tom]

Here is the care and feeding info for sulcatas:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Big Charlie]

Kudos to you for trying to help this poor tort. There are members of the forum in your area that might be able to provide a good home for him.

 

[madbad]

It makes me angry that we have crappy little aquariums and pet shops pushing these things as viable pets for your average pet owner, the commitment needed for these guys is staggering.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00101JII8/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I just ordered the 160w bulb for 19.99 with prime, seems like a pretty good deal.

 

[madbad]

 

[madbad]

Seems lethargic today. I can't wait until the temp gun gets here so I know if his temps are right, should be here by 8pm. Right now Im using a digital probe thermometer which isn't optimal.

He got a soak this morning first thing in 95F water and chowed down on some kale first thing when I put him in the tank then moved to the cooler side and has been sleeping for like 4 hours.

I feel like a new parent here, I have no idea what is normal behavior for these guys.

 

[Destben]

Seems lethargic today. I can't wait until the temp gun gets here so I know if his temps are right, should be here by 8pm. Right now Im using a digital probe thermometer which isn't optimal.

He got a soak this morning first thing in 95F water and chowed down on some kale first thing when I put him in the tank then moved to the cooler side and has been sleeping for like 4 hours.

I feel like a new parent here, I have no idea what is normal behavior for these guys.

Try soaking him in warm water just enough to come up to where the top of his shell meets the bottom. He might perk up.

 

[Destben]

Try soaking him in warm water just enough to come up to where the top of his shell meets the bottom. He might perk up.

Also you should get a terra cotta plate to put his food on and another for his water.

 

[vladimir]

It's great that you care so much about the little guy [emoji846] I adopted mine at 2 years old so I may not have a lot of experience with younger torts, but you definitely are at the right place. Tom and others have a wealth of knowledge they share so we can all learn.

Please ask questions! We can all learn and the little tortoise will benefit [emoji846][emoji217]

 

[madbad]

I have the two terra cotta saucers, just no space for them without crowding him out of house and home, im working on picking up a big old sterilite tub for a new enclosure I already have some hardware cloth and cable ties to make the lid. obviously money IS an issue so im trying to make him the biggest enclosure possible for the lowest cost.

An update on his lethargy: I dropped the light like 3 inches and moved him into it, after like 10 minutes hes tanking around the enclosure and eating!

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

Glad things are going well! Humidity is key so a wire lid won’t be your best bet plastic is a better option

 

[madbad]

Glad things are going well! Humidity is key so a wire lid won’t be your best bet plastic is a better option

hmm my plan was to set the lights on the wire then fill in the spaces with foil or plastic to fill in the spaces left in the wire. the hardware cloth was only like 3.50 so nothing really lost there if it wont work.

How would you recommend I set up a plastic lid with the lights? I have 2 basic cheapo heat lamps from home depot, once the 160w UVB/heat bulb arrives I plan to use that to replace the basic exo terra basking bulb. Maybe cut holes through the plastic and hang them inside the enclosure from above?

 

[Big Charlie]

I have the two terra cotta saucers, just no space for them without crowding him out of house and home, im working on picking up a big old sterilite tub for a new enclosure I already have some hardware cloth and cable ties to make the lid. obviously money IS an issue so im trying to make him the biggest enclosure possible for the lowest cost.

An update on his lethargy: I dropped the light like 3 inches and moved him into it, after like 10 minutes hes tanking around the enclosure and eating!

You can use one terra cotta saucer for the water and a flat tile for the food.

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

The wire will work fine if you cover where the lamp is not as you described. Do you Cheapo lamps have ceramic sockets? It’s not safe to use a heat light that big in a plastic lamp socket. 160w is a very big bulb it may be more then you need in anything but a very large enclosure

 

[Hutsie B]

How great of you to take so much care of this turtle. You are a hero. I used rubbermaid tubs for starting my sulcattas, but they out grew them fast. But as a start they will do. I hung the lights and ceramic heater for them to be warm enough. I had room for a water bowl and food bowl and hide. IT sounds like you have a good handle on what to do. But being that you won't be able to take care of him for long, rehoming him now seems like a good idea, or soon, within a few months to a year. THere are lots of good homes out there that can provide the right home for him. best of luck and keep us posted. Sorry about the situation.

 

[madbad]

The sterilite container I just bought is approx. 18 X 32 with a volume of 109 liters , biggest one I could get at Target. When I told the cashier my story while chatting he rang it up at half off with out me even hinting at that so 7.99 for it. Nice guy! It has a top that clips shut to keep my cats out of it, they are getting more interested everyday.

The wire will work fine if you cover where the lamp is not as you described. Do you Cheapo lamps have ceramic sockets? It’s not safe to use a heat light that big in a plastic lamp socket. 160w is a very big bulb it may be more then you need in anything but a very large enclosure

Good Catch on the ceramic socket! Neither of the two lamps have one. The one I purchased today is going back tomorrow then. As far as the 160w bulb i picked it because it was paradoxically cheaper than the 120w or whatever the smaller one was, I'll revise my order now.

 

[madbad]

So a little update: about halfway through the night I covered the open screen of the small 20 gal aquarium with heavy duty aluminium foil. I think Tank loved it! he spent the rest of the night tearing around the enclosure splashing in his water dish and chomping on greens.

Tomorrow is the day for constructing the new enclosure...wish me luck!

 

[madbad]

I got my new temp gun in the mail today, I've been testing it on everything much to my wife's chagrin.

Carapace temp of Tank the Tort is about 91 right now, sound right? He was sitting in his basking spot when I took the temp.

I constructed the new enclosure today. It looks like it is going to work out well, I'll post a pic when the wife gets home and see if you guys can point out any glaring issues before I make the move.

As for health, I have been a bit busy today so haven't been able to observe any eating, that being said he pissed on me after his soak and I cleaned up a turd this afternoon (small, firm, black, pellet). I have observed much more burrowing behavior today, I see an abandoned excavation in one corner and he is sitting in the bottom of another excavation under his basking lamp with mainly his shell showing.

Here's hoping this all sounds right!