New sulcata hatchlings

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello everyone. Thank you very much for accepting me on this forum.
Two days ago arrived at my home 3 sulcata sulcatas that I bought and thank you immensely if you can help me.
Although I bought them from a responsible breeder, I do not think they were well packaged because they came in a plastic box with nothing to protect them from the bumps of the trip, and they did not come with blankets of heat to protect them from the cold.
Although not too cold, the temperature here is on average 75F in the day and 60F at night, but I still think it is too cold for them.In addition, since I had no arrival forecast, I prepared the turtle table a bit in a hurry and used universal substrate, sand and hay as the final substrate.
I also put two boxes as shelter with sphagnum moss moist inside and a UVB lamp and another lamp of ceramic heat.I'm worried because they spend most of their time sleeping, eating little or nothing, and they also move very little.As food I have given them some wild herbs and plants that I have harvested in a garden, besides watercress, courgette, aloe vera that I sprinkle with vitamins. I also put worming in the water, but they drink little or nothing.
Although I have researched a lot about caring for turtles, I now see that theory is nothing without practice.
Please, could you help me? These little turtles have already conquered the affection of the whole family and we want nothing to happen to them.

Many thanks and best wishes to all.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hello everyone. Thank you very much for accepting me on this forum.
Two days ago arrived at my home 3 sulcata sulcatas that I bought and thank you immensely if you can help me.
Although I bought them from a responsible breeder, I do not think they were well packaged because they came in a plastic box with nothing to protect them from the bumps of the trip, and they did not come with blankets of heat to protect them from the cold.
Although not too cold, the temperature here is on average 75F in the day and 60F at night, but I still think it is too cold for them.In addition, since I had no arrival forecast, I prepared the turtle table a bit in a hurry and used universal substrate, sand and hay as the final substrate.
I also put two boxes as shelter with sphagnum moss moist inside and a UVB lamp and another lamp of ceramic heat.I'm worried because they spend most of their time sleeping, eating little or nothing, and they also move very little.As food I have given them some wild herbs and plants that I have harvested in a garden, besides watercress, courgette, aloe vera that I sprinkle with vitamins. I also put worming in the water, but they drink little or nothing.
Although I have researched a lot about caring for turtles, I now see that theory is nothing without practice.
Please, could you help me? These little turtles have already conquered the affection of the whole family and we want nothing to happen to them.

Many thanks and best wishes to all.

Hello and welcome to the forum. Glad that you have found us. You have much to learn about your new shelled friends.
At first: Please read very thoroughly the care sheets for sulcata tortoises on the top of this side. There you will find all answers to your questions, but you have to change some things as soon as possible or your tortoises will get sick in a short time.
Sulcatas are tropical tortoises. They need warm temps night and day. 60 or 75 F is much too cold.
You need a heat lamp for a basking spot of 95 - 100 F and the "colder" side of the enclosure of your torts should be at 80 F.
Night temps of the whole enclosure should never drop lower than 80 F.
If they are sleeping since you got them it is too cold for them. They cannot digest their food when it is too cold. Increase the temps !
A CHE you can use for the night, but by day the torts need a bright light that produces heat and UVB.

Can you please show us pics of your torts and their enclosure ? That will help us to help you. An open tortoise table is no good solution for sulcata baby tortoises but that we can explan later.
Please increase at first the heat or your little torts get sick !
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hi,Bee!

Thank you very much for your reply and for all the advice you gave me.

I suspected that the temperature was too low. Despite having a heat lamp turned on all the time, because the tortoise table is open, the heat eventually got lost.
I will put them in an enclosed space, it is not the best solution, but for now it will have to serve.I will read next the care sheet for sulcata tortoises.
and tomorrow I'll post photos of them and their enclosure.

Thank you very much for everything.Soon I will give news.

Kind Regards,

Marco
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hi,Bee!

Thank you very much for your reply and for all the advice you gave me.

I suspected that the temperature was too low. Despite having a heat lamp turned on all the time, because the tortoise table is open, the heat eventually got lost.
I will put them in an enclosed space, it is not the best solution, but for now it will have to serve.I will read next the care sheet for sulcata tortoises.
and tomorrow I'll post photos of them and their enclosure.

Thank you very much for everything.Soon I will give news.

Kind Regards,

Marco

Hello Marco,

keeping baby sulcata tortoises in a closed chamber or enclosure is the best solution to raise healthy torts. In a closed enclosure you can keep high temps and high humidity.
You can imitate the climate of their natural habitat , I mean the climate in burrows where they spend most of their time when they are young.
Here are more interesting informations about tort enclosures. Read, read, read....;):)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-enclosures.7/

I`m looking forward to your photos.

kind regards

Sabine
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello Marco,

keeping baby sulcata tortoises in a closed chamber or enclosure is the best solution to raise healthy torts. In a closed enclosure you can keep high temps and high humidity.
You can imitate the climate of their natural habitat , I mean the climate in burrows where they spend most of their time when they are young.
Here are more interesting informations about tort enclosures. Read, read, read....;):)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/tortoise-enclosures.7/

I`m looking forward to your photos.

kind regards

Sabine



Hello,Sabine!

Thank you very much for your message!

I changed my baby sulcata tortoises to a higher enclosure, thus raising the temperature to levels in the standard.The basking part is a little over 100F(humidity 44%) and the cool part about 80F(humidity 58%).I thought the humidity was high(was 85%) , but apparently I'll have to increase it a little more.I put sphagnum moss moist in the shelter so that they hydrate more and I also have a bowl with water of easy access. They usually enter the bowl of water from time to time.I did not cover the enclosure because the temperature was getting too high, moreover we are in summer and the temperatures will increase even more.I confess that I am still a beginner, I have to learn everything, but I hope I do not lose any of my tortoises during the process.I am using as substrate, yellow park sand as the bottom layer, universal substrate as the middle layer and hay as the top layer.I bought coconut fiber, but when I put water , it turned into a thick mass. I'm waiting for it to dry to put it in tomorrow.I'm having some feeding problems because they only eat dandelion and lawn flowers, I have three different kinds of turtle food and I also give them mixed greens, but they prefer the flowers I mentioned.They still sleep most of the day, but they already move and eat a little more.

Let's see if I start doing the right things and they survive.

Dear Sabine, I had a very busy day today, but tomorrow I will see if I take their photos without fail.

Many thanks for your kindness.

Kind Regards,

Marco
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello,Tom!

Many thanks for your message and the links that you indicated to me.
I am in Portugal,south of Europe,a country with a perfect climate for Mediterranean tortoises, but too cold and humid for desert species, like the sulcata.

I will read the threads with the utmost attention and then I will present any questions that arise.


Thank you very much,Tom!

My Best Regards,

Marco
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello again, Tom!

I read the threads you sent me and I saw that I'm making a huge mistake with the substrate I use. As it is evening, I decided not to disturb them, but tomorrow I will change the substrate to just dirt.I put the bowl of water under the ceramic lamp to see if the humidity levels increase.
As tortoises are here at home for 3 days and do not appear to be ill, although they are sleeping too much and eating poorly,perhaps there are still possibilities to save them all.I bought them at a private breeder in Spain, an honest and dedicated person. Unfortunately I did not ask for any advice on how to take care of the tortoises.


Many thanks for your advice,Tom!

My Best Regards,

Marco
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Good luck Marco.

We are here for you for any questions that come up along the way.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hello Marco,

you have noticed the mistake you are making with the soil for your tortoise home by yourself: Sand can cause constipation when tortoises eat the sand and hay will mold when it is humid in the tort enclosure.
I use orchid bark for my little torts and natural ground and it works fine.

By the way: It`s a pleasure for me writing with you.:)

with kind regards

Sabine
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Good luck Marco.

We are here for you for any questions that come up along the way.

Thanks a lot,Tom!

You can not imagine how it helped me to read the threads you posted.

I apologize in advance, but I think that along the way I will still have to ask more questions.

Have a great weekend!

My Best Regards,

Marco
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello Marco,

you have noticed the mistake you are making with the soil for your tortoise home by yourself: Sand can cause constipation when tortoises eat the sand and hay will mold when it is humid in the tort enclosure.
I use orchid bark for my little torts and natural ground and it works fine.

By the way: It`s a pleasure for me writing with you.:)

with kind regards

Sabine


Hello,Sabine!

Luckily I noticed in time the mistakes I was making about the temperature and the substrate I was using.Without your help I would not have noticed.
I have coconut fiber and natural ground, but since I'm having some problems with the fiber (I think I'm adding too much water), I'll see if I can get orchid bark too.

You are very kind. The pleasure is all mine to write to you!

By the way,I did not forget the photos.
I will have to take and post some today without fail(I took some with the laptop webcam but they did not look good).

Have a nice day!

Kind Regards,

Marco
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello,Sabine!

Luckily I noticed in time the mistakes I was making about the temperature and the substrate I was using.Without your help I would not have noticed.
I have coconut fiber and natural ground, but since I'm having some problems with the fiber (I think I'm adding too much water), I'll see if I can get orchid bark too.

You are very kind. The pleasure is all mine to write to you!

By the way,I did not forget the photos.
I will have to take and post some today without fail(I took some with the laptop webcam but they did not look good).

Have a nice day!

Kind Regards,

Marco


Hello again,Sabine.

As promised, I will send some photos of my tortoises, the quality is not the best and they are a bit monotonous because they were taken a little hurry on my brother's mobile phone.I covered a portion of some photos because I'm using an empty cereal box as a temporary shelter :rolleyes:.

The tortoises arrived a little ahead of time (it was to arrive at the end of the month, but there was an unexpected and they came at the beginning) and I'm still working on their enclosure.I have not yet changed the substratum, but today I sprinkled the enclosure with lukewarm water, the humidity level increased and they brightened a little, although the two darker tortoises ate much less than the lightest and I do not know if it's normal.They feed a little and walk from time to time, but they spend a lot of time sleeping (the lightest one too) in the basking area.In addition to the flowers of grass and the dandelions, they also began to eat hibiscus and daisies.Today is the third day they are here and as it is very little time, I hope this behavior is normal.

Now I'm going to send the photos and hope you're not displeased because they still have a lot of hay in their habitat(by the way,they like to hide under the hay but i know that i have to get it out).

See you soon.

Kind Regards,

Marco
Hello,Sabine!

Luckily I noticed in time the mistakes I was making about the temperature and the substrate I was using.Without your help I would not have noticed.
I have coconut fiber and natural ground, but since I'm having some problems with the fiber (I think I'm adding too much water), I'll see if I can get orchid bark too.

You are very kind. The pleasure is all mine to write to you!

By the way,I did not forget the photos.
I will have to take and post some today without fail(I took some with the laptop webcam but they did not look good).

Have a nice day!

Kind Regards,

Marco
 

Attachments

  • 00TORTS II.jpg
    00TORTS II.jpg
    2.5 MB · Views: 29
  • OOTORTS I.jpg
    OOTORTS I.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 28
  • OOTORTSIII.jpg
    OOTORTSIII.jpg
    2.8 MB · Views: 29

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Thanks a lot,Tom!

You can not imagine how it helped me to read the threads you posted.

I apologize in advance, but I think that along the way I will still have to ask more questions.

Have a great weekend!

My Best Regards,

Marco


Hello,Tom!

I want to tell you something I also told Sabine.

As i told her,i did not change the substrate.There is still a lot of hay, but I sprayed the enclosure with tepid water,the humidity level increased and they became a bit more active.They spend most of the time sleeping under the basking spot,but they walk a little and eat something,it is mainly the light one that feeds,the other two also eat but it is she who eats more.
Today,in addition to the flowers of grass and the dandelion,they began to eat also hibiscus and daisies.
Since they arrived recently,i do not know if it's normal for one to eat more than the others.


Thank you for your attention,Tom!



My Best Regards,


Marco
 

daniellenc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
2,084
Location (City and/or State)
Maryland
I would change the substrate hay will just mold. You can keep some hay for digging but keep it dry and remove if you notice mold. As long as you find a way to seal their enclosure, keep heat and humidity in, and let them settle in they'll be great. Cypress or orchard bark, spahgnum or similar mosses are great for humidity, and keeping a shallow easy to access water bowl under their heat source helps a ton.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello,Tom!

I want to tell you something I also told Sabine.

As i told her,i did not change the substrate.There is still a lot of hay, but I sprayed the enclosure with tepid water,the humidity level increased and they became a bit more active.They spend most of the time sleeping under the basking spot,but they walk a little and eat something,it is mainly the light one that feeds,the other two also eat but it is she who eats more.
Today,in addition to the flowers of grass and the dandelion,they began to eat also hibiscus and daisies.
Since they arrived recently,i do not know if it's normal for one to eat more than the others.

I would remove all the hay. It will mold.

Daisies are toxic.

It is normal to see reduced appetite in the first few days.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
I would remove all the hay. It will mold.

Daisies are toxic.

It is normal to see reduced appetite in the first few days.

I never have heard that daisies are toxic. I know daisies as a good tortoise food.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hello again,Sabine.

As promised, I will send some photos of my tortoises, the quality is not the best and they are a bit monotonous because they were taken a little hurry on my brother's mobile phone.I covered a portion of some photos because I'm using an empty cereal box as a temporary shelter :rolleyes:.

The tortoises arrived a little ahead of time (it was to arrive at the end of the month, but there was an unexpected and they came at the beginning) and I'm still working on their enclosure.I have not yet changed the substratum, but today I sprinkled the enclosure with lukewarm water, the humidity level increased and they brightened a little, although the two darker tortoises ate much less than the lightest and I do not know if it's normal.They feed a little and walk from time to time, but they spend a lot of time sleeping (the lightest one too) in the basking area.In addition to the flowers of grass and the dandelions, they also began to eat hibiscus and daisies.Today is the third day they are here and as it is very little time, I hope this behavior is normal.

Now I'm going to send the photos and hope you're not displeased because they still have a lot of hay in their habitat(by the way,they like to hide under the hay but i know that i have to get it out).

See you soon.

Kind Regards,

Marco

Hello Marco,

thank you for the pics. Your three sullies are cute and beautiful. Now it is upt to you that they stay healthy.
Do you have fixed the temps day and night ? It is very difficult in an open box where they actually live.
On what are you working ? I hope it is a big closed enclosure. Can you upload some pics ?
Please rember that humidity must go hand in hand with warmth. When it is too cold ( mayby at night ) your torts will get sick from the humidity.
Do your torts have a hide in their box ? At that age they need a place to hide because their natural instinct tells them to hide themselfs against predators. They feel uncomfortable if they don`t have a place to hide.
Do they have a flat water bowl ? They need fresh water every day to drink. Sometimes torts love to climb into the water bowl to sit in the warm water ( when you place the bowl under a heat lamp ).
One of my tortoises does this every morning. He ( Leo ) sits in the warm water for an hour. Then he climbs out and starts eating.
Remove quickly the hay. I they have a hide they don`t need to hide under the hay. When hay molds the fungus can infect the lungs of your tortoises.
What are the red spots on the shell of two of your tortoises ( on the two darker ones ) ?

Many questions..... I don`t want to annoy you, but asking things is the only way to avoid problems.

Hope to see you again soon .....:);)

with kind regards

Sabine
 

Marco1970

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
25
Hello Marco,

thank you for the pics. Your three sullies are cute and beautiful. Now it is upt to you that they stay healthy.
Do you have fixed the temps day and night ? It is very difficult in an open box where they actually live.
On what are you working ? I hope it is a big closed enclosure. Can you upload some pics ?
Please rember that humidity must go hand in hand with warmth. When it is too cold ( mayby at night ) your torts will get sick from the humidity.
Do your torts have a hide in their box ? At that age they need a place to hide because their natural instinct tells them to hide themselfs against predators. They feel uncomfortable if they don`t have a place to hide.
Do they have a flat water bowl ? They need fresh water every day to drink. Sometimes torts love to climb into the water bowl to sit in the warm water ( when you place the bowl under a heat lamp ).
One of my tortoises does this every morning. He ( Leo ) sits in the warm water for an hour. Then he climbs out and starts eating.
Remove quickly the hay. I they have a hide they don`t need to hide under the hay. When hay molds the fungus can infect the lungs of your tortoises.
What are the red spots on the shell of two of your tortoises ( on the two darker ones ) ?

Many questions..... I don`t want to annoy you, but asking things is the only way to avoid problems.

Hope to see you again soon .....:);)

with kind regards

Sabine


Hello,Sabine!

Thank you very much for your reply!

I'll take more pictures of them when they're in a bigger and better enclosure.

During the day they are between 102 and 105F in the basking spot and 78 to 80F in the cool spot and at night they are between 93F in the hot spot and 78F(always the same temperature, I know) in the cold spot.
Unfortunately my lamps have no temperature regulator and what I do is to turn off the UVB lamp and move the heat lamp away at night,to cool the enclosure.I had to remove the lid from the box so it would not become too hot for them.

I have a large wooden bookcase that I will turn into an enclosure for them, but because it's too big and they're too small, I do not know if it's a good idea for them to spend the cold, wet winter in that space.When they grow up a little more, I have a covered outdoor yard that measures 4X2 and where they can grow with more space and comfort,after that they can comfortably walk in the backyard of the house.

Unfortunately the humidity levels are low (between 45% in the hot spot and 60% in the cold spot). The levels were much higher, between 75 and 90%, but since I read that they did not support high levels of humidity,i put the hay to reduce it.

They had two places to hide in the enclosure but as it took up a lot of space, I decided to take them out and put this makeshift cave, maybe it's better to put at least one of the shelters again.

Yes, they always have a water bowl with clean water, they usually spend some time inside it moisturizing a little.

I was going to remove the hay yesterday, but as I noticed that they hide underneath it, I was sorry to disturb them, but I'll take it shortly (it's still 05:00 here).

The red marks on the shell of the two darker tortoises were placed by the breeder who sold them to me, perhaps to count them.One of the marks is already disappearing and the other will also disappear with time.

You do not bother me at all, Sabine. It's always a pleasure to communicate with you, not forgetting that you're helping me a lot.:)

I also hope to see you soon ...

Kind regards,

Marco
 

New Posts

Top