New Sulcata Owner (help!)

Erica2568

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20161228_174026.jpg 20170103_044351.jpg 20170103_040231.jpg 20170103_040231.jpg 20161229_125446.jpg So I was given a baby Sulcata as a Christmas present.. Ive had her for almost 2 weeks.. Im very very nervous and worried that Im not taking care of her right and that shes not going to last. I owned one before years ago and sadly the heat lamp fell inside of his enclosure and he crawled under it and sat there until he basically cooked to death. I wasnt home at the time.. I was devastated. Back then I didnt even research Sulcatas but now I have and I see that theres alot that goes into caring for one. So to make sure my tortoise stays healthy and lives a long happy life I would really appreciate any advice and information you feel I need... im just confused on how to care for her because when I research things theres different answers on every forum. So about my Sulcata. I have no idea how old she is but shes a baby, when I was gifted her I also was given a tank and bedding. The tank is pretty small, its just temporary since she was a surprise gift. The bedding is some kind of EcoEarth. Its brown like soil and very messy and powdery. But I heard its good to have for the humidity and moisture. Ive been feeding her lettuce. ( iceberg lettuce). I know its not the best for them but like I said she was a surprise so I wasnt prepared. I bought some dry food for her, T-rex Tortoise Dry Formula. Its multi colored round pellets. She seems to like it. I have a water bowl in her tank but I never see her get in it.... I just put a log in there for her to hide, I dont see her get in that much either. I have a 100w Repti Basking Spot Lamp and a Zoo Med Daylight Blue Bulb 60w. Leave both on during the day and turn the basking lamp off at night (worried that she might dry out or something). I soak her a couple times a week, and spray her like 7 times a day.. Before I go out and basically rebuild her a PROPER home that will actually keep her healthy, I want to know exactly what I need and how her enclosure should be set up. Only thing is I cant spend like $80 on just special lights.. I need to get things for her that are reasonable prices and not so expensive.
 
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JoesMum

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Hello and welcome :)

This is going to be a very long post post, sorry but I am trying to address all your questions

I suggest that you start by reading this guide to caring for Sulcatas. It will tell you everything you need to know

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Your little Sully will be just fine in an aquarium to start, but will outgrow it quite rapidly. In a very few years you will have a 100lb bulldozer that must be kept outside.

You need to pay particular attention to the following:

Humidity
Your baby needs to be raised in a humid environment. This means you need to close in the roof of your tank and the substrate must be damp. You can use foil or plexiglass to cover the top - just don't touch the lights.

Take all the decor out and tip some water into the substrate and mix it with your hands - keep adding water a little at a time until of it is damp, not wet. Maintain the humidity by spraying with water from a plant mist bottle a couple of times a day. You will need to repeat tipping water in every few weeks as the substrate dries out.

Lights
As you have already discovered those clamp lamps are not safe. Your basking bulb must hang vertically - you can buy a lamp stand or make your own from pipe or wood.

It needs to be 95-100F directly under the basking lamp at tortoise level. To measure this you need a good digital thermometer. A temperature gun type is best - inexpensive from Amazon or a hardware store - like this
View attachment 196232

Your blue daylight bulb won't provide the UVB your tort needs. I will post a lighting summary next to explain what your tort needs.

Food
Those reptile bowls are a tipping hazard and hard for a tortoise to use. Get a terracotta plant saucer for water. A piece of flat rock or slate (or even the back of a bathroom tile) is the best food plate and will help to keep your tort's beak in shape while it eats.

Your tort's diet is leafy, weedy greens and grasses (you will need to cut grass really small with scissors to start).

Your tort can't digest sugars properly - they cause digestive and kidney problems - so fruit, tomato, carrot and bell pepper should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally if at all.

At this time of year, many of us are reliant on store bought greens and a good quality pellet such as Mazuri (not Mazuri LS, torts don't seem to like it). Look up the ones you can buy and those growing round you on The Tortoise Table Plant Database (TTT) for suitability to feed.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp?v=desktop

I'll post a list of weeds separately too :)
 

JoesMum

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Here's a lighting summary:

Your tort needs:

1. A basking lamp
This must hang vertically, not at an angle. Basking is essential to raise your tortoise's core temperature so it can digest food. This must be on continuously for 12-14 hours and must not be used with a thermostat.

2. UVB light
Read the instructions for the source to see how close to the substrate it must be. UVB is essential so your tort can process dietary calcium and have healthy bones and shell. This must also be on for 12-14 hours.

Both 1 and 2 are available from the sun for those able to live outside.

UVB does not pass through glass or perspex(plexiglass) - light must be direct to be effective not through a window. Mesh screening can also interfere with UVB.

3. A minimum overnight temperature (see the care sheet for your species) and complete darkness at night to sleep.


Notes

(a) A Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) provides combined UVB and Basking. Alternatively you can use 2 bulbs: a tube UVB and a reflector bulb for basking (a household reflector - not low energy or halogen - from a hardware store will do the job; it's the wattage that counts) It must not be used with a thermostat, rheostat or dimmer.

(b) Ignore any references to UVA you may read - it's misleading marketing speak.

(c) Compact coil UVB harms tortoise eyes and must not be used.

(d) Basking and UVB should be on a timer so the light(s) are on for 12 hours a day. Temperature under the basking is regulated by its height above the substrate.

(e) Overnight, depending on your home, you may need additional heat. You get this from a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) which must be on a thermostat.

(f) Torts have outstanding colour vision and love red and purple food. Coloured heat lamps colour tank decor and torts don't always apply intelligence to what they eat, resulting them in eating tank decor. Coloured bulbs should not be used.


Measurements

There are 4 important temperatures that you must know for an indoor enclosure.
- Directly under the basking lamp
- Warm side
- Cool side
- Overnight Minimum

You will need digital thermometers for accuracy.

A temperature gun thermometer (inexpensive from Amazon) measures temperature accurately in specific places like directly under the basking lamp.

A min/max thermometer so you know the min/max temperatures in your home by day and night.

You should also get a good digital probe hygrometer to measure humidity.

Thermometers and hygrometer that stick to the side of the enclosure tend to be less accurate.
 

JoesMum

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Here's a list of suitable greens

Look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database if you're not sure what they look like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
 

Big Charlie

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Nearly any grocery green is better than iceberg lettuce. I stopped eating it many years ago when I was told it wasn't suitable for my guinea pigs since they use many chemicals to grow it. Grass and weeds from your yard, as long as it hasn't been sprayed with chemicals, is probably best. You can get hay, cut it up really small and soak it.
 

Blakem

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I use a ceramic heat emitter 100w set on a thermostat. But it's on 24/7 to control the heat all day. You can order it on tortoise supply and they don't cost much.
 
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