New sulcata owner

[jarod126]

Hi everyone,

just wanted to say hi, and would like everyone's opinion on my set-up for my new hatchling, Rocky, who was a bday gift to my daughter and is about 1 month old now, AND just happened to be born on my daughter's 8th birthday.

any opinion on the following would be welcome.


lighting/heat/humidity: indoors, i have a zoomed tortoise house with a 100w powersun uva/uvb mercury bulb that sits directly on the wire cage and is on about about 10 hours/day about 12 inches from substrate. also have an additional nighttime ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat ready to turn on at night automatically when the temp drops to 74.
basking spot is about 100 deg.
open area is about 80-90 deg. hide spot is about 76 deg.
day humidity is about 35% in open area, 55% in hide spot.
night humidity is about open-55%, hide-65%.

hydration: fresh water avail all the time, changed once a day, and its in both hide and open areas. i try to soak him about 1-2 times a day about a minute or 2 until he just walks out of the shallow water pan. i don't have a moist substrate, just alfalfa pellets. should I switch to coir? i was concerned that he may choke on it. what do you think?

substrate: as stated above, just alfalfa pellets, thinking of switching ro coir. I have flat shallow rocks scattered flush in the substrate.

food: finely cut st augustine grass, bermuda hay, fescue, dandelion greens, arugula, cactus. fed about once a day. 2x a week I dust it with calcium/vitamin supplement that has d3 sans phosphorus.

wake/sleep: he wakes up slowly at 6am when I turn on the light, then eats soon after. when I get home from work about 4p I turn off the light but he is already asleep and still under the lighted side, in the corner. is this appropriate behavior?

flaky shell: his shell seems to flake a little bit, but i haven't changed anything. i just keep wetting him. is this a concern?

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. First dump the pellets. They are the worse thing you could use for substrate. Second, do not let temps go below 80 and get the humidity up to 80%. Coconut coir is a great substrate for humidity and will not mold. Please read Toms threads below in my post for raising a smooth, healthy sulcata.

 

[sibi]

Hi and congratulations! I'm a little concerned that the baby is very, very dry. That means that when he hatched, the breeder didn't hatch him moist and wet. I would give him warm soaks 2-3 times daily for 30 minutes at a time. Don't allow the baby to walk out of the water. He should be in a bowl where he can't get out so that he can soak and absorb water. Babies don't usually like many things that are good for them. Warm, long soaks are very good for him. You'll begin to see a difference once you change the temps higher and the humidity higher

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

Sibi is correct, and far more experienced than I.


Sulcata's are hatched during a hot, humid, rainy part of Africa's seasons, so we need to replicate that. Think like an earthworm. Can an earthworm survive and not turn into a piece of jerky in your setup? My hatching is in a fishtank, substrate is heavily saturated with water. Runs about 90% humidity day and night.

Tom has some incredible articles here about raising a Sulcata hatchling in ideal conditions. I'm a long time veteran veterinary technician....and I was so impressed with Tom's knowledge and dedication that I had to get a baby from him...I was not in the market for one. LOL

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome...as said, keeping temps at 100- 105 in a basking spo, and 95 in warm spot and 85-80 in cool area with 80% humidity and above are ideal conditions. But never let your temps fall below 80* if you do this is asking for trouble. It can cause a respiratory infection. Pellets are old school. They dont hold humidity without molding. I would use something else.. i would change the temps and see if his behavior changes...

 

[jarod126]

Hello and welcome...as said, keeping temps at 100- 105 in a basking spo, and 95 in warm spot and 85-80 in cool area with 80% humidity and above are ideal conditions. But never let your temps fall below 80* if you do this is asking for trouble. It can cause a respiratory infection. Pellets are old school. They dont hold humidity without molding. I would use something else.. i would change the temps and see if his behavior changes...

Thanks everybody. After reading everything I am convinced on changing my substrate and increasing soak time and temps.

Jarod126