New Sulcata Owner!

[.sunflower]

Hello All!
My name is Sandy and I live in Coos Bay, Oregon at this time. I am the proud owner of a 2 year old Sulcata Tortoise that I have named 'Zeus'. I did quite a bit of research and do know that where I live is not the very best place for a Sulcata..... but I believe it is someone named Maggie who has at least one in Oregon ` so I know it can be done!

I have been reading here off and on the last half year as part of my research and want to thank you all for the very informative answers I have seen given to questions - even from newbies like myself!

Zeus is very small at the moment and has not been handled much before I got him 12 days ago, but he is now eating well and seems to have adjusted somewhat to being in our household! I hope he will someday be a very big tortoise, and I do believe that belonging to a group such as this might help that happen.

Glad to meet you all!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. He is very cute. The humid way will still be beneficial to Zeus. At least a humid hide.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sandy, and welcome to the Forum!

Zeus is probably past the 'baby' stage, however, he's pyramiding quite a bit, so take Wellington's suggestion and set him up in a humid environment. this may help to get the new growth growing smoother.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Welcome Sandi. I too live in the “Garden State"! though I'm much further inland than you (I know, The Beaver State, but I'm a Ducks fan). I currently have here at the ranch 6 sulcata. Yes it can be done, but it's not as ideal as other states, nor is it as hard as other states. Are you keeping your new youngun in a closed chamber type enclosure as recommended by Tom and others,(myself included) ? My youngest I received as a hatchling and set him up straight away with the hot/humid closed chamber and he is doing great. Nice and smooth and healthy in every way.
My biguns live outside all year in a very large enclosure with a large heated tortoise shed for retreating to when night falls, or when the weather is too cool for them to not have somewhere to get warmed back up after grazing.
Ask all the questions that cross your mind and soon, you too will be answering other folks questions as you gain knowledge. Also post all the pictures you want of your little one, we, unlike friends and family, never tire of sharing photos.
Here is Little Ricky. He is 18 months ;

 

[Yvonne G]

I thought the Garden State was New Jersey. Not only that, but you actually live in the state where people don't tan, they rust...the Rust state.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Yvonne, as a Ducks football fan, it is just too difficult for be to use the B word, our in state rivals!!!!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Sandy welcome to the TFO from AZ . Great looking tort .

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Yvonne that's not like yourself but cute " the rust state "

 

[mike taylor]

Welcome to TFO from Texas!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Hello Sandy welcome to the TFO from AZ . Great looking tort .

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Yvonne that's not like yourself but cute " the rust state "

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This is a common sentiment in these parts. “We don't tan, we rust." That didn't stick so we got stuck with a billboard on the California border heading north that reads “Welcome to Oregon. Spend your money then go home." True story that one is.

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We've also tried these on ; We Love Dreamers; Things Look Different Here (1987-2003)

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hey Sandy...Welcome to the Forum. I live in Corvallis and have successfully raised some tortoises here. It does take a little extra work but once you get Zeus set up correctly it will easier. You are welcome to come and see how I have my tortoises set up and I would be glad to help you any way I can. I have Bob who now is 16 yrs old and weighs 150 pounds. When I got him he was 5 yrs old and already pyramided, however, the bigger he gets the less bad the pyramids look. They never go away but with size they don't look quite as bad.
You'll need a good UVB light here in Oregon as we just don't have good enough sun light. Add calcium to his food, give him lots of humidity (not a problem in Coos Bay), and make sure he gets lots of exercise. I'd try for about 60% humidity in his container. You can do that by having a good substrate and keeping it moist. A lot of what we might use for substrate here in Oregon has pine in it and that can be toxic to tortoises so be careful what you use.
I was a long haul truck driver for a number of years and used to deliver to the Kmart in Coos Bay. I really like that town and have spent some days off there. The fog is yucky, but other than that it is one of my favorite places to visit...

Ken...I really like the billboard that used to be in Medford on I-5...
"Don't Californicate Oregon"...

Go Beavers!!!

 

[shanu303]

Hello Sandy and welcome to TFO

 

[.sunflower]

Hello and Welcome. He is very cute. The humid way will still be beneficial to Zeus. At least a humid hide.

Thanks for the welcome Wellington! Living on the coast, I have been afraid of having too much humidity in his enclosure, and have probably kept it a little too dry as a result. I did put a wet sponge on top of his terra cotta pot hide today and he went inside for an hour or so before he came out again!

 

[.sunflower]

Hi Sandy, and welcome to the Forum!

Zeus is probably past the 'baby' stage, however, he's pyramiding quite a bit, so take Wellington's suggestion and set him up in a humid environment. this may help to get the new growth growing smoother.

Thanks for the welcome Yvonne!

I kind of thought maybe he had some pyramiding, but I wasn't sure. I have no idea what he was being fed before, as I got him the day after he was shipped to the pet store and the lady there had very little information on how they were kept.

I had him in an old 5 gallon fish tank for the first night, but then moved him into a plastic bin that is 21in x 14in by 8in, where he's been living ever since, mostly because of all i'd read about avoiding fish tanks because they are too humid. Is there a thread you know about perhaps that deals with how to regulate humidity in such 'open' enclosures? (There is a screen top, of course)

 

[.sunflower]

Welcome Sandi. I too live in the “Garden State"! though I'm much further inland than you (I know, The Beaver State, but I'm a Ducks fan). I currently have here at the ranch 6 sulcata. Yes it can be done, but it's not as ideal as other states, nor is it as hard as other states. Are you keeping your new youngun in a closed chamber type enclosure as recommended by Tom and others,(myself included) ? My youngest I received as a hatchling and set him up straight away with the hot/humid closed chamber and he is doing great. Nice and smooth and healthy in every way.
My biguns live outside all year in a very large enclosure with a large heated tortoise shed for retreating to when night falls, or when the weather is too cool for them to not have somewhere to get warmed back up after grazing.
Ask all the questions that cross your mind and soon, you too will be answering other folks questions as you gain knowledge. Also post all the pictures you want of your little one, we, unlike friends and family, never tire of sharing photos.
Here is Little Ricky. He is 18 months ;

Hi Ken - Little Ricky is adorable!

My newbieness is really going to show as I as 'what is a closed chamber, vs a hot and humid closed chamber'? And - which is best to help Zeus? And, what kind of tortoise shed did you find for them, or was it one you made yourself?

and, since you invited another picture.....

 

[.sunflower]

Hello Sandy welcome to the TFO from AZ . Great looking tort .

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Yvonne that's not like yourself but cute " the rust state "

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Thank you Grandpa Turtle! I am very happy to be making everyone's acquaintence here!

 

[.sunflower]

Welcome to TFO from Texas!

Greetings Mike! Is that your tortoise in your avatar picture?

 

[.sunflower]

Hey Sandy...Welcome to the Forum. I live in Corvallis and have successfully raised some tortoises here. It does take a little extra work but once you get Zeus set up correctly it will easier. You are welcome to come and see how I have my tortoises set up and I would be glad to help you any way I can. I have Bob who now is 16 yrs old and weighs 150 pounds. When I got him he was 5 yrs old and already pyramided, however, the bigger he gets the less bad the pyramids look. They never go away but with size they don't look quite as bad.
You'll need a good UVB light here in Oregon as we just don't have good enough sun light. Add calcium to his food, give him lots of humidity (not a problem in Coos Bay), and make sure he gets lots of exercise. I'd try for about 60% humidity in his container. You can do that by having a good substrate and keeping it moist. A lot of what we might use for substrate here in Oregon has pine in it and that can be toxic to tortoises so be careful what you use.
I was a long haul truck driver for a number of years and used to deliver to the Kmart in Coos Bay. I really like that town and have spent some days off there. The fog is yucky, but other than that it is one of my favorite places to visit...

Ken...I really like the billboard that used to be in Medford on I-5...
"Don't Californicate Oregon"...

Go Beavers!!!

Hi Maggiefan!

Yes, I know that how I currently have Zeus set up is not how it will stay. What would be a better way is what brought me to ultimately sign up for the forum! I do have a UVB light and the night time heat bulb that I use (not at the same time), and I do sprinkle his food with the calcium dust that includes the D3 vitamin, which I hope is okay for him.

Right now I have him eating clean grass from the yard, with some dandelion leaves, kale, collard greens and a little celery and 3 leafed clovers. I chop it up for him still, but not completely bite sized. Once in a while I offer him a yellow dandilion flower or a little white daisy from the yard. I also wet 2 or 3 pellets of ZooMed Natural Grasslands Tortoise Food and smear that around in his 'salad'. Its taken him a week to really get so he goes after his food, and there is always timothy hay in his enclosure as well that he munches on.

For his bedding I use a one inch layer of aspen, with another inch of 60% EcoEarth coconut fiber dirt and 30% aspen and 10% timothy hay. I ended up using the Ecoearth because he seemed to have such a hard time walking around in the aspen stuff. I also let him soak in a warm bath for 15 - 20 minutes every other day, where he urinates well and I dry him off and socialize with him some before he goes back in his enclosure.

I have a part of cuttlebone in there, but he hasn't touched it...... and there is a ping pong ball he pushes around, and some smooth river rocks embedded in the substrate around his food area so he has to crawl up a small slope to get to it. Do you see anything there I should or shouldn't be doing - or is there something I'm missing?

 

[.sunflower]

Hello Sandy and welcome to TFO

Hi Shanu! Thanks for the welcome! What a beautiful tortoise in your avatar! Is that your Indian Star tort? The pattern is lovely!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

In regard to your questions;

The chambers are the same. I built mine following input from Tom's posts. I was only unable to make mine as big. Mine is 2'x2'x4'.

The tortoise shed I made as well.

Continue to ask questions…soon you will be helping others with answers.
Always post pictures of Zeus.

 

[Jim in Merced CA]

Welcome!