New to Sulcata Care

[KylianMbp]

Hello everyone, cheers from Bakersfield CA. I am brand new to this entire experience and I'm looking to learn how to best care for my new bud. I was just randomly gifted a baby sulcata by a family friend and I had no idea what to do so I've spent some time watching videos and reading threads over the past few days. This enclosure is what I came up (with don't mind the water he just threw dirt in before I took the picture). I was looking for some expert eyes though to let me know what's missing or what could be done better. I am currently feeding him Mazuri feed, like 7 pellets a day. I saw somewhere that this was the appropriate amount for tortoises less than 1 y/o however feel free to correct me if that is incorrect.
A few Questions I have:
How long should his lamp stay on per day?
Is there specific feeding periods I should give him and remove un-eaten food to prevent bugs in the enclosure?
Do I ever need to scrub his shell to wash him off?
How warm do the daily soaks need to be/ How long should I let him soak?
Any recommended videos to watch or threads to follow?

Thank you in advance to everyone who takes time out of their days to help me. I really appreciate any help I can get.

 

[Josh]

Welcome to the forum!
I shoot for 12/12 or 14/10 for light/dark hours.
I would feed all he can eat within a set time and remove the rest. Try that twice a day or so until you get a feel for his feeding patterns.
I don't really scrub them but a nice rinse goes a long way.
I use water that feels just warm to the touch. Like just a touch too cold for bathwater. Soak for as long as you're willing to supervise. 30 mins would be more than plenty

 

[KylianMbp]

Welcome to the forum!
I shoot for 12/12 or 14/10 for light/dark hours.
I would feed all he can eat within a set time and remove the rest. Try that twice a day or so until you get a feel for his feeding patterns.
I don't really scrub them but a nice rinse goes a long way.
I use water that feels just warm to the touch. Like just a touch too cold for bathwater. Soak for as long as you're willing to supervise. 30 mins would be more than plenty

Thank you! Very helpful info

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone, cheers from Bakersfield CA. I am brand new to this entire experience and I'm looking to learn how to best care for my new bud. I was just randomly gifted a baby sulcata by a family friend and I had no idea what to do so I've spent some time watching videos and reading threads over the past few days. This enclosure is what I came up (with don't mind the water he just threw dirt in before I took the picture). I was looking for some expert eyes though to let me know what's missing or what could be done better. I am currently feeding him Mazuri feed, like 7 pellets a day. I saw somewhere that this was the appropriate amount for tortoises less than 1 y/o however feel free to correct me if that is incorrect.
A few Questions I have:
How long should his lamp stay on per day?
Is there specific feeding periods I should give him and remove un-eaten food to prevent bugs in the enclosure?
Do I ever need to scrub his shell to wash him off?
How warm do the daily soaks need to be/ How long should I let him soak?
Any recommended videos to watch or threads to follow?

Thank you in advance to everyone who takes time out of their days to help me. I really appreciate any help I can get.

Hello and welcome. If you've been watching videos, then you've gotten all the usual wrong info that almost everyone starts with. I say all of this to help you keep this guy alive and well, not to be mean.

Almost all of the care info for this species is the same wrong info repeated over and over. You've got the wrong lights, wrong type of enclosure, wrong substrate, no night heat, etc... I'm not trying to upset you, but if no one tells you what is wrong, you won't know what to fix so your new little one survives and thrives.

Start here and read through it at least twice:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Then go through this one a couple of times:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[KylianMbp]

Hello and welcome. If you've been watching videos, then you've gotten all the usual wrong info that almost everyone starts with. I say all of this to help you keep this guy alive and well, not to be mean.

Almost all of the care info for this species is the same wrong info repeated over and over. You've got the wrong lights, wrong type of enclosure, wrong substrate, no night heat, etc... I'm not trying to upset you, but if no one tells you what is wrong, you won't know what to fix so your new little one survives and thrives.

Start here and read through it at least twice:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Then go through this one a couple of times:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

I appreciate this information, this is what I came here for I will never be upset over correct information thank you very much for sharing this. I just want to provide the correct environment for my little dude.

 

[EppsDynasty]

@KylianMbp ...Welcome I am 40 miles past Lake Isabella 70 ish from Bako.
As for the tort, A VERY important thing to do is make sure there is plenty of walking everyday. You are going to want to re-warm up the water as it will cool off pretty fast. Our Babies get 45 min. soak with the water changed 4 times, as for the temp it depends on what temp your tort is. If your tortoise has been in a cooler enclosure all night and is only 65 degrees I use a temp gun to make the water about 10 degrees over their temp so 75-78 degrees. If your tort is on the warmer side like 80 -85 degrees I go with 90 degree water. I use a temp gun and never go over 10 ish degrees above their temp. You will need to make sure and keep em warm, Sulcatas need to stay above 80 degrees as this is more natural for them (they do not do cold very well and never in the wild). The info @Tom provided you is VERY important to provide your tort a healthy life as well as happiness. Ask anything you feel ya need answers on there are great expert people here that can answer any concerns you may have.

 

[Tom]

I appreciate this information, this is what I came here for I will never be upset over correct information thank you very much for sharing this. I just want to provide the correct environment for my little dude.

Many people get very frustrated when they watch videos, buy all the stuff the pet store said to buy, go on FB tortoise groups, and try really hard to do a good job only to come here and be told that everything they did is all wrong. I completely understand when that happens. I'd be frustrated too.

Our goal here is to make sure the tortoise has what it needs, and to help the new tortoise keeper have a positive tortoise keeping experience. To do that we have to point out what is wrong, and that is usually upsetting to the person who came here looking for help. Bad info abounds out in the world. All the books are wrong, vets, breeder, reptile shops, YT and FB... All of those sources recommend the same wrong stuff and have the same wrong idea. In a nutshell, sulcatas are NOT a desert species, and dry conditions will kill the babies. People universally keep them too cool and too dry.

I hope that our information helps you and your tortoise. Please feel free to question any or all of the conflicting information. We won't be offended. Argue your points and we will explain why we make the assertions we make and how we got there from where you are now.