New to tortoise and not sure what kind I have.

[pickthemonkeyup]

Hi,
I'm Sarah and I am very new to tortoises. We (mom and I) rescued one of are tortoises from a neglectful situation, and bought the other one for my birthday. Our rescue is a bit of a mystery as to breed, were told she's sulcata but she is just not big enough at 8yrs old(she is only 7 1/2 in long.) Our other tortoise is also supposed to be sulcata (and for the sake of keeping them straight we deemed it a him) He is 4in long and is 4 months old. I've attached photos of our two tortoises, the first to pics are of our 8yr old (Tarot), and the second set of pics are of our 4month old (Nightshade). Any help identifying the species is greatly appreciated.



Sarah the tortoise newbie.

 

[Jacqui]

Hi! Nice to meet you. They are both sulcatas like you were told. The rescue is small, most likely from the same reasons that made it a rescue. Are you keeping them on the pellets?

 

[Laura]

hi..
yes, both are sulcatas.. they looks very dry.
Sarah,, go to the sulcata section and start reading about the updated care on these guys. Humidity is very important for younger ones. soaking, good diet..
Rabbit pellets are too dry, and they mold too easily.. see about getting them on some sort of dirt substrate. Can they go outside?
That is very small for 8 yrs. if kept inside and not fed well, that will happen. your little guy is already starting to pyramid. he needs moisture.
welcome.. and if you have questions.. ask!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sarah:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Like Laura told you, we have new methods for taking care of tortoises now. Rabbit pellet as substrate is old school, and, being so dry, causes the tortoise's shell to raise up in bumps (pyramid). You can nip that in the bud if you change out the pellets for something you can moisten. I like orchid bark, but some folks use coconut coir (Bed-A-Beast), you can even use clean dirt from the yard.

Thanks for sharing your pictures with us. It really helps us to give you good information when we can see what's going on.

 

[pickthemonkeyup]

Thanks for the info, every little bit helps. Were changing the substrate today.

 

[CLMoss]

Welcome!

 

[Angi]

Welcome!

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[wellington]

WELCOME. The best advice will be found on TFO.

 

[coreyc]

Welcome to the forum Sarah

 

[Jacqui]

Thanks for the info, every little bit helps. Were changing the substrate today.

Glad to hear this!

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Welcome!

 

[nicoleandrocky]

Welcome to TFO

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Welcome to the forum!