New tortoise parent.

[TheBennillers]

Hello Everyone,

I stumbled across this site while searching for info on how to best care for my newest family members. I recently aquired 2 sulcatas from a man who had to get rid of them. When the man turned them over he included the enclosure and the care sheet he was supplied with from the breeder. After reading Tom's thread I realize that perhaps the tank is set up completely wrong for them. They are currently housed in thier aquarium with a base layer of dirt, possibly mixed with some sand, that is about 4" deep and on top of that is another 4" of timothy hay. They came with a red heat lamp and a white UV lamp, plugged into a timer (on @7am, off @10pm) One side of the tank is kept around 95, the other side is cooler. Humidity gauges both show around 35. no night time heat source. (house temp is 68F) no water source, care sheet says to soak every other day. I have no idea how old they are, one is about 4" the other is 5" or 6". In fact all I really know about them is that they were shipped here (Indiana) from a breeder in Arizona, but I don't know how long ago. So tomorrow I will be out shopping for a water dish, any other suggestions?

 

[Robert]

Suggestion for a water dish: I now use the terra cotta style dishes which can be found at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. They work great and are easily accessible for torts. I like them much better than the pet store style turtle/tortoise non tip able dishes.

Good luck. Have you scheduled a well visit with a local vet who treats reptiles? I certainly recommend it. Building a good relationship with your local vet will provide peace of mind during healthy times and a place to turn in times of need. Always better to build a base relationship with your vet right out of the gate, than to wait until something is wrong and you need emergent help.

Best of luck with your new family members and welcome to the forum!

Just because I have always wanted to say this before Yvonne gets a chance, "Welcome to the forum. May we know your name and where you are located?"

 

[TheBennillers]

Oh sure, My name is Tomia and I live in Northern Indiana.

 

[Robert]

Welcome Tomia!

 

[dmmj]

welcome to the forum. The bigger one is slightly (but not badly pyramided) the smaller one looks pretty good. With time and proper care it will look better

 

[Jacqui]

*waves* Hello and welcome! Looks like you have two cuties there. I agree with the above suggestion of a plant saucer for the water dish. You might want to get a smaller unglazed one for their feed dish or some prefer using a tile. You haven't mentioned having a humid hide or a spray bottle, so you might think about getting those items. You have mentioned the lighting and heating issues already, but you might want to get a better quality temp/humidity gauge then what I think I am seeing in the background of one of the pictures, as those are often unreliable. How about a cuttlebone? Is that on your list?

How are their shells? Are they nice and firm? What are you planning on for diet?

 

[coreyc]

Hi Tomia welcome to the TFO also give them a nice warm soak

 

[Yvonne G]

Just because I have always wanted to say this before Yvonne gets a chance, "Welcome to the forum. May we know your name and where you are located?"

LOL!!!

---

Hi Tomia:

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[Robert]

Just because I have always wanted to say this before Yvonne gets a chance, "Welcome to the forum. May we know your name and where you are located?"

LOL!!!

Sorry! I had to do it just once. I can't tell you how long I've waited to do that. I always "just miss"!

 

[zoogrl]

Welcome to the forum! There is a lot of good info here, I would recommend reading the sulcata care sheet that can be found here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1F1nMG39T I hope that comes thru right, I'm not as computer savy as some here

 

[Missy]

Welcome and wow to start with 2 sulcata you are taking on a lot but well worth it. I am from Anderson Indiana but now live IL. I hope you can find a herp vet close to you, I have to drive 2 hours.

 

[Scooter]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[SnakeyeZ]

Welcome to the forum.

I am new here also and have already learned a bunch of new tid bits I didn't know before. It's a great resource of information for sure!

 

[TheBennillers]

*waves* Hello and welcome! Looks like you have two cuties there. I agree with the above suggestion of a plant saucer for the water dish. You might want to get a smaller unglazed one for their feed dish or some prefer using a tile. You haven't mentioned having a humid hide or a spray bottle, so you might think about getting those items. You have mentioned the lighting and heating issues already, but you might want to get a better quality temp/humidity gauge then what I think I am seeing in the background of one of the pictures, as those are often unreliable. How about a cuttlebone? Is that on your list?

How are their shells? Are they nice and firm? What are you planning on for diet?

They do have nice firm shells, and as pointed out earlier the bigger one's panels are slightly raised, the smaller one is still pretty smooth. So far, as per the care sheet that came with them, they are being fed romaine lettuce everyday. I read on another site that romaine isn't that good for them so I ordered some orchard grass and chickweed seeds and some prickly pear cactus pads, but it will take a little time to get those things growing. They did come with a cuttlebone. Will they chew on it or is there something else I should be doing with it? The humid hide and spray bottle are great ideas. Would I put moist bed a beast inside the hide box?
Thank you for the great suggestions!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. You sound like you are off to a great start. Romaine isn't bad for them, it just isn't very nutritious. The best thing for them is weeds and grass. Over the frozen winters you can just use an assortment of leafy greens from the grocery store. Spring mix is an easy way to get a lot of variety in one easy package. I buy it at Costco since its much cheaper there. If you have a Smart and Final, they sell a mix called Santa Barbara Mix. That's a good one too. Cactus pads are great for them.

Its always good to offer cuttlebone. Mine hardly ever touch it, but every once in a while one will munch on it.

They usually won't start eating dry grass hay until they are around 12" or more. However, if you cut some up really fine, and sprinkle it over their greens and then spray it to rehydrate it, they'll usually start eating it.

You should look into Mazuri tortoise chow too. Good stuff. Especially in the frozen North where the weeds are pretty hard to come by. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum Tomia

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Laura]

I would get rid of the hay on top of the soil. Bad traction, molds. and they wont be eating dry hay until they are Much older.. if ever.