sunshinedd8
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2015
- Messages
- 11
I am brand new to sulcata tortoises (ALL tortoises, actually) and definitely need some guidance. I aquired this tortoise quite by accident..... She was given to my daughter ..... long story but someone knowing we were involved in dog rescue and farm animals mistakenly thought we would be the "perfect" home for this tortoise. We said yes thinking we were getting a much smaller turtle. Yes, we should have looked into this farther beforehand, but here she is and the more I learn, the more I think she has not been well cared for her whole life. Please dont judge us too harshly. Remember that we are here because we want to learn and want to do our best for this tortoise.
I am told that she is 10 years old. She only weighs 12 lbs and has huge scutes. She doesn't feel light for her size... she just isnt very big. her shell is maybe 10" wide? We live in upstate ny where winters are long and cold. (Why is she even in NY? She should be in Florida!) We are currently keeping her in a 5'x5' dog kennel with a kiddie pool in it which is filled with "Repti-bark". We have placed a spill-proof dog dish in the center with water but she quickly fills it with the bark. We have a UVB bulb on her during the day. I feed her a head of romaine every other day as instructed by the previous owner. I often take her into my bathroom when I shower, then place her in the wet tub for a few minutes when Im done. I have heat lamps in there so I have started feeding her in the bathroom and leaving her in there for a few hours afterwards with the lamps on as it stays quite warm and gives her more room to safely roam.
I'm very concerned about her small size and would love some guidance on how to help her reach her full potential and keep her as happy and healthy as possible given our less than ideal situation.
Thanks for any advice you can give us.
I am told that she is 10 years old. She only weighs 12 lbs and has huge scutes. She doesn't feel light for her size... she just isnt very big. her shell is maybe 10" wide? We live in upstate ny where winters are long and cold. (Why is she even in NY? She should be in Florida!) We are currently keeping her in a 5'x5' dog kennel with a kiddie pool in it which is filled with "Repti-bark". We have placed a spill-proof dog dish in the center with water but she quickly fills it with the bark. We have a UVB bulb on her during the day. I feed her a head of romaine every other day as instructed by the previous owner. I often take her into my bathroom when I shower, then place her in the wet tub for a few minutes when Im done. I have heat lamps in there so I have started feeding her in the bathroom and leaving her in there for a few hours afterwards with the lamps on as it stays quite warm and gives her more room to safely roam.
I'm very concerned about her small size and would love some guidance on how to help her reach her full potential and keep her as happy and healthy as possible given our less than ideal situation.
Thanks for any advice you can give us.