Rescuing a Sulcata - Advice Needed

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tortaunt

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Hey there-

A few months ago, my brother-in-law made the ill-advised, and clearly not at all thought out, decision to purchase a baby sulcata as a gift for my nephew's 6th birthday. When I was over at their house the other day, I heard someone mention how the tortoise had been pushing up against the glass of his enclosure (a small aquarium without any of the proper resources). Being an animal lover, I decided to do some research online. Needless to say, I was quite dismayed when I read about the proper care of these guys. As such, I am now planning to bring him to my house where, hopefully, he can have a much better life.

I do not know how old he is so I have attached some pictures. He doesn't seem to have grown much since he was purchased in March. Can anyone guess?

We live in Southern California and I would like to keep him outside as there is no room for a turtle table in my small house. I do, however, have a very large yard. Most of the information I have found online for outdoor enclosures seem to deal with much larger sulcatas. Is there any reason why he cannot be outside at this size? I plan to protect his enclosure from predators by covering it with something animal-proof. Does anybody have any suggestions for inexpensive and easy to use material for that purpose?

My boyfriend was going to build some walls around a 5' X 9' area that we have in the backyard. Is that big enough? For how long will that be big enough? The flooring of that area is covered with mulch from a tree that we recently cut down. Additionally, there are a couple of flat rocks and a little tree. Is this an acceptable habitat or do I need to do more to manufacture this space, such as add Bed-a-Beast, for example? We were planning to plant some of the grasses and weeds that are recommended for the sulcata. Will he just eat from that?

I know his enclosure will also additionally need a shallow water dish, a heated enclosure and a shady spot. Anything else?

Looking ahead, I don't know that I can guarantee that I will always be able to care for him. Will I be able to find a home for him in the future if I no longer can?

Any thoughts or advice much appreciated.

Thanks!
Courtney

PS His/her name is Tortilla.

Tortilla- Folder.jpg
Tortilla- Top.jpg
Tortilla - Front.jpg
 
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K412

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Welcome. Coming here is a great start! I'm pretty new and don't keep them but I'm sure the members here can lead you in the right direction. I wish you the best of luck. Good save.
 

Meg90

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You will need a UVB light on him. A powersun or a trex mercury vapor bulb, they provide heat, and UVB all in one bulb. I use Trex 100W for all my torts with great results. Post some pictures of your current enclosure, and we can help you from there.

Just a tip though, rubbermaid bins are EXCELLENT for torts. I keep all mine in them. Xmas is coming, and the Christmas tree storage bins they have for fake trees are large, aesthetically pleasing, and cheap (like 30$). Until then, you can get an under bed box (I use 71 quart one for my older hatchling) for about 12-17$

One thing to keep in mind is that they dig. And they can basically disappear really easily, especially as babies. You would need to bury down fencing into the ground a couple inches so that the baby cannot burrow out. And small torts should have a cover (something like hardware cloth) to keep predators out, but still let sunlight and useful rays through.

For diet, you can feed him prepackaged spring mix. Don't give him spinach. Its not good for growing torts, and will bind Ca absorbtion. I get my springmix from walmart. It is Earthbound Farms Organic brand. You want to dust his food every day with Calcium powder (w/out D3) if you need it, I have a website where you can get mercury vapor bulbs, bedding, and Ca powder all for pretty cheap.

As a substrate, the top one for sullys is 70% eco earth (also called coco coir) and play sand (that you get from the hardware store) you want to keep it moist, so that it packs, but dry enough that no water can be squeezed out. He needs the humidity to grow a smooth, healthy shell.

For your enclosure, keep in mind that the walls should be twice as high as he is long. Here is a link to how to measure him. http://www.tlady.clara.net/measure.htm Sullys also grow pretty quickly, so you might want to make your walls taller than necessary at first.

Fake plants (buy from the craft store, they are MUCH cheaper) are great for tortoises. I use a hot glue gun and affix the plants to rock bases (you can use large river rocks also from the craft store, or just wash some stones from outside in alittle bleach and water) It is something natural for them to hide under, and walk around. And helps enrich them a bit.

I am happy that you are rescuing him. His shell growth looks pretty good so far, it will only get better with your care I am sure.

Do you have any other questions?
 

Laura

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If you go to the Sulcata portion of this site.. you will learn LOTS!
For now, feed him the spring mix you can get at the store. Yes, its lettuce, but its the good kind.
I would keep him inside this winter and see how he does, then plan to put him outside this spring. a 5x8 is fine to start. For a top use 4x4's and some chicken wire to keep coons and birds out. depending what you plant and what grows, you may stil need to feed it some. He will need some calcium, sun, food and humidity.
you did a good thing by taking him in. if you move or no longer have a yard.. many people here can take him in or help you find a place that can. Great networking here.
 

tortaunt

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Great info so far, thanks.

I'm wondering why I will need a light on him if he will live outside in the California sunshine.

Maybe rather than walling him into an area, I should put him in an old kiddie pool that I have laying around. Would that be a better choice - seems like this would guard against the digging.
 

Meg90

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He'll need a light for winters--I understand it gets cold in CA sometimes too. (I'm in WI) Its either that, or build him a heated area to go into on cold days, and at night.

The point is to supplement UVB for when he can't be out in the sun.
 

Isa

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Welcome to the forum, that is a very nice thing you are doing in helping Tortilla (what a cute name :) ).
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Courtney:


42049vaq38wkr5m.gif


to the forum!!

Your little sulcata is small enough for a bird to carry off, so you need to put some sort of wire over the outdoor habitat. He CAN live outside, however on cooler days he'll need a heat source in order to be able to digest his food. This type of tortoise doesn't hibernate and needs to be kept warmer during the winter.

Here's a link to a care sheet:

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/sulcatacare.htm

Yvonne
 

dreadyA

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Welcome Tortaunt &tortilla. Keep us posted on your sullys enclosure. You will make him much happier when he has the proper set up!
 

Stephanie Logan

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Tortilla! He must be a distant cousin of my Chaco, tortoise, Taco. She's bigger than he is now, but that won't last long if Tortilla is a Sulcata!;)

Lucky you to have stumbled onto tortoise ownership. You may well find, as I have, that these little critters are intensely interesting and endearing.:shy:
 

mctlong

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Hey Tortaunt, Welcome to the forum! I'm from SoCal as well. The weather here is great for tortoises.

The folks on this forum have given you great advice. The weather's so mild here, that most days you'll be able to keep your sulcata outdoors, so no UV lamp required. However, on those rare occasions that it becomes cold and rainy, he'll need to have a warm, cozy spot and artificial UVA/UVB. That tort's very lucky you rescued him. I think he'll be very happy in his new home.
 

tortaunt

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Laura said:
A kiddie pool with a top is fine, BUT it will need holes in it so water can drain if it rains.


We are going to set-up the kiddie pool tomorrow! Thanks for all of your advice so far, folks!

There is a drain built-in to the kiddie pool, which we will leave open. My boyfriend would like to line the bottom of the kiddie pool with pea gravel to help encourage the drainage. Will it be safe to put a small layer of pea gravel, which is then covered with the sand/coir mix? I was somewhat worried about having pea gravel in the enclosure.
 

tortaunt

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Pea gravel is small pieces of gravel. My boyfriend believe it will help with drainage. There will also be a layer of landscaping cloth in between the pea gravel and the coir/sand mix so I think this should create a barrier (so the tort won't eat the gravel).
 

Meg90

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That sounds great. I'd love to see some pictures of your progress. Posting them might help someone else with the same dilemma.
 

Yvonne G

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tortaunt said:
Pea gravel is small pieces of gravel. My boyfriend believe it will help with drainage. There will also be a layer of landscaping cloth in between the pea gravel and the coir/sand mix so I think this should create a barrier (so the tort won't eat the gravel).

Unless you plan to have the sprinklers running on the pool, or leave it out in the rain, I really don't think there's any need for gravel under the substrate. There's not going to be that much water inside the pool to worry about drainage. You will sprinkle the substrate occasionally to keep it semi-moist, but not wet.

Yvonne
 
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