Some feedbacks would be nice :)

[michaellongle]

hi my name is michael. i have a 5 months old baby sulcata tortoise. im also new to the forum. i want to get some feedbacks from experience owners.

I want to believe that i take good care of my tortoise but i noticed recently that his shell has gotten softer. just the sides, not the top. During the day when it gets sunny enough. i put her outside. here is an picture of her outside inclosure. it is my balcony. there is plenty of room for a baby tortoise. this is also where i grow grass for her to eat. Its in the big plant pot. squirtle usual bath in the sun until he starts wondering around for food. thats when i feed her. i mix roman lettuce and the grass that i grow. he goes for the roman lettuce... she gets PLENTY of sun. i only put her outside when its sunny. there is shade casted by the wall so he does have shade when he needs it.

When it gets dark and colder, i take her inside and put her in my indoors inclosure. heres a picture of it.i have a UVB and a heat lamp during the winter months when its cold and less sunlight hours.

i also have a Calcium Supplement VITD3 to put on his food. i also soak him at least 3-4 times a week in warm water. i dont know what im doing wrong. i know infants shells arent suppose to be rock hard. theyre suppose to harden as they get older but ill worried. maybe im just writing this for reassurance.

please give me any inputs you can thank you.

 

[Snapper925]

Keep doing the calcium supplements, I'm not sure exactly why It would soften,
Try to stay away from the romaine, and I would add a little more variety to the diet,
turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, green leaf lettuce, spring mix
Keep it all a mix,
other members will recommend more,
Good luck and keep us updated

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. We need more info. How is the baby housed when indoors and what are the temps indoors? There are four temps we need to know. Cool side, warm side, basking spot and night. And outdoor temps? What substrate are you using there and in the indoor enclosure? How was the baby raised before you got it? Often they get dehydrated after hatching at the breeders, but before we get them.

Here are a bunch of threads all together that might give you some insight.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Helpful-Threads#axzz1qKTFPXps

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Michael:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know appx where in the world you are?

You may not realize it, but calcium needs the sun (vitamin d3) in order to work inside the tortoise's body. So your little gal needs as much sunshine, real sunshine as you can give her. When indoors, she needs the UVB from an expensive light. The cheap lights usually don't offer enough UVB to do any good.

Be sure to read the links that Tom gave you. He tells you everything your baby needs to grow strong and healthy.

Some foods that are high in calcium are cactus, turnip greens, kale, dandelion greens, collard greens...but don't feed the same thing all the time. Change it around.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum..

You do need to feed a more vaired diet as has been suggested above. need to know more about your lighting, I see a dome fixture in the first picture and if thats the case, it's mounted much to high.

More info is needed for better suggestions...

 

[nicoleandrocky]

Welcome to tfo.

 

[Jacqui]

How much outside sunshine would you guess she is getting on average each week? When you are using the UVB light, how long is it on? Like was asked I too am curious how far away it is from the actual top of the substrate.

Is she eating the grass along with the romaine or only picking out the romaine to eat? Are you feeding any other types of greens?

 

[cknfrmr]

Welcome to the fourm. If you go to Toms care sheet you will find everything you need to know and just keep looking through the post new/old ones everything you want/need to know is here. Good Luck glad to have you here. I personaly learn something new from here eveyday.