subsrate

[mtdavis817254]

what is the best substrate for 6month old sulcatas.. right now i am using timothy hay cut up.. but it doesnt seem comfortable on their feet. and some of the pieces that werent cut up all the way poke them in the armpit and face when they're running to their food dish... if timothy is the best than i think i am going to use a blender to make the hay a fine mulch...

 

[evin]

dried out bed a beast or jungle flooring is good, you can mix it with sand, just make sure it isnt really damp when you put the tort in it

 

[Crazy1]

When I fostered a young sully I used dirt from the back yard with a little hay or grass clippings in the corner for her.

 

[Jentortmom]

I use aspen, and I put a little timothy or orchard in the corner for munching, 1/4 of the enclosure I use bed a beast and mist it each day for humidity and then I also have humid hides in the enclosures. My torts seem to like this setup.

 

[mtdavis817254]

dried out bed a beast or jungle flooring is good, you can mix it with sand, just make sure it isnt really damp when you put the tort in it

i thaught sand is bad for sulcatas digestion

 

[mtdavis817254]

I use aspen, and I put a little timothy or orchard in the corner for munching, 1/4 of the enclosure I use bed a beast and mist it each day for humidity and then I also have humid hides in the enclosures. My torts seem to like this setup.

the less humidity the better for sulcatas. they come from the hottest and driest part of africa...

 

[mtdavis817254]

this weekend i went to a local fleemarket and purchased an 1986 general electric food prosessour/blender for 2 dollars.. it was extremly loud and took close to three hours. but i blended enough timothy for their enclosure. they love it and walk around their pen alot more. i gave them enough to burrow themselves aliltle, especially in their hide/house( a plastic flower pot with a hole puched in the side. i have a small heating pad taped to the inside wall to keep the air warm at night). now they go out and lay under the sun and just spread out completly... i'd have to admit that timothy is the best substrate for these litle guys,but after blending it to a fine mulch it is 100 times better than before....

 

[Yvonne G]

[the less humidity the better for sulcatas. they come from the hottest and driest part of africa...

Hi Mtdavis: This is so not true. When a sulcata goes deep down inside his burrow, he poops and pees in there, raising the humidity level inside the burrow. A more humid environment for the desert-type tortoises is now thought to be one of the things to help them to not form the pyramiding on their shells. Others are exercise and diet. So humidity DOES play an important part in the health of your sulcata.

Yvonne

 

[Crazy1]

mtdavis817254, I have to agree with Yvonne and Jen, your Sullys do need humidity.
Sulcata water requirements
http://africantortoise.com/sulcata.htm
Pyramiding
http://africantortoise.com/pyramiding_in_tortoises.htm
I placed a humid area in the corner and found the sully I had would dig in there and so I upped the humidity and she seemed to do much better, more active and no signs of dry skin.
I would continue to use the hay you worked so hard on, but I would provide an area that perhaps you add a little dirt or bed a beast too or under the hay and moisten it so they have that option.

 

[mtdavis817254]

[the less humidity the better for sulcatas. they come from the hottest and driest part of africa...

Hi Mtdavis: This is so not true. When a sulcata goes deep down inside his burrow, he poops and pees in there, raising the humidity level inside the burrow. A more humid environment for the desert-type tortoises is now thought to be one of the things to help them to not form the pyramiding on their shells. Others are exercise and diet. So humidity DOES play an important part in the health of your sulcata.

Yvonne

okay thanks for the info..and i didnt mean no humidity, it stays humid in their pot/house do to the texas wether....Very small tortoises can become severely dehydrated -- literally overnight -- if conditions are not right to prevent it. You can help prevent this by providing an area in the tortoise's enclosure that has higher humidity. This can be a hide box with a dampened sponge attached inside it, or an area filled with a moisture-holding substrate like Bed-A-Beast® where the tortoise can dig in and sleep overnight.
Tortoises do require some water! Dehydration is probably the most common problem that hatchling tortoises can experience and it can actually be fatal to them.