My 7 year old son has a fascination with turtles/tortoises and has been collecting anything turtle/tortoise related for around 3 years. My brother-in-law thought it would be cool to give him a tortoise, which after some quick research I discovered was a Sulcata. My brother-in-law bought it at a pet store and needless to say, when we got Gary he was in very bad shape. His eyes were glued shut, he would not eat, slept continuously, and had a soft shell. I immediately made him an appointment with my vet who told me at the very beginning that things looked grim, but we did everything we could, including daily injections, but unfortunately Gary died. My son was heartbroken. My brother-in-law felt horrible, so month later, he decided to get another Sulcata tortoise for my son - only this time from a breeder and one that was older and eating. My son has named him Perry.
Perry seems to be healthy - he has a voracious appetite, is very active - nothing like what we dealt with before. This is what lead me to this forum. I have been trying to do as much research as possible so that I provide Perry with the perfect environment as I can. We were told by the breeder that he is 3 years old. My vet feels that is accurate (he was at the vet the very next day after we got him). I am not good at constructing things, so I decided I would by a hard plastic kiddie pool as Perry's inside home. I had bought a sand substrate from the pet store, but from reading on here, I am seeing that maybe that was a wrong decision. I was unaware of the need for keeping the humidity up in his enclosure. Nothing I read online even mentioned this! So now I am considering cypress mulch which I see is recommended on here. I also read online about using clamp lights for heat and sunlight (when he is not outside) but I am seeing on here about burns and blindness caused by using them. Basically, I need all the advice I can get - I see I need a hide box (I have no idea how to make one of these).. what else do you recommend?
My son loves Perry and knows that he is going to be a lifelong pet of his that he will be passing on to his own children one day - he thinks it is cool. I want to ensure that I have everything just right. We have already dealt with 2 respiratory infections with him in the 5 months we've had him and I'm not sure if this is something I can prevent. We live in South Carolina - hot summers with lots of humidity and winters can get rather cool. Any advice is appreciated.....
Perry seems to be healthy - he has a voracious appetite, is very active - nothing like what we dealt with before. This is what lead me to this forum. I have been trying to do as much research as possible so that I provide Perry with the perfect environment as I can. We were told by the breeder that he is 3 years old. My vet feels that is accurate (he was at the vet the very next day after we got him). I am not good at constructing things, so I decided I would by a hard plastic kiddie pool as Perry's inside home. I had bought a sand substrate from the pet store, but from reading on here, I am seeing that maybe that was a wrong decision. I was unaware of the need for keeping the humidity up in his enclosure. Nothing I read online even mentioned this! So now I am considering cypress mulch which I see is recommended on here. I also read online about using clamp lights for heat and sunlight (when he is not outside) but I am seeing on here about burns and blindness caused by using them. Basically, I need all the advice I can get - I see I need a hide box (I have no idea how to make one of these).. what else do you recommend?
My son loves Perry and knows that he is going to be a lifelong pet of his that he will be passing on to his own children one day - he thinks it is cool. I want to ensure that I have everything just right. We have already dealt with 2 respiratory infections with him in the 5 months we've had him and I'm not sure if this is something I can prevent. We live in South Carolina - hot summers with lots of humidity and winters can get rather cool. Any advice is appreciated.....