Is saturn a good name

  • hell no

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • Hell YES

    Votes: 4 80.0%

  • Total voters
    5

Emily Contreras

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
275
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Ok, I need some major advice, I know to feed the baby some grass, he has heat, he has a humid hide, he has access to water, I just need some advice on the BEST food to give it daily, (im not a pro so please dont use some fancy words, break it down for me!) Please tell me a good daily food, and a good treat. He is indoors because I dont have an enclosed patio, how often should I soak him? He escaped from my neighbors house (hes a backyard breeder) And he just let me have it. Of course, I have been doing some major research, and I know about the no tank stuff. Whats a good (and cheap) food I can get for him? He wont eat, but the egg sac? I am not sure about the age, as my neighbor has been on vacation for a while. He is a little bit bigger than a quarter I dont have a ruler. But id say about 2 inches? maybe 2 1/2 inches at most. I know about feeding him grass. But I live in AZ so I dont have access to grass in my front/back yard. I have a park but im not sure about the pesticides.

Anyways, the major questions I have are:
Whats a good combination of food I can feed him everyday?

How long should I soak him (I'd say hes about 1-2 weeks old.)

How often should I soak him?

Also he isn't eating but he has that little sac thing (a very, very small bit of it) left on him.

What are signs I should look for of him being sick?

Should I let him outside to run around at the park for a bit everyday?

How much do I feed him?

How do I get him to eat?

(Sorry I just want him to grow up and be a cute lil healthy dude. I just want to be sure he is as healthy as possible.!)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Hello and welcome.

If the baby still has a yolk sac, it needs to be in a warm brooder box for about a week to 10 days, not in an enclosure. Read this:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

Once the yolk sac is absorbed and the umbilical scar closes, then the tortoise is ready for an enclosure.

Be aware that most of the info you find for care of this species is old, out-dated and just plain wrong. Like the "no tank stuff" you mentioned. Total myth that has been parroted for 3 decades. Nothing wrong with starting babies in glass tanks. Me and others have been doing it for 30+ years with no issues

Most of your questions are answered here in these threads, and a lot more info is in there too. Read these and then come back with anything that needs more explanation, or anything that wasn't addressed.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 

TriciaStringer

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5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Messages
1,186
Location (City and/or State)
Louisiana
I’m not really giving advice, I am just super curious. It escaped from your neighbor’s yard and still had its yolk sac?
The links Tom gave answer your questions. Enjoy Saturn!
 

Billna the 2

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Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
584
Location (City and/or State)
Smoaks sc
Ok, I need some major advice, I know to feed the baby some grass, he has heat, he has a humid hide, he has access to water, I just need some advice on the BEST food to give it daily, (im not a pro so please dont use some fancy words, break it down for me!) Please tell me a good daily food, and a good treat. He is indoors because I dont have an enclosed patio, how often should I soak him? He escaped from my neighbors house (hes a backyard breeder) And he just let me have it. Of course, I have been doing some major research, and I know about the no tank stuff. Whats a good (and cheap) food I can get for him? He wont eat, but the egg sac? I am not sure about the age, as my neighbor has been on vacation for a while. He is a little bit bigger than a quarter I dont have a ruler. But id say about 2 inches? maybe 2 1/2 inches at most. I know about feeding him grass. But I live in AZ so I dont have access to grass in my front/back yard. I have a park but im not sure about the pesticides.

Anyways, the major questions I have are:
Whats a good combination of food I can feed him everyday?

How long should I soak him (I'd say hes about 1-2 weeks old.)

How often should I soak him?

Also he isn't eating but he has that little sac thing (a very, very small bit of it) left on him.

What are signs I should look for of him being sick?

Should I let him outside to run around at the park for a bit everyday?

How much do I feed him?

How do I get him to eat?

(Sorry I just want him to grow up and be a cute lil healthy dude. I just want to be sure he is as healthy as possible.!)
I give mine a mix of lettuce greens and chopped up carrots,
I soak him 16min twice a week
 

Emily Contreras

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
275
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
I’m not really giving advice, I am just super curious. It escaped from your neighbor’s yard and still had its yolk sac?
The links Tom gave answer your questions. Enjoy Saturn!
Yes, but it doesn't have a big one anymore, I beleive it just the scar from when he had it. Im not sure about the anatomy of tortoises!
 

Emily Contreras

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
275
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Hello and welcome.

If the baby still has a yolk sac, it needs to be in a warm brooder box for about a week to 10 days, not in an enclosure. Read this:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

Once the yolk sac is absorbed and the umbilical scar closes, then the tortoise is ready for an enclosure.

Be aware that most of the info you find for care of this species is old, out-dated and just plain wrong. Like the "no tank stuff" you mentioned. Total myth that has been parroted for 3 decades. Nothing wrong with starting babies in glass tanks. Me and others have been doing it for 30+ years with no issues

Most of your questions are answered here in these threads, and a lot more info is in there too. Read these and then come back with anything that needs more explanation, or anything that wasn't addressed.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Thank you! I realized that its not a yolk sac. I am getting a 40 gallon tank from a close friend, (as you recomended)
Whats a good food source (aside from lettuce?) my tortoise will absoloutly NOT each lettuce or pellets! He just doesn't want it! I found out that he is more into grass. But i saw you said that these little tortoises get lost in the feilds or taken. I dont want that to happen. I have some bedding that is like, well it basically makes his enclosure more humid. I read that the enclosure has to be very dry, but you said in your thread it shouldn't. So i completely remade the tank. Someone recomended buying a patch of grass and planting it in his tank. Is that ok? Is it ok to try and socalize them with you and let them run around inside on the floor? My house is a bit hot. And he seems to love it. But I dont know if it is ok.
 
Last edited:

TriciaStringer

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Messages
1,186
Location (City and/or State)
Louisiana
Tom provided a link about what foods to feed. It was the last link.

You need to make a safe enclosed area for outside. A good guide for sulcata is one hour outside for each inch. At his size, probably only an hour out a day. I’ll find a good post to link here in a few minutes.

Hatchlings need to be kept in very humid conditions (80-90%) with temperatures 80 and above. Keeping a tortoise too dry is the cause of pyramiding and also damage to kidneys and more. It has been proven. Also soak him at least 30 minutes a day. All of this is in those links Tom gave. Many people are still raising tortoises the wrong way, dry, so the internet can give you bad info. Many of the forum members also used to raise ours dry, now we know not to do that.

Please don’t buy sod, you never know what it was treated with. If your yard has not been treated, then you can just use a shovel and get a patch of grass from there. Hatchings don’t usually graze that young though, at least not enough to thrive. You should dampen the other foods and sprinkle finely chopped pieces of grass on it so that it sticks to the food.

Tortoises should not roam in a house. It is very dangerous. They should be in an enclosure with the optimum climate for them. They are happiest when not bothered.

I hope this helps. I would love to see a picture of your cutie.
 

Emily Contreras

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
275
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
Tom provided a link about what foods to feed. It was the last link.

You need to make a safe enclosed area for outside. A good guide for sulcata is one hour outside for each inch. At his size, probably only an hour out a day. I’ll find a good post to link here in a few minutes.

Hatchlings need to be kept in very humid conditions (80-90%) with temperatures 80 and above. Keeping a tortoise too dry is the cause of pyramiding and also damage to kidneys and more. It has been proven. Also soak him at least 30 minutes a day. All of this is in those links Tom gave. Many people are still raising tortoises the wrong way, dry, so the internet can give you bad info. Many of the forum members also used to raise ours dry, now we know not to do that.

Please don’t buy sod, you never know what it was treated with. If your yard has not been treated, then you can just use a shovel and get a patch of grass from there. Hatchings don’t usually graze that young though, at least not enough to thrive. You should dampen the other foods and sprinkle finely chopped pieces of grass on it so that it sticks to the food.

Tortoises should not roam in a house. It is very dangerous. They should be in an enclosure with the optimum climate for them. They are happiest when not bothered.

I hope this helps. I would love to see a picture of your cutie.
Thank you, I will most likely have alot of questions on this site for a while, I am very greatful you all are so nice about this, I am not a complete noob though. I have some reptiles, but never have we decided to have a tortoise! I will make sure he has a great life! And of course! I will post a picture soon, Im on my work computor right now, So I will get a picture soon.
 

Billna the 2

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Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
584
Location (City and/or State)
Smoaks sc
That is not a good diet, and you need to soak a baby daily.
Oh sorry just saying what an amazing Tortoise keeper told me Named Kenan. He has a youtube if you want to check (Kamp Kenan) if you want to check him out[emoji6]
 
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Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Oh sorry just saying what an amazing Tortoise keeper told me Named Kenan. He has a youtube if you want to check (Kamp Kenan) if you want to check him out[emoji6]
We've discussed this many time here. He is not an amazing tortoise keeper. He is a charismatic guy that makes videos with good production quality. The advice he offers and the practices he promotes are not good for tortoises.

Check this out:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/k...-together-with-tortoises.168359/#post-1643035
 

Billna the 2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
584
Location (City and/or State)
Smoaks sc
We've discussed this many time here. He is not an amazing tortoise keeper. He is a charismatic guy that makes videos with good production quality. The advice he offers and the practices he promotes are not good for tortoises.
If you say so[emoji4]
 

Billna the 2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
584
Location (City and/or State)
Smoaks sc
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