Trying to do the best for Dorothy, Wilbur, and Morty.

KatJ

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
40
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Hello from VA! Husband and I are relatively new tortoise owners. We have two sulcatas, Dorothy and Wilbur, and a yellow-foot, Morty.

We received Dot and Wilbur last summer. They have changed hands twice now- we are the third owners. I think they are 12 and 15 respectively, but they seem rather small for those ages. The first owner reportedly fed them dog food, and the second got too sick to care for them, so here they are with us. They have some pyramiding. They live in a 8 x 2 tortoise table, with heat and uvb, and we get them out frequently for baths, tromping around the house, and grazing in the yard if it is not too cold. We are currently in the process of building them a 16 x 8 outdoor enclosure with an 8 x 8 shed. Advice on that venture would be appreciated! We feed them timothy hay every day, and wetted Zoo Med grassland pellets on a bed of leafy greens every other day. I grow grasses, aloe, cacti, dandelions, banana plants, etc for them to add variety to their diet. They get those things sprinkled in, along with whatever grasses, clover, dandelion, roses, etc from the yard that we can get. More advice on what to feed would be lovely! We don't offer them water in their table, they get it when they are out and about in the house or in their bath. We will offer it in their outdoor enclosure. Their shells recently look a little peely in the growth rings.

Morty is my approx 2 year old yellow-foot. She lives in a tub, with heat and uvb, with cypress mulch and spagmoss bedding. It used to be orchid bark and organic soil, but that got bugs in it, and then it was scraps of fabric- she loved to burrow in that- but it was hard to clean. So now it is spagmoss and mulch- though it seems a bit dry. Perhaps I need more moss. I feed her leafy greens and other veg with calcium sprinkled on top every other day. She also gets Mazuri tortoise pellets when I think she could use the vitamin/protein supplement. I give her a hard boiled egg sometimes. I have offered worms, but she doesn't ever seem interested in them. I give her a bath every other week, and she has a water saucer to sit in or drink from. I spray her tub down every day for humidity. Advice on how to better care for her would be great!

TL;DR Hello! We have a yellow-foot and two sulcatas. We would love advice on food variety for them as well as outdoor enclosure advice for the sulcatas and indoor enclosure advice for the yellow-foot. General care advice would be great as well.

Morty: IMG_2841.JPG Dot: IMG_5989.JPG Wilbur: IMG_6235.JPG
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2841.JPG
    IMG_2841.JPG
    585.5 KB · Views: 19
  • IMG_5988.JPG
    IMG_5988.JPG
    1.3 MB · Views: 21

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Welcome to the Forum!

I'm afraid I'm going to be Susie Downer. Those sulcatas are way too big to be living in a container. They need to be in a yard of their own, with a heated shed they retreat into on cold days and nights.

I believe @Turtulas-Len lives in Virginia, and he has several Sulcata tortoises, both big and small.
 

Sara G.

Active Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
526
Location (City and/or State)
Long Island, New York
Also, you might want to be prepared for a time when you might (probably will) have to separate your sullys. Torts do not do well in pairs as there's usually a victim/bully issue. Torts who have lived together for a long period of time have been known to change their mind about what lives with them, and quickly too!
 

Len B

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
4,986
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Md - Northern Neck Va
Welcome to TFO, I am located in Colonial Beach and keep sulcatas also. They live outside all year with heated houses to warm up in during cold weather. I got my first hatchling sulcata in 1996, he is now well over a 100 pounds.I have 4 more adults 3 females and 1 male. Almost time to put them all together for the summer. If you are anywhere near, you are welcome to stop by and see how they are set up.
 

New Posts

Top