UVB

[smoke_kush]

I am a little concerned with the coloration of my Sully's shell. It has been getting darker by the minute. Is it caused by calcium intake or his uvb? I was reading about uvb's that cause reptiles to not open their eyes. I took my tort out and was really really concerned with what I saw. He kept blinking a lot and didn't really stop until I soaked him. I hope he's okay but I use a 5.0 uvb ZooMed iguana light. Do I need a new one? I bought the TNT from Carolina pet supplies and was wondering if you can use calcium and TNT at the same time, or is it one or the other?

 

[Yvonne G]

Since no one has answered you on this one, I'll jump in with my opinions. First of all, they get really dirty and sometimes you THINK that his color is getting darker. If that's not the case, then secondly, if a tortoise is in a very bright light his shell would be lighter. If his light is not so bright, his shell grows darker. This has to do with dark absorbing heat better. So my guess is that your tortoise either needs a brighter light or maybe your light isn't close enough to the substrate. I have no idea how your habitat is set up, so my thoughts on the subject might be not worth the paper they've been written on!

Yvonne

 

[dcoolguy68]

you can try the reptisun 10.0(the long tube)

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't use either one, but I THINK that if you use the TNT you don't need to use the calcium. I'm hoping someone who uses the products will answer this question for you.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

It is my opinion that the calcium is still needed unless you were giving high amounts of TNT (which is only a powder so you still want more food than powder). I also only use the TNT a couple times a week though...especially if the tort is young calcium is important.

More info about the light/heat situation and your set-up with pictures would be very helpful.

 

[Millerlite]

just keep cuttle bone in the enclosure he can eat it when ever he needs calcium. As sulcatas get older they tend to get darker. I do not think its from UVB or calcium, some sulcatas just get really dark. I know with some tortoises the diet can very the color of them. Its hard to say.

 

[dcoolguy68]

I've tried the cuttlebone thing and my sulcatas don't even bother with it.

 

[Kristina]

That is because they don't need it at that time That is why we say to leave it there at all times... True, some won't touch it, but most of them, when instinct kicks in and tells their bodies that they need extra calcium, will eat it. Mine ignore it for weeks, and then suddenly munch away.

In the wild, Sulcatas have been observed eating rodent bones and even small calcium rich pebbles to enhance their diet.

Kristina

 

[REDFOOTMATT]

I am a little concerned with the coloration of my Sully's shell. It has been getting darker by the minute. Is it caused by calcium intake or his uvb? I was reading about uvb's that cause reptiles to not open their eyes. I took my tort out and was really really concerned with what I saw. He kept blinking a lot and didn't really stop until I soaked him. I hope he's okay but I use a 5.0 uvb ZooMed iguana light. Do I need a new one? I bought the TNT from Carolina pet supplies and was wondering if you can use calcium and TNT at the same time, or is it one or the other?

I assume it's a RF your'e talking about. The excessive blinking could be low humidity. The lighting is probably not the issue for a RF. How about more details on your set up. What's TNT?

 

[tortoisenerd]

The OP said it was a Sulcata (Sully), and this is in the Sulcata forum.

TNT is a supplement called Total Nutrition for Tortoises, sold on carolinapetsupply.com, and has a bunch of ground up natural stuff without additives.

 

[nrfitchett4]

why not use a human multivitamin or something similar? probably a lot cheaper. I grind mine up in the coffee grinder and put it in a shaker.

 

[dcoolguy68]

In the wild don't the tortoises have other tortoises that tell them what they can and can't eat as opposed to a captive bred tortoise that doesn't have anyone to tell them anything?

 

[tortoisenerd]

I wouldn't want to use a human multivitamin as torts have different requirements....what is good for us could be toxic to a tort, and especially for an inexperienced owner that can be risky. I personally like the TNT because it's not a vitamin supplement, it's only a food supplement good to go over greens for example, as many owners have to feed greens and lettuces instead of the weeds and such in the wild. It's all natural and things the tort would have in the wild, so no risk of over-supplementing like you could get with the straight vitamins.

Here's the ingredients: barley grass powder, Roselle powder (Hibiscus), cactus powder (opuntia), powdered orchard grass hay, dandelion leaf powder, plantain leaf powder, wheat grass powder, chickweed powder, rose petal powder, strawberry leaf powder, rose hip powder, and more...

From what I've read most torts in the wild live solitary lives and only come across other torts to mate.

 

[dcoolguy68]

Maybe they do maybe they don't

 

[Millerlite]

Tortoise have instinct which tells them what to do, they dont hear it from other tortoises...

 

[Crazy1]

Ok Smoke_kush, back to your question. First I went in and re-read your bio. You have a baby Sully with a soft shell correct? You said in your post (http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5848.html) (You look young in your pic want to give us a hint at your age? And Kamechan is very cute) that you were building him a 4x4 enclosure. Any way to not make his enclosure square? I have found most of the torts I have dealt with did not like square enclosure, they tend to do better in long enclosures, not quite sure why. Plus It makes it hard for you to get to them if they are on the wrong side and stubborn (like mine) enough not to come when you call lol . You also said that you have him with a 18inch 5.0 uvb bulb. Is the bulb new? As far as using sand in his enclosure I would only if it is mixed with soil or’ bed a beast’ You could try placing a piece of slate (can be bought at home depot or Lowes, cheap. It warms well and a lot of torts seem to like it. It also gives you a place to put his food so that when he eats it will keep his beak in good shape. When torts are young they often taste everything so is he eating the substrate or just tasting it? I have heard that Sphagnum moss goes though tort digestive systems well and can be used to increase the humidity.

What is the temp in your Sullys basking area, cooler end and what does it drop to at night Do you know what the humidity is in your enclosure? And I saw on one post that you said your Sully was approx 3 to 8 months old and weighs 93 grams and you were going to put it on a diet of only grasses to help it loose weight is this correct? By the way the pic did not come through on that post (http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5850.html) Here are some great sites that gives you a list of healthy things your sully can eat, care sheets, Info on Pyramiding, soft shell, Vitamin D3, calcium, humidity, and why not to place your tort on any one food source.
http://www.africantortoise.com/
Regarding Pyramiding in Sulcatas:
http://www.reptileuvinfo.com/docs/humidity-pyrmiding-sulcata-tortois.pdf

Yes your light may need to be changed. Or you may need more light, not uvb just light. Some torts naturally darken as they age. I doubt a darkening of the shell would be caused by calcium. UVB and substrate perhaps. But a 5.0 bulb is not a strong bulb for a Sully. You are correct some bulbs were causing problems with reptiles eyes, Especially the coil bulbs. If he is blinking a lot and it stopped when you soaked him you may have the humidity too low. That is why I asked about it. But we need more information to really help. And of course pictures are always an added tool for us to use to help you help your tort.

 

[smoke_kush]

I was told that babies aren't too fond of hay and that such so I give him a mix of greens and hay with the calcium or tnt. I have already acquired all the wood necessary to buy the 4x4 ft enclosure, but I will keep that in mind. I'm getting a stronger uvb. I had moss in his tank but he was eating it. The humidity is very low in his tank at the moment but as soon as I get this new table set up, I think it should be at an appropriate level. His tank stays pretty hot. at night it drops anywhere from 85-90 and is 70 on the cooler side. The temps in his tank usually stay at a constant unless it's really cold. He's very active. I heard that under the glass heaters are always really good for reptiles. But I'm building a wooden enclosure. would a piece of slate under a heat lamp give the same effect? Thanks for all the replies

 

[tortoisenerd]

A heating pad or under tank heater is not a good idea for torts, as they get their heat from above in the wild. Having a slate under the heat lamp does give a nice cozy affect. I have a slate tile to the side of the heat lamp for my tort to eat on. It stays nice and warm, and gives him space to push the food around. Good for the nails and beak as well.

I'd personally recommend you not do 4x4 ft because it's going to be really tough to try and reach anything on that back side. What cuts of wood do you have already? Tools? I might be able to help you work out a plan B.

Why do you think the humidity will increase with the table vs. the tank?

 

[smoke_kush]

the humidity is going to increase because i am changing the substrate to sand and peat moss. that is easier to keep moist (i currently have a reptile carpet). i like the table better because it is bigger and i can fit plants and such in it. i am 18. when i put moss in his tank, he was eating it, no tasting involved. he devoured it! i already built my enclosure (wish i would have seen your post earlier, could have used the extra help). i just need to finish putting all the needed accessories in and it will be good to go. will post pictures up later. the dimensions of my enclosure were necessary, due to the space that i have in my room. i am so excited that warm weather i finally here! kame gets to play outside! thanks for all the replies.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...instead of peatmoss, you need either cypress mulch (from Home Depot or Lowes) or bed-a-beast to mix with your play sand. Peatmoss gets too dusty when it dries out and I believe it is too acidic for tortoises.
Did you make the floor of your enclosure water proof so you can keep the substrate damp?
good luck
Patsy