# My Tortoise Table...



## Honey (Feb 3, 2012)

I am very new to this forum, and I thought the next best step after posting an introduction would be to post here!

I'm posting pictures of my Sulcata's tortoise table. His name is Sheldon, he's a yearling... and thus far - he loves his table. The pictures I'm posting were taken right after I started setting the table up - so his food bowl is empty and his lights aren't there. (Of course, he's well fed, and has a ceramic heat bulb as well as the appropriate UVB bulb!)

I'm not done with his habitat... it's a work in progress. (I know he's too young to be sure of his sex, but 'he' will work until I know.) 

If anyone has any tips, ideas, or thoughts, I would love to hear them! 

Thank you!
~Honey


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## ripper7777777 (Feb 3, 2012)

Looks great, You didn't mention humidity and temps though.

and they are never done, I find they are always a work in progress.


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## Honey (Feb 3, 2012)

Thank you, ripper7777777! The humidity and temps are as follows:

Humidity:
I suppose I'm a bit old school about humidity levels and Sulcatas. I make sure to keep his hide more humid than the rest of his enclosure... and there is always fresh (reverse osmosis) filtered/purified water in his dish, too. He gets warm soaks 3 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes... and I mist him every so often (he likes it!).

Temperatures: 
Our house is kept at a constant 70 degrees Fahrenheit... I tried to edit the post, and add the pictures of Sheldon's light set up - but it wouldn't let me (I'm still learning!). His basking spot is right at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ambient temp of his table stays at a pretty steady 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and only drops about 5 degrees at night. His cool area below the 2nd level is closer to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but doesn't really change from day to night. 

Hope that helps!


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## Missy (Feb 3, 2012)

Is your light a UVB? The table looks great  It might work for a year, LOL. Sulcatas grow super fast.


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## Honey (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks, Missy! 
Yes, the light is a UVB bulb. He also has a ceramic heat emitter bulb. And you're right about the table and how fast they grow!! 

I rescued Sheldon from a family that thought he would stay small forever (LOL!), and they had him in an aquarium on bad substrate. His old family used just one regular light bulb for his tank, too. (They really had NO idea what they were doing!) I'm super lucky that he was healthy, and that they had not hurt him beyond repair. We've got plans for a larger table, and also for an outdoor set up when he's ready. I'm lucky to have a best friend who's a carpenter, too! He built Sheldon's current table in a few hours for me after I had showed him some pictures of what I was wanting for Sheldon. When Sheldon outgrows his current table, I plan on adding a smaller tort to our family who can get long term use out of it. 

So... how big and how old are your Sulcatas?


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## philthyturtle (Feb 3, 2012)

What kind of plants are those?


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## Missy (Feb 3, 2012)

Honey said:


> Thanks, Missy!
> Yes, the light is a UVB bulb. He also has a ceramic heat emitter bulb. And you're right about the table and how fast they grow!!
> 
> I rescued Sheldon from a family that thought he would stay small forever (LOL!), and they had him in an aquarium on bad substrate. His old family used just one regular light bulb for his tank, too. (They really had NO idea what they were doing!) I'm super lucky that he was healthy, and that they had not hurt him beyond repair. We've got plans for a larger table, and also for an outdoor set up when he's ready. I'm lucky to have a best friend who's a carpenter, too! He built Sheldon's current table in a few hours for me after I had showed him some pictures of what I was wanting for Sheldon. When Sheldon outgrows his current table, I plan on adding a smaller tort to our family who can get long term use out of it.
> ...



Sounds like you got a great set up. I am so happy you got him now. I have 2 Sulcata. Lana I rescued and I am guessing she is 5-7 yrs old. She has MBD and was near death when I got her. She was 13 pounds when I got her and she is about 15 pounds now. Tank is my little trooper. He is 4 yrs old and was always small for his age. He had surgery last year to remove a large stone in his bladder. The surgery left him unable to use his hind leg. He has grown leaps and bounds in the last year and gets around pretty good tho I see a wheel in his future if I can find someone to do it. I also have a yearling Leopard that is growing like a weed, LOL. I have a room in the basement for the sulcatas that is heated and UVB bulbs and pig matts. Wish they could be outside year round but Illinois weather wont allow. Anyway I think it's great that you are willing to give your sully a good home. You found a great place here at TFO.


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## slowpoke (Feb 3, 2012)

looks great , im going to have to use a few of the idea's you have there on your table lol im always adding new things to my russians habitat ... im lovin the 2nd level ...


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## Honey (Feb 3, 2012)

Thanks to all of you for the compliments!! 

@ philthyturtle - The plants are: Mother-in-law's Tongue, a stemless succulent rosette, a Pachira Glabra (Money Tree Plant), and a cluster/bunch of variegated silk leaves to allow for somewhat private dining.  He doesn't want to nibble at the little bunch of fake leaves, and the other 3 plants are in pots above his nibble range, too. I am waiting for seeds right now, and haven't made it to the greenhouse to buy safe edible plants for him - but soon, he'll have safe tasty plants at his level. 

@ Missy - You seem like an awesome momma! Thank you for telling me about your torts! I bet a wheel is in Tank's future! I'm not too far from you in MO, so I totally understand our winters - brrrrrrr.  When Sheldon is large enough, he'll have his own house in our backyard, and within our garage set up kind of how your basement sounds. Thank you, too, for the kind words...

@ slowpoke - Thank you! And yes - by all means, use any bit of it if it gives you inspiration! I've seen quite a few tables with a second level like Sheldon's, but the majority of them were solid below the second level... I didn't want to waste that space! I even made sure that the giant fake stone hide that Sheldon has had since before I owned him would fit underneath that top level. I've got a hay/grass spot in the other far back corner that isn't visible in the pictures, and the hide on the top also has his hay/grass inside. 

I plan on adding twigs to his ramp, and to the edge of the top level (I saw a table like that somewhere online and loved the idea)... traction and safety plus nice ambiance.  Also, just for fun, I plan on hanging little painted framed pictures on the inside walls to look like tiny little masterpieces... my late grandmother used to have a ton of them, and they're somewhat easy to find in antique stores around here. It is definitely going to be unique and fun when it's all done. lol!!


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## cemmons12 (Feb 3, 2012)

Very nice looking!


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## jkingler (Feb 3, 2012)

Awesome table! What kind of bulbs are you using? I assume they are on stands, since I can't see them on the table, so I was curious. 

P.S. Twigs on the ramp is definitely something I am planning on, once I get my second story up. It looks cool and is a nice safety add-on.


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## Honey (Feb 3, 2012)

@ cemmons12 - Thank you!!

@ jkingler - Thank you, too! I have a dual bulb holder for the lights. One is a ceramic heat emitter, and the other is a MVB UVB light. The stand I use is a found object. I honestly have no clue what the name for the thing is... or what it's original purpose would have been. It's about a foot and a half tall - it's cast iron - and it has a loop holder thingy at the top. It allows the lights to hover about a foot over the table in the basking area. I keep the ceramic bulb on 24/7 - but the UVB is regulated to daytime hours. I was bummed when I realized that I couldn't add more photos to the original post - I tried, but it wouldn't work. lol 

So... I am going to try to see if this works - if it doesn't, please bare with me!








Yay!!! It works! It was pretty late at night when I took the picture, so Sheldon's light really floods out the rest of the area. Hope that it shows the light holder better than I was able to explain it.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Feb 3, 2012)

Very nice!


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## Arizona Sulcata (Feb 4, 2012)

That's a great looking tort table!


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## Honey (Feb 4, 2012)

Thank you both!!!


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## lynnedit (Feb 4, 2012)

Really nice looking! Nice example of a tort table for any smaller tort.
Here is a nice site to look up safe plants: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp

And a nice source for seeds: http://www.arizonatortoisecompound.com/Tortoise-Seed-Mixes/


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## tyler0912 (Feb 4, 2012)

Can he get up the ramp? , It seems very slippery!! :O

Great enclosure by the way...jealousy is a awful feeling! :O


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## Honey (Feb 4, 2012)

Thank you, guys! 

@ lynnedit - Thank you for the links, and the compliments, too! 

@ tyler 0912 - Thank you, too, for the compliment, and to answer your question - yes he can. I do plan on covering it with little twigs, to make for more traction, though. His enclosure is ever evolving!


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## tyler0912 (Feb 5, 2012)

Thats' Great!


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## Honey (Feb 5, 2012)

I'll keep posting new pictures... is the picture thread the best spot for that?? Or posting again in the enclosures? I don't want to pester people. lol


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## TonkaLuv (Feb 5, 2012)

That is gorgeous!!!!!


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## Honey (Feb 5, 2012)

Thank you!


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## lynnedit (Feb 5, 2012)

Oh, never you mind. Posting pictures is definitely what we live for.
You can post random pics in 'photos', if they are pics of just general stuff or a cute pic of your tort.
If they are pics of your enclosure, then add to this thread, or start a new one (not a bad idea fter they get long), in the enclosure section. That way in the future, people can look through the enclosure thread and those pics are all in one place.
Post as MANY pics as you like.


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## Honey (Feb 6, 2012)

Thank you, lynnedit - I'm so new, and I'm striving to be an active, educated, helpful member. The last thing I would want to do is to annoy valuable members of this forum! Raising my Sheldon would have been quite a bit different and not in good ways had it not been for me stumbling across threads here. I was able to make the right moves hopefully in the right amount of time for the best outcome for my Sulcata. I'm stubborn, but willing to tweak things daily for him to try and get it just right. I've spent the last 6 months trying to prove to Sheldon that I'll keep at it until I get it right. And much to my delight, he's (stop me if you've heard this one) starting to come out of his shell a bit. We're getting each other figured out, and though I've adored him since I first laid eyes on him - he's starting to like me. 


I've taken photos each time I made a change - no matter how minor - to his enclosure. I've taken photos each time I change Sheldon's diet, humidity, heat, substrate, soaks, etc. I want to see the evolution of his time with me through images (as well as a written journal). It would be invaluable for a vet visit, but I'm mainly doing it to be able to give it all to my son when Sheldon is passed to him. I think it would be so fun for him to share with his future kiddo/s what life with Sheldon has been like since his childhood. 

I read through many other turtle and tortoise forums for info, too. 6 months of learning, searching, and researching led towards me wanting to become a member here, and here only. I've learned things here that completely contradict what some personal websites put out there. Ahhck!! Some of the info out there is NOT right, and heeding that same info could severely harm our precious turtles and tortoises! I know that I am not as well versed as SO many members here are - but I know that I'm surely just as passionate about proper husbandry and the adoration for our shelled friends as those experts are. <3 I want to one day be considered one of the 'good people' to ask or take offered info/advice from. 

:::Stepping off my soap box:::

I'll stop carrying on, but I'll leave you with this... he is *in* his enclosure, so it count's right? :


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## dmarcus (Feb 6, 2012)

It is a nice enclosure and I think the twigs will be good to help with traction up and down the ramp. I have used popsicle sticks in the past when I had a ramp for hatchlings but the twigs will look more natural...


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## Honey (Feb 6, 2012)

@ yoda06 - Thank you! I am currently working on his outdoor enclosure, but it's not done yet. It will me ready in time for the warm weather here in MO. The water dish is really cool, but it will only work for him while he's small. They're called "water's edge bowls"  Here's a few links for you:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038MYHXI/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 
And...
http://www.t-rexproducts.com/products/reptile-accessories/waters-edge-bowl/

@ dmarcus - Thanks! I thought about popsicle sticks, too.


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## lynnedit (Feb 7, 2012)

Yes that counts, lol!
I used something like this from ACE, http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=Sz0xT8DNNJDSiALLyOzLAw&ved=0CIUBEPMCMAA on my ramp. Strips of wood with this in between. Seems to be tough and help with grip and trimming nails!


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## Honey (Feb 7, 2012)

I think I found a picture of one of your ramps in a thread you posted about your Russians. It looked really pretty - and I was sure the ramp was the non-skid tape and wood that you mentioned. Do your Russians use the ramp? How long did it take them to try it out when they first were introduced to it? My little Sheldon hasn't been on his top level yet - save once that I put him there to check it out.


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## dmarcus (Feb 8, 2012)

I was reading your reply on another post about your sulcata not wanting anything to do with the ramp and not wanted to intrude on the OP I figured I would reply here.

In the past, if one of my sulcata's did not want to use the ramp, I would build a cover for the ramp and turn it into a tunnel. For some reason they like going into the dark tunnel and after they were use to it I would take the top off and they would continue to go up the ramp.


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## Honey (Feb 8, 2012)

Oooh!! A tort-tunnel!  That is a great idea!!! It wouldn't be too hard to add to the table either. Now you've got my brain imagining how to create a covered walk-way... trellis, or tunnel. Hmmmm - this is a fun idea. Thanks a ton for sharing it - I really dig getting tips, tricks, and advice from other Sulcata owners on what's worked well for them.


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## yarok (Mar 20, 2012)

What kind of substrate is that?


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