Beginner needing advice. .

[Chelsey]

Hello,
I will be getting a baby sulcata (less than 4 inches) next week and have some questions. Do I use under tank heaters and a UVA bulb as well as a UVB? I've made a turtle table that has a cool and warm side of the enclosure. I bought coco substrate, terra cotta saucers, and a half log for him to hide out in. Is there anything I need? I plan to pick up calcium and pellets before the little guy gets here. I also bought wheat grass and plan to grow some along with kale, romaine, and Swiss chard. I know he needs to be soaked about 3 times a week, and should get some real sun daily. Anything else?? Tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings and Welcome. I'd recommend that you read all the Sulcata info under the Tortoise Species, African tortoises, Sulcata. There is a ton of useful info there on everything you need to know about keeping and csring for a Sully. Heat, light, substrate, humidity, food types, soaking, etc. it's all there. Our sully is almost two years old and still gets his daily soaks. A pix of your setup will help everyone provide u and your new sully some tips. It s recommended to not use under tank heaters and you want to create a closed environment to ensure high humidity, coupled with proper temps. Read up n good luck!

Here's a link to the Sully Section http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/

 

[bryson white]

Hello,
I will be getting a baby sulcata (less than 4 inches) next week and have some questions. Do I use under tank heaters and a UVA bulb as well as a UVB? I've made a turtle table that has a cool and warm side of the enclosure. I bought coco substrate, terra cotta saucers, and a half log for him to hide out in. Is there anything I need? I plan to pick up calcium and pellets before the little guy gets here. I also bought wheat grass and plan to grow some along with kale, romaine, and Swiss chard. I know he needs to be soaked about 3 times a week, and should get some real sun daily. Anything else?? Tips would be greatly appreciated!

You want to get a zoomed turtle bone for calcium and if you go to a store buy wheat grass they come in flats for 2 $

 

[Chelsey]

Here's his home..

 

[Chelsey]

Here's the cool side.

 

[Maro2Bear]

The screened, mesh top won't help you maintain high heat/humidity. You will want to cover that with maybe plexi-glass. How about your lighting, heating ( ceramic heating element), lots of moist substrate, sunken terracotta sauser for water. Some tufts of real grass, edible plants, temp and humidity gauges.

Also, be prepared for your Sully to quickly outgrow his hide and your enclosure in general. Ours went from a few grams to over 15 pounds in less than two years.

Since you have time before your sully arrives, get the proper heat, humidity levels and lighting straightened out so you csn monitor and maintain.

 

[Chelsey]

I haven't bought the lights yet since I've read so many different opinions. I live in CO and it's still pretty chilly here. The turtle will be inside where it's usually 70 degrees. How many different lights do I need? I was told at the pet store, I can buy just one that has everything I need. I have already purchased the terra cotta saucers, and substrate, just haven't put it in the enclosure yet.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I haven't bought the lights yet since I've read so many different opinions. I live in CO and it's still pretty chilly here. The turtle will be inside where it's usually 70 degrees. How many different lights do I need? I was told at the pet store, I can buy just one that has everything I need. I have already purchased the terra cotta saucers, and substrate, just haven't put it in the enclosure yet.

70 is way toooo cold for a young sully. This is right from Toms info on the how to care for a sully,

Lighting:
I use a 65 watt incandescent flood bulb on a 12 hour timer and adjust the height of the fixture to get a hot spot of around 100 directly under the bulb. Then I use a ceramic heating element set to 80 degrees on a reptile thermostat to maintain my ambient temperature in the enclosure. Sometimes the basking lamp raises the day time ambient into the low 90s. This is fine and the thermostat will keep your CHE off during these times, but ready to click on after the basking lamp clicks off and the ambient temperature starts to drop at night. I use long florescent tubes when I want to brighten up the whole enclosure and I run these on the same timer as the basking bulb. The above are just what works for me and are suggestions for what might work for you. Every enclosure and home is different, and some customization will usually be necessary to get things "just right".

UV:
Tortoises MUST have regular exposure to the right kind of UV rays. Real sunshine is best, but be careful. Shade should always be available as babies can overheat and die surprisingly quickly. If your tortoise can get some regular sunning time in a safe outdoor enclosure, even just a couple of times a week for most of the year, you don't need any artificial UV. Its okay if you have to skip two or three weeks of sunning time during a cold winter spell. If you live somewhere with long frozen winters, then some artificial UV might be in order for that time of year. I prefer mercury vapor bulbs. Long florescent UV tubes seem to work okay too nowadays, but I have yet to test that theory. I recommend against any type of coil or cfl UV bulb. I have personally seen these cause eye issues too many times. More research is needed to find out exactly what the problem with the cfl UV bulbs is, but there is no denying that there is a problem at least some of the time.

 

[Chelsey]

Thanks for the advice! So I could just get a 65 watt incandescent bulb at Lowe's and get a timer at the
Pet store? What kind of ceramic heating element do you recommend?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Thanks for the advice! So I could just get a 65 watt incandescent bulb at Lowe's and get a timer at the
Pet store? What kind of ceramic heating element do you recommend?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Chelsea, and welcome to the Forum!

Please read

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/


From these you will learn that baby sulcatas grow very well when kept in a humid environment. Also, in my opinion, when they are babies, you don't need a hot side/cool side. Babies do well when kept at about 80-85F all over the whole table, and not below 78F or so at night. In order to heep it hot and humid, you'll need to cover that table. I'd cover the whole thing, lights/heat and all.

 

[Chelsey]

Hi Chelsea, and welcome to the Forum!

Please read

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/


From these you will learn that baby sulcatas grow very well when kept in a humid environment. Also, in my opinion, when they are babies, you don't need a hot side/cool side. Babies do well when kept at about 80-85F all over the whole table, and not below 78F or so at night. In order to heep it hot and humid, you'll need to cover that table. I'd cover the whole thing, lights/heat and all.

I've read both of these posts. What I'm having a hard time with, is figuring out the correct lights for a hatchling. . I know he will definitely need a UVB light as well as a heating one, how do you know which one to get? One person has said to get one kind, and another has recommended a different one. Does he need a UVB, heat emitter, and a basking light? (Could you please give specific brands) Also, I will be getting plexi glass tomorrow and replacing the top with that instead of the wire. Is there anything else I should know that's not in those posts?

 

[Sara G.]

A basking light is a bright day light that provides a very warm spot for your tort.
UV light, provides actual bright light as well but does not provide any heat.
Some people like to have a basking light and a separate tube (NOT COIL, these bulbs can be very harmful to tort eyes) UV light.
MVB (mercury vapor bulb, powersun is the brand I use) bulbs provide both heat and UV so I favor those.

And you have to have a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for ambient heat temps and for night time temps. I use mine on a thermostat for day time and night time.

You can get timers at Home Depot or lowes for cheap along with domes for your light bulbs.

 

[Chelsey]

A basking light is a bright day light that provides a very warm spot for your tort.
UV light, provides actual bright light as well but does not provide any heat.
Some people like to have a basking light and a separate tube (NOT COIL, these bulbs can be very harmful to tort eyes) UV light.
MVB (mercury vapor bulb, powersun is the brand I use) bulbs provide both heat and UV so I favor those.

And you have to have a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for ambient heat temps and for night time temps. I use mine on a thermostat for day time and night time.

You can get timers at Home Depot or lowes for cheap along with domes for your light bulbs.

I think I've got it now!! So definitely get a MVB and a CHE as well as a timer. Is it recommended to get a basking light along with a CHE?

 

[Sara G.]

In this instance the MVB would be your basking light/UV light.
CHEs do not provide any light whereas MVBs are very bright.

 

[Chelsey]

In this instance the MVB would be your basking light/UV light.
CHEs do not provide any light whereas MVBs are very bright.

Ok, so I should be good with those two lights. Thanks so much!

 

[Tom]

Here is a post I typed up for another member explaining the four necessary elements of heating and lighting:

"Let me break down the heating and lighting thing. You need three or four elements:
1. Heat: During the day this is best accomplished with 65 watt flood bulbs from the hardware store set on digital timers. These also give some light. Move them higher or lower to get the basking temp under them correct. I buy them in 6 packs, so if they burn out I always have a spare on hand.
2. Light: Sometimes the basking bulb and ambient room light are enough. If not, use a tube style florescent strip light form the hardware store. Run it on the same timer as the heat lamps. Try to get a bulb in the 5000-6500K color range. The more common 2500K color range bulbs look yellowish.
3. Ambient temp maintenance and night heat: Tortoises need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with the use of a CHE in a ceramic based fixture. Get the 11" ceramic based domes from Home Depot for all your heat lamps.
4. UV: Best to sun them for an hour two or more times a week. Its okay to skip a few weeks over winter and this will do no harm. Since you live in the frozen North (Okay, Midwest, but its a figure of speech…), you will need to provide some artificial UV. Several options for this:
a. Use a mercury vapor bulb, like the power sun for your basking bulb. Use this in the Home Depot fixture I mentioned, not in a small pet store dome or deep dome. Replace it every fall.
b. Use a long tube type 10.0 florescent bulb. These MUST be mounted no more than 10-12" from the tortoise to be effective.
c. Get an Arcadia 12% HO bulb from lightyourreptiles.com. These are great, but they make a lot of UV. Mount it at least 18" and as much as 26" away from the tortoise and put it on its own timer for only about 4 hours a day."

If its not more clear after this, please come back and ask more questions.

Also, I saw it mentioned that you'll have a tough time maintaining the correct conditions with an open top, but I didn't see a response from you.

There is a lot of old, incorrect, out-dated info circulating around "out there". Its very difficult for a new person to know who to listen to when so much of the info is contradictory. Look for results. Most of the people advocating open tables and dry substrate do not have good results to show. Sulcata knowledge has advanced a lot in the last few years. A lot of the previous care info was dead wrong and based on incorrect assumptions about where they come from and how they live there. We know better now, but its a continuous uphill battle fighting the old info.

 

[Chelsey]

Here is a post I typed up for another member explaining the four necessary elements of heating and lighting:

"Let me break down the heating and lighting thing. You need three or four elements:
1. Heat: During the day this is best accomplished with 65 watt flood bulbs from the hardware store set on digital timers. These also give some light. Move them higher or lower to get the basking temp under them correct. I buy them in 6 packs, so if they burn out I always have a spare on hand.
2. Light: Sometimes the basking bulb and ambient room light are enough. If not, use a tube style florescent strip light form the hardware store. Run it on the same timer as the heat lamps. Try to get a bulb in the 5000-6500K color range. The more common 2500K color range bulbs look yellowish.
3. Ambient temp maintenance and night heat: Tortoises need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with the use of a CHE in a ceramic based fixture. Get the 11" ceramic based domes from Home Depot for all your heat lamps.
4. UV: Best to sun them for an hour two or more times a week. Its okay to skip a few weeks over winter and this will do no harm. Since you live in the frozen North (Okay, Midwest, but its a figure of speech…), you will need to provide some artificial UV. Several options for this:
a. Use a mercury vapor bulb, like the power sun for your basking bulb. Use this in the Home Depot fixture I mentioned, not in a small pet store dome or deep dome. Replace it every fall.
b. Use a long tube type 10.0 florescent bulb. These MUST be mounted no more than 10-12" from the tortoise to be effective.
c. Get an Arcadia 12% HO bulb from lightyourreptiles.com. These are great, but they make a lot of UV. Mount it at least 18" and as much as 26" away from the tortoise and put it on its own timer for only about 4 hours a day."

If its not more clear after this, please come back and ask more questions.

Also, I saw it mentioned that you'll have a tough time maintaining the correct conditions with an open top, but I didn't see a response from you.

There is a lot of old, incorrect, out-dated info circulating around "out there". Its very difficult for a new person to know who to listen to when so much of the info is contradictory. Look for results. Most of the people advocating open tables and dry substrate do not have good results to show. Sulcata knowledge has advanced a lot in the last few years. A lot of the previous care info was dead wrong and based on incorrect assumptions about where they come from and how they live there. We know better now, but its a continuous uphill battle fighting the old info.

Thanks for the info!
I will be fixing the open top by replacing the wire with plexi glass.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Chelsey !

 

[Chelsey]

I changed his cage. Here is what he will have now. .