LordTurtlington

New Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2021
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Beckenham
My name is Lord Turtlington, I am a 6(ish) month old Sulcata Tortoise living in London. My owner is trying their best to take good care of me but would love some advice especially when it comes to the English climate and food to eat as there’s such conflicting information online!

I am 9cm long (grown 2cm in the 3 months she’s had me) and weigh 115g (66g growth in 3 months), am I a healthy weight for my age?

I live in a large vivarium with a UV light and ceramic heat lamp, spider plants and air plants dotted around, a dirt substrate 5cm deep across the vivarium with edible grass and dried flowers as extra bedding where I like to sleep and bury down in. She also made me a ramp to lead up to a second floor so I have more space to roam. There’s pebbles for me to climb on, my water bowl and food dish. Is there anything else she can do to make it nicer for me? (For Christmas I’m getting a second large vivarium that she’s going to attach to my current one so I have loads of space as I grow bigger)

Then food-wise, she uses The Tortoise Table app to check which foods are safe to eat but I’m a picky bugger and will only eat lambs lettuce or food that I should only eat ‘sparingly’ despite her best efforts to give me lots of safe choices. Any suggestions on how to get a more varied and safe diet??

Finally she built me an outdoor area to play in on her balcony, rolled out real grass and built walls around it so I can enjoy the outside but as it gets colder she’s a little worried about having me out even though she’s got me a heat lamp, does anyone else stay inside all winter or can we have short outdoor fun?

Thats about all I have to ask, I’d love for you to help her out so I can grow the best and healthiest I can :)

A2A17982-4CB1-4E7F-9018-F75BD8C9C9BD.jpeg
 

queen koopa

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
754
Location (City and/or State)
Las Vegas Nevada
Howdy!!! Hatchling set up sounds good, pics help! Gonna tag a UK member for ya. I have a 50 pound sulcata, she is outdoors all year because she’s an adult, I live in a warm climate, and she has a heated shed.

@Lyn W
@JoesMum
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
My name is Lord Turtlington, I am a 6(ish) month old Sulcata Tortoise living in London. My owner is trying their best to take good care of me but would love some advice especially when it comes to the English climate and food to eat as there’s such conflicting information online!

I am 9cm long (grown 2cm in the 3 months she’s had me) and weigh 115g (66g growth in 3 months), am I a healthy weight for my age?

I live in a large vivarium with a UV light and ceramic heat lamp, spider plants and air plants dotted around, a dirt substrate 5cm deep across the vivarium with edible grass and dried flowers as extra bedding where I like to sleep and bury down in. She also made me a ramp to lead up to a second floor so I have more space to roam. There’s pebbles for me to climb on, my water bowl and food dish. Is there anything else she can do to make it nicer for me? (For Christmas I’m getting a second large vivarium that she’s going to attach to my current one so I have loads of space as I grow bigger)

Then food-wise, she uses The Tortoise Table app to check which foods are safe to eat but I’m a picky bugger and will only eat lambs lettuce or food that I should only eat ‘sparingly’ despite her best efforts to give me lots of safe choices. Any suggestions on how to get a more varied and safe diet??

Finally she built me an outdoor area to play in on her balcony, rolled out real grass and built walls around it so I can enjoy the outside but as it gets colder she’s a little worried about having me out even though she’s got me a heat lamp, does anyone else stay inside all winter or can we have short outdoor fun?

Thats about all I have to ask, I’d love for you to help her out so I can grow the best and healthiest I can :)

View attachment 334186
Read this it's the best advice...stay and ask questions and DON'T believe other advice you've been given...

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

This is May Knobbins...
100_0482.JPG
 

LordTurtlington

New Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2021
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Beckenham

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome,
I would think with our UK climate any baby should stay indoors over winter.
I have a leopard - about 10 years old now and their care conditions are similar to sullies. He only goes outdoors when the ground temps reach 70F.
He lives in an adapted room all year around because even in the summer it can be too wet and cold, but when it's warm enough he has free access to the garden. In his room he has an insulated dog kennel as his hide, heated with a Reptile Radiator (like a flat CHE) run through a thermostat. The room has a radiator in it which is on over winter and he also has his UVB tube and flood basking bulb.
With a sully who will grow much bigger than a leopard, you'll need to plan ahead with maybe a heated insulated shed with a heated nightbox in it for a few years down the line, unless you also have a room you can adapt for him.
If you post pics of his viv and lamps you'll get great advice to check it's as safe as possible for him - as Maggie said there's a lot of old information still being circulated about tortoise keeping and most of us have made mistakes and had to make changes.
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Hi and welcome,
I would think with our UK climate any baby should stay indoors over winter.
I have a leopard - about 10 years old now and their care conditions are similar to sullies. He only goes outdoors when the ground temps reach 70F.
He lives in an adapted room all year around because even in the summer it can be too wet and cold, but when it's warm enough he has free access to the garden. In his room he has an insulated dog kennel as his hide, heated with a Reptile Radiator (like a flat CHE) run through a thermostat. The room has a radiator in it which is on over winter and he also has his UVB tube and flood basking bulb.
With a sully who will grow much bigger than a leopard, you'll need to plan ahead with maybe a heated insulated shed with a heated nightbox in it for a few years down the line, unless you also have a room you can adapt for him.
If you post pics of his viv and lamps you'll get great advice to check it's as safe as possible for him - as Maggie said there's a lot of old information still being circulated about tortoise keeping and most of us have made mistakes and had to make changes.
I don't thinki I have ever seen you tortoise...doesn't he have a feminine name? how about a photo???just for me...
 

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