Thrilled this forum exists

Cc3223

New Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
California
Long time reptile enthusiast... First time Sully pet parent and this forum has opened my eyes to so many things I was just not aware of.
To be clear--technically I am Cookie's grandma-- as she belongs to my 8 year old daughter. But as she is 8, I'm sure I will be primary care taker for many years [which I am fine with].
We picked up Cookie about a year ago from a pet store, they claimed she was between 3 and 5 years old.
She shows some pyramiding but it seems to have slowed or improved in the time we've had her.
We made many mistakes over this first year, from housing her in our home to have free reign of our dining area during cooler months [messy, dangerous!] to improper subrate as we transitioned her outdoors. [All the pet stores in the area use Timothy hay in their large Sulcata enclosures... It seemed odd to me if that was also to be part of their staple diet as adults... but I couldn't seem to find anything definitive on the topic before discovering this forum.]
I also was told to soak once a month or so... So at first that's all we did.
Despite all this, Cookie survived as we became more educated. It is such a shame proper information is not more readily available.
This forum has helped tremendously.
Cookie now has a beautiful 6x18 outdoor enclosure with Orchid bark substrate. Three months ago we built her a night box [2×4] out of plywood and foam insulation. It contains a pig blanket and a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter which keeps it around 70's at night and 60% humidity. She would have nothing to do with it at first... She liked her other hideaway that she was quickly outgrowing. We tried setting her in the new one but she would just wander out. Many nights as the weather grew colder I would trudge outside to see where she landed for the night... To find her in her small unheated hideaway meant I would have to bring her inside for the night. But one night I went out there and she was not in her spot... I was so happy to lift the top off her night box and see her in there.
Overall I feel good about the improvements we've made. We are learning new things about her and happy to have suggestions.
We are still working on diet-- Mostly its leafy greens and dandelion leaves because I'm scared to forage and bring home stuff with pesticides.
Thank you to everyone who shares experience here.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Hello and welcome.
As you now know, this forum is just fantastic and I'm very proud to be part of it.
We have thousands of members from all parts of the world with lots of first hand knowledge of just about all species. It's a great, free wealth of knowledge
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Long time reptile enthusiast... First time Sully pet parent and this forum has opened my eyes to so many things I was just not aware of.
To be clear--technically I am Cookie's grandma-- as she belongs to my 8 year old daughter. But as she is 8, I'm sure I will be primary care taker for many years [which I am fine with].
We picked up Cookie about a year ago from a pet store, they claimed she was between 3 and 5 years old.
She shows some pyramiding but it seems to have slowed or improved in the time we've had her.
We made many mistakes over this first year, from housing her in our home to have free reign of our dining area during cooler months [messy, dangerous!] to improper subrate as we transitioned her outdoors. [All the pet stores in the area use Timothy hay in their large Sulcata enclosures... It seemed odd to me if that was also to be part of their staple diet as adults... but I couldn't seem to find anything definitive on the topic before discovering this forum.]
I also was told to soak once a month or so... So at first that's all we did.
Despite all this, Cookie survived as we became more educated. It is such a shame proper information is not more readily available.
This forum has helped tremendously.
Cookie now has a beautiful 6x18 outdoor enclosure with Orchid bark substrate. Three months ago we built her a night box [2×4] out of plywood and foam insulation. It contains a pig blanket and a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter which keeps it around 70's at night and 60% humidity. She would have nothing to do with it at first... She liked her other hideaway that she was quickly outgrowing. We tried setting her in the new one but she would just wander out. Many nights as the weather grew colder I would trudge outside to see where she landed for the night... To find her in her small unheated hideaway meant I would have to bring her inside for the night. But one night I went out there and she was not in her spot... I was so happy to lift the top off her night box and see her in there.
Overall I feel good about the improvements we've made. We are learning new things about her and happy to have suggestions.
We are still working on diet-- Mostly its leafy greens and dandelion leaves because I'm scared to forage and bring home stuff with pesticides.
Thank you to everyone who shares experience here.
Hello and welcome! Start here:

Night box needs to be bigger now, and its time to get rid of the CHE before it damages the carapace. Night temps shouldn't drop below 80. There is a link at the end of the thread above showing the night boxes.
 

Cc3223

New Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
California
Hello and welcome! Start here:

Night box needs to be bigger now, and its time to get rid of the CHE before it damages the carapace. Night temps shouldn't drop below 80. There is a link at the end of the thread above showing the night boxes.
Darn, I thought we were on track with the ceramic heat emitter. Is the pig blanket OK? Is it also OK to have the two heat sources [above and below] in the same spot in the night box?
Located in N. Orange County, CA.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Darn, I thought we were on track with the ceramic heat emitter. Is the pig blanket OK? Is it also OK to have the two heat sources [above and below] in the same spot in the night box?
Located in N. Orange County, CA.
Yes and yes. The thread I mentioned shows how.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome,
Thanks to this forum and the members with decades of experience and research behind them as well as their patience in answering our questions, many torts worldwide have happier and healthier lives.
There is a lot to learn and even after 8 years as a member I'm still learning.
Ask as many questions as you like there's always someone around to help.
 
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