so my 15 yr old daughter twisted her dad's arm and got a baby sulcata about 2 weeks ago. Thought I'm not thrilled about the lifelong commitment we've taken on, we ARE responsible pet owners and want to do everything right! and they ARE so adorable, just precious (while they're babies anyway!)
I have spent tons of hours researching the past week and just feel very overwhelmed and confused because there is very differing advice from forum to forum. I'm a very busy mom and just don't have any more time to try to make heads or tails of all the varying opinions out there on websites. Stumbled upon this forum and you folks here seem to be the experts so PLEASE help a mom out here!!
My most pressing question right now is how to stop her (my daughter insists it's a girl!) from flipping herself over? I know this can be very dangerous if they can't get themselves righted. We found Navi flipped over THREE times just yesterday and once was right under he lamp! NOT GOOD!
So here's what we've done/are doing:
1. Feeding: mostly fresh grass clippings (bermuda) from our untreated yard, occasional mash of ZooMed Tortoise food (a couple of dry pellets and a hibicus flower...she doesn't seem to like this food much), VERY occasional small piece of kale which she likes, we have what I thought was clover in our yard (we don't spray) and I gave her some of that which she loved. Later I was doing more research and think it MAY have been oxalis which is NOT okay. She seems fine, so either it isn't oxalis or was not enough to hurt her. Until I can determine for certain it is clover we won't give her more. So the REPTILE store we went to AND several sulcata sites say spring mix minus the spinach is okay. However, on this forum some folks say "no"....thus adding to our confusion. We have a LOT of weeds in our yard right now but I have NO idea what kind they are so I'm terrified to feed her any of them. Any good guidebooks out there for identifying? we have cuttlebone in her habitat for calcium...is this okay or enough for a baby? I can't tell if she's eaten any of it so I'm a bit concerned that maybe we should get some of the stuff you can sprinkle on their food? I was going to get some of the edible flowers on the "ok list" but I'm guessing Home Depot and Lowe's all spray theirs with chemicals????!!! anyone know where I can get some untreated? will take a while to grow ourselves and I need to vary up her diet! If she's getting a varied diet I've read on here she shouldn't need vits? but then another person said the DO need vit supplement! see the confusion for newbies!!???
2. Lighting/Housing: we are unable to keep her outside as we have 3 cattle dogs. They are older so by the time Navi is a big girl and really needs to go outside our dogs will likely have gone to doggie heaven. Anyway, she is in a large plastic sweater box. AFTER buying it and getting it all set up I read on here on Tom's thread (who I understand is the Turtle Whisperer!) that sweater boxes and turtle table are the worst and an enclosed habitat is better. Yet MANY sites and even on here say no to aquariums. So AGAIN much overwhelming confusion for this newbie! I really can't invest any more money on this little creature than I already have so we are either sticking with the sweater box until she's bigger unless any of you have a better cheap option?
Anyway, back to her housing....we have a very moist substrate of Eco Earth. She seems to be happy with it but I'm wondering if we should have varying substrates in different areas of the box? and, if so, what do you all recommend we add to give her some variety? should I let some of the eco earth dry out and keep some of it more wet to keep humidity up? We also have a small cardboard box turned upside down with a doorway cut that she can hide in. Is this sufficient?
We bought the expensive $80 PowerSun bulb 100watt mercury vapor UVB lamp (regretting that after what I've read on here!) anyway, it is at one end of her habitat so she can escape to the other end if she's too warm. We have temp tested and it's 80-85F under the light..is that warm enough?? The ambient temp in the room is around 78. we have the lamp on during the day around 12 hrs total. I read on several sites to just turn them on during the day and turn them off at night. I'm concerned about how she stays warm at night though? Also, if my daughter takes her out in our front yard, attended, to get some natural sun...can she go without the Power Sun lamp for a day if she's taken outside for 30-45 minutes instead? we have not tested the humidity yet. I need to buy something to do that with.
3. Flipping over: My daughter thinks she's flipping herself because she's bored. She said "mom she needs toys!" so WHAT do we give a baby sully for toys? I'm afraid to put anything in the she can climb on so she doesn't fall off onto her back. My daughter was afraid to go to school today and have her baby get flipped and not be able to right herself. I'm home today but can't stay home ever day checking on this baby every hour!!! So any advice on preventing the flipping! She did it a few times even with in a cardboard box when we first go her home, so it's not from any reflection on the habitat walls. Will plants grow in the Eco Earth or should we put baby clay potted plants in there? what do you all recommend for plants and "toys"? I like the half logs seen in some of the pics on here but SO afraid she will climb on TOP of it and flip herself.
4. Misc: We've soaked her almost every day for 20 min in warm water. How old does she need to be before we can stop doing this? This is like having a newborn! LOL! Usually she likes it but sometimes she just keeps going to the side trying to get out. We have fresh water in her habit and change it often. I know she's getting in it because there's evidence of the eco earth floating in it and I've caught her a few times standing in it drinking.
ANY AND ALL HELP APPRECIATED!!!!!
I have spent tons of hours researching the past week and just feel very overwhelmed and confused because there is very differing advice from forum to forum. I'm a very busy mom and just don't have any more time to try to make heads or tails of all the varying opinions out there on websites. Stumbled upon this forum and you folks here seem to be the experts so PLEASE help a mom out here!!
My most pressing question right now is how to stop her (my daughter insists it's a girl!) from flipping herself over? I know this can be very dangerous if they can't get themselves righted. We found Navi flipped over THREE times just yesterday and once was right under he lamp! NOT GOOD!
So here's what we've done/are doing:
1. Feeding: mostly fresh grass clippings (bermuda) from our untreated yard, occasional mash of ZooMed Tortoise food (a couple of dry pellets and a hibicus flower...she doesn't seem to like this food much), VERY occasional small piece of kale which she likes, we have what I thought was clover in our yard (we don't spray) and I gave her some of that which she loved. Later I was doing more research and think it MAY have been oxalis which is NOT okay. She seems fine, so either it isn't oxalis or was not enough to hurt her. Until I can determine for certain it is clover we won't give her more. So the REPTILE store we went to AND several sulcata sites say spring mix minus the spinach is okay. However, on this forum some folks say "no"....thus adding to our confusion. We have a LOT of weeds in our yard right now but I have NO idea what kind they are so I'm terrified to feed her any of them. Any good guidebooks out there for identifying? we have cuttlebone in her habitat for calcium...is this okay or enough for a baby? I can't tell if she's eaten any of it so I'm a bit concerned that maybe we should get some of the stuff you can sprinkle on their food? I was going to get some of the edible flowers on the "ok list" but I'm guessing Home Depot and Lowe's all spray theirs with chemicals????!!! anyone know where I can get some untreated? will take a while to grow ourselves and I need to vary up her diet! If she's getting a varied diet I've read on here she shouldn't need vits? but then another person said the DO need vit supplement! see the confusion for newbies!!???
2. Lighting/Housing: we are unable to keep her outside as we have 3 cattle dogs. They are older so by the time Navi is a big girl and really needs to go outside our dogs will likely have gone to doggie heaven. Anyway, she is in a large plastic sweater box. AFTER buying it and getting it all set up I read on here on Tom's thread (who I understand is the Turtle Whisperer!) that sweater boxes and turtle table are the worst and an enclosed habitat is better. Yet MANY sites and even on here say no to aquariums. So AGAIN much overwhelming confusion for this newbie! I really can't invest any more money on this little creature than I already have so we are either sticking with the sweater box until she's bigger unless any of you have a better cheap option?
Anyway, back to her housing....we have a very moist substrate of Eco Earth. She seems to be happy with it but I'm wondering if we should have varying substrates in different areas of the box? and, if so, what do you all recommend we add to give her some variety? should I let some of the eco earth dry out and keep some of it more wet to keep humidity up? We also have a small cardboard box turned upside down with a doorway cut that she can hide in. Is this sufficient?
We bought the expensive $80 PowerSun bulb 100watt mercury vapor UVB lamp (regretting that after what I've read on here!) anyway, it is at one end of her habitat so she can escape to the other end if she's too warm. We have temp tested and it's 80-85F under the light..is that warm enough?? The ambient temp in the room is around 78. we have the lamp on during the day around 12 hrs total. I read on several sites to just turn them on during the day and turn them off at night. I'm concerned about how she stays warm at night though? Also, if my daughter takes her out in our front yard, attended, to get some natural sun...can she go without the Power Sun lamp for a day if she's taken outside for 30-45 minutes instead? we have not tested the humidity yet. I need to buy something to do that with.
3. Flipping over: My daughter thinks she's flipping herself because she's bored. She said "mom she needs toys!" so WHAT do we give a baby sully for toys? I'm afraid to put anything in the she can climb on so she doesn't fall off onto her back. My daughter was afraid to go to school today and have her baby get flipped and not be able to right herself. I'm home today but can't stay home ever day checking on this baby every hour!!! So any advice on preventing the flipping! She did it a few times even with in a cardboard box when we first go her home, so it's not from any reflection on the habitat walls. Will plants grow in the Eco Earth or should we put baby clay potted plants in there? what do you all recommend for plants and "toys"? I like the half logs seen in some of the pics on here but SO afraid she will climb on TOP of it and flip herself.
4. Misc: We've soaked her almost every day for 20 min in warm water. How old does she need to be before we can stop doing this? This is like having a newborn! LOL! Usually she likes it but sometimes she just keeps going to the side trying to get out. We have fresh water in her habit and change it often. I know she's getting in it because there's evidence of the eco earth floating in it and I've caught her a few times standing in it drinking.
ANY AND ALL HELP APPRECIATED!!!!!