3 week old hatchling sulcata.

[Brewski4u1]

Well just picked him up from a rescue . Got a temp tank set up with moist soil/sand . Got a heat lamp and uvb bulb as well . A small shallow water dish and a hide out . Food for now is spring mix from the store till I can collect grass and my feed seeds going .

 

[Brewski4u1]

Another pic for size reference, a full tank shot and I think I read that this was a good substrate. Let me know what u all think. I will leave the heat lamp on all night and shut off the uvb bulb

 

[lismar79]

I would get rid of the sand asap. It can cause all kinds of issues such as eye damage and impactions. The brick of coir is great to use because your guy will need humidity to grow smooth. You may need to cover the top of your tank to keep humidity up to 80%. Here is a care sheet
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/

Also please make sure you are not using a coil style uv bulb, they are common and really bad for their eyes.

 

[wellington]

I second what was already said and Toms great threads for raising a smooth and healthy sulcata are below in my post.

 

[Brewski4u1]

Ok I will switch out the substrate tom. And will start soaking inwarm water in the sun for 15 to 30 min. Is the uv bulb needed? Can I open a window and have natural sunlight all day be enough? What do u recommend to cover the tank? Tanknsize is a 40 gallon breeder .

 

[Dizisdalife]

Ok I will switch out the substrate tom. And will start soaking inwarm water in the sun for 15 to 30 min. Is the uv bulb needed? Can I open a window and have natural sunlight all day be enough? What do u recommend to cover the tank? Tanknsize is a 40 gallon breeder .

You are off to a good start. The glass of the tank will filter UV from the sun, so the open window is not a source of UV. It could also heat up the tank too much. You may not need a UV light if you are taking your tortoise outside every day for and hour or so. It will still need a basking spot for when it is inside in the tank. An incandescent bulb could work. I have seen tanks covered will wood, plastic (plexiglass), and foil. They all have worked when they seal up the tank pretty good. Be careful to not let the heat build up to much in the tank once it is covered. You will probably need a thermostat to turn off the heating source for your ambient temp.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

When I was making covered chambers I had a piece of plexiglass cut to fit whatever habitat I needed if for. Foil works good too. You could mix some sterile top soil in with that coir to give it some heft.
Spring Mix is good, do you have any blooms of anything in your yard? You might try some. Rose petals are a favorite or Rose of Sharon...

 

[Brewski4u1]

I am going to have to upgrade my heat bulb. At 12in it is rated at 88 degrees Fahrenheit. I was thinking of sealing the tank with seranwrap/foil to keep the humidity up as well as heat in. Gonna get a spray bottle to spritz the tank 2 times to keep humidity up.

So opening the blinds is not a good idea... the uv bulb is a compact fluorescent the coil style. Lismar79 said thats a bad idea what is a good supplement.?


Also he has not moved very much im assuming stress is the cause and is normal.

 

[Brewski4u1]

Thanks for the help

 

[Tom]

He's probably not moving much because those bulbs can damage their eyes. How was this tortoise started?

Please read these threads. I took the time to type them all up to help people set up their new babies correctly. Babies have a much smaller margin of error. They don't have time for you to figure out things like getting the temperatures right, having it dark at night, and not using sand or coil bulbs. The info is all right here. All you have to do is read it and follow it.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[rachelp001]

Hi
I have recently just got 2 sulcatas that must be around 3 weeks, can you get just a normal screw in bulb (as in looks same as standard light bulbs) for uv are they ok to use? Currently I have a spiral one but obviously people are no saying that that bulb is unsuitable

 

[Brewski4u1]

ok so after reading way into the night i have a long post ahead. i woke up and swapped out the substrate for the condensed brick of coconut fiber. got a larger heat lamp and made a make shift lid to help with humidity. when i left the house the tank was at 90% humidity and temp was at about 85 on the cold side and 93 on the hot side and still warming up. not on to the pics.

new substrate




this is a FTS with my saran wrap lid to help hold humidity, i wanted to top it with foil but i didn't have enough.


next question
I have this tall grass growing Behind my house it is cut 4 times a year by the city and gets crazy tall if i can feed this i will have enough food for everybody here lol. her are some pics maybe someone will know.







Moving on to the Light bulb for the UV this is not acceptable correct? if that's the case what is i went to 2 different stores and that's all they have.

 

[lismar79]

That grass is good unless it has been treated with any chemicals. That picture of the bulb is the "bad" bulb. Take it back, it is not worth the risk. Here is my suggestion, and most seem to agree, for a GOOD uv & Heat bulb combined
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQDJK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 into one:

I also believe that one of these are needed & can be a life saver when you have a temperature sensitive species such as a sulcata (especially a hatchling:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CVHIJDK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Also- Consider blocking the out side of your glass tank with tape or paper a few inches up from bottom so your tort can not see out. It helps them feel more secure as they are natural prey in the wild & their natural instincts tell them to hide! More plants (non treated organic or dig some out of your yard even) would also help hold humidity & help him feel safer.

 

[lismar79]

Hi
I have recently just got 2 sulcatas that must be around 3 weeks, can you get just a normal screw in bulb (as in looks same as standard light bulbs) for uv are they ok to use? Currently I have a spiral one but obviously people are no saying that that bulb is unsuitable

One like this is good, but it has to be a UV light if you can not get them out in the sun often. They need the uv to process calcium (which is also really needed to help grow healthy shell.
Here is a good one to use: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQDJK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[rachelp001]

One like this is good, but it has to be a UV light if you can not get them out in the sun often. They need the uv to process calcium (which is also really needed to help grow healthy shell.
Here is a good one to use: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AQDJK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Might be a stupid question but what is the difference in light from the coil bulb and normal bulb? For one to cause an issue and the other not too

 

[Brewski4u1]

in a few weeks i plan on planting one side of the tank and having few cat litter boxes of this going at all times http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=179.

as for the sides i have some brown paper i guess i can go up the sides a few inches. if that will help.

 

[lismar79]

Might be a stupid question but what is the difference in light from the coil bulb and normal bulb? For one to cause an issue and the other not too

Not sure on the science of it perhaps @Tom has the specifics, but have read enough of the horror stories/ cause & affects to stay away from them.
"This is one answer I found online:
For the first couple of weeks they put out way too much UVB and this can burn retinas causing pain and possible blindness. After that, the UVB output drops down to almost nothing essentially leaving you with nothing more then regular lightbulb."

 

[rearlpettway]

ok so after reading way into the night i have a long post ahead. i woke up and swapped out the substrate for the condensed brick of coconut fiber. got a larger heat lamp and made a make shift lid to help with humidity. when i left the house the tank was at 90% humidity and temp was at about 85 on the cold side and 93 on the hot side and still warming up. not on to the pics.

new substrate




this is a FTS with my saran wrap lid to help hold humidity, i wanted to top it with foil but i didn't have enough.


next question
I have this tall grass growing Behind my house it is cut 4 times a year by the city and gets crazy tall if i can feed this i will have enough food for everybody here lol. her are some pics maybe someone will know.







Moving on to the Light bulb for the UV this is not acceptable correct? if that's the case what is i went to 2 different stores and that's all they have.

This is Dallis grass (Paspalum dilatatum)
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Paspalum_dilatatum.htm
With more than 10,000 domesticated and wild species, the Family Poaceae represent the fifth-largest plant family.
Related to elephant grass, buffalo grass, wheat and barely.
Elephant grass and buffalo grass are very nutritious and contain a large amount of fiber and are subsequently a good staple grass for Sulcata but they are tough and fibrous and need to be chopped up for smaller Sulcata.
Dallis grass has similar nutritional value and fiber content.
The hay is so fibrous I can't pull it apart with my hands. I have to cut it up with scissors.


Sent from Rodney Earl Pettway's iPad using TortForum

 

[Brewski4u1]

so that means its ok to feed?

also i forgot to mention i soaked him this morning and had him out in the morning sun for about 30min in the water. he seemed to really enjoy it.

 

[Tom]

Hi
I have recently just got 2 sulcatas that must be around 3 weeks, can you get just a normal screw in bulb (as in looks same as standard light bulbs) for uv are they ok to use? Currently I have a spiral one but obviously people are no saying that that bulb is unsuitable

Hi Rachel. Please start your own thread for your questions. You can refer to this thread for lighting tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/