2 weeks ago, I adopted two Sulcatas, one is about 4 months old, the other one about a month older.
I have done lots of research on them, but it seems like every article I read tells me to do something different.
I've been feeding them the hay the guy I bought them from gave me, I don't remember if it's Alfalfa or Timothy hay. They don't really seem to like it though and barely eat any of it. I read a few times that this is pretty common in baby Sulcatas. I've also been giving them Romaine lettuce which they absolutely love. I try to put them outside in our backyard daily so they can get some exercise and natural sunlight. They both eat quite some of the grass whenever I put them out there. I also give them these Tortoise bites I bought at the pet store:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754879&lmdn=Reptile
They're not this exact brand though. I give a small amount of those to them once or twice a week.
And once or twice a week I sprinkle calcium on their food.
So my questions are:
What else besides Romaine lettuce would you recommend for them? I see all this info about adult Sulcatas, but I'm not sure if the same things apply to my little guys.
What to do about them not wanting the hay I give them? Should I just take the grass out of our backyard since they obviously seem to like that?
How many times a week is it ok for me to feed them the above mentioned Tortoise bites?
Do I give them calcium once or twice a week?
A few more questions about their habitat:
I bought this 'turtle hut' for them to hide in:
http://www.petco.com/product/102891...er-or-Land-Turtles.aspx?CoreCat=TurtleHPDecor
I got the XL size and they still have plenty of room in there, even when both of them are in at the same time. Is that enough for them to hide or should I get something else?
The temperature in their glass terrarium is between 73 and 76 degress during the day on one side and in the low 90s on the other side with the heading lamp. Is that warm enough for my little babies?
During the day I use a 10'' reflector-lamp with a 100 Watt exotic pet bulb and at night I use a 5.5'' reflector-lamp with a 75 Watt red exotic pet bulb. I was told the red one is for night time only, but a couple days ago I read this one should be on during the day as well. Again, I read so many different opinions on this and now don't know which is the right way to do it.
How low can the temperature go at night time?
Would you recommend getting a heat pad or are the lamps enough?
I've been soaking them in warm water about 3 times each week, is that enough? I was told 2 to 3 times a week is good, but then again, I read so many different things...
They both are very alert and seem happy. On the days when it's too cold to take them outside, I let them walk around the house for a couple hours while my son is taking a nap and they love to explore everything!
One more question, at what age can pyramiding start to occur?
Any help with all these questions is really appreciated!
I attached a picture of them
I have done lots of research on them, but it seems like every article I read tells me to do something different.
I've been feeding them the hay the guy I bought them from gave me, I don't remember if it's Alfalfa or Timothy hay. They don't really seem to like it though and barely eat any of it. I read a few times that this is pretty common in baby Sulcatas. I've also been giving them Romaine lettuce which they absolutely love. I try to put them outside in our backyard daily so they can get some exercise and natural sunlight. They both eat quite some of the grass whenever I put them out there. I also give them these Tortoise bites I bought at the pet store:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754879&lmdn=Reptile
They're not this exact brand though. I give a small amount of those to them once or twice a week.
And once or twice a week I sprinkle calcium on their food.
So my questions are:
What else besides Romaine lettuce would you recommend for them? I see all this info about adult Sulcatas, but I'm not sure if the same things apply to my little guys.
What to do about them not wanting the hay I give them? Should I just take the grass out of our backyard since they obviously seem to like that?
How many times a week is it ok for me to feed them the above mentioned Tortoise bites?
Do I give them calcium once or twice a week?
A few more questions about their habitat:
I bought this 'turtle hut' for them to hide in:
http://www.petco.com/product/102891...er-or-Land-Turtles.aspx?CoreCat=TurtleHPDecor
I got the XL size and they still have plenty of room in there, even when both of them are in at the same time. Is that enough for them to hide or should I get something else?
The temperature in their glass terrarium is between 73 and 76 degress during the day on one side and in the low 90s on the other side with the heading lamp. Is that warm enough for my little babies?
During the day I use a 10'' reflector-lamp with a 100 Watt exotic pet bulb and at night I use a 5.5'' reflector-lamp with a 75 Watt red exotic pet bulb. I was told the red one is for night time only, but a couple days ago I read this one should be on during the day as well. Again, I read so many different opinions on this and now don't know which is the right way to do it.
How low can the temperature go at night time?
Would you recommend getting a heat pad or are the lamps enough?
I've been soaking them in warm water about 3 times each week, is that enough? I was told 2 to 3 times a week is good, but then again, I read so many different things...
They both are very alert and seem happy. On the days when it's too cold to take them outside, I let them walk around the house for a couple hours while my son is taking a nap and they love to explore everything!
One more question, at what age can pyramiding start to occur?
Any help with all these questions is really appreciated!
I attached a picture of them