Abel's 'blog'

[qessnce]

This is Abel. He was purchased from a breeder up at the Reptile/pet show this past August. He was one of two hatchlings left at this booth; he went home with us.

Thus far, he has traveled in excess of thousands of miles. From the breeder (Texas i think?) to LA, then to my parent's home, followed by (2x) San Diego (where I live), to Gilroy, northern CA, back to San Diego. He is travel turtle.

Diet: We were put under the impression that mixed greens from the market would do just fine, so he happily ate a nice handful of the trader joe's baby spring mix every day for a month. We've since switched him over to clovers, dandelion, random grasses, and Mazuri. I've also purchased seeds from sulcatafood.com, and we're awaiting the growth now.

• Treats (once a week, maybe): napa cabbage, broccoli leaves

Home: 28 Qt. Sterlite shallow tupperware with custom house, clamp-on lamp (26W CF daylight spectrum), and a small waterdish I made in 1995. I turned 22 on the 23rd of Oct.

• Bedding: 2:1 ratio mix of MiracleGro Organic Choice Potting Soil and Zoomed ReptiBark
• Moisture: Mist spray twice a day, constantly moist bedding for seeds. Daily baths, crawls out on his own when finished.

Here he is, today.

Concerns: He's pyramiding a bit. Not sure what to change. He might have been a bit to dry coming from the seller, but since 2 weeks ago, we've seriously bumped up his ambient humidity.

Enjoy!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Jonathan:

Welcome to the forum!!

You need pour a whole pitcher of water over that substrate. Misting a dry substrate doesn't do much good. You have to get it wet first...then misting every day is good. I'm assuming that you've been following Tom's pyramiding threads? If not, here is a link:

http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies

Cute little tortoise. Keep us posted.

 

[Angi]

He is a cutie. This has nothing to do with your question, but are you positive his dish is not glazed with a lead based paint and is okay for him to eat out of?

 

[qessnce]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I have been following all the stickies and other threads. I will pour in a pitcher of water right now. I will get him a more enclosed hide just to be sure, and post pics of it!

As for the dish--I don't think they would let elementary school children play with lead based glaze....but then again, this was 1995. I guess I'll take it out just to be safe. Thanks for looking out for Abel .

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Get a better substrate for him, like cypress mulch or orchid bark. But those reptibark pieces just aren't good and they don't hold moisture. Miracle Gro potting soil has fertilizer and other stuff in it and that's not good for him. So IMO you need a better and safer substrate.
Welcome to the show!

 

[Sweetness_bug]

Welcome TO the forum.. The subtrate i would agree is not the best for him. People on here know what they are talking about and give great advise. Your doing a great job...keep it up.. Very cute baby!

 

[DeanS]

I see Yvonne posted the ULTIMATE link for raising this guy right! Trust me...a lot of us are doing this with GREAT results. The other thing I would change is your light/heat source. The best thing you can do for the little guy is switch to Zoo Med's Powersun...it's a Mercury Vapor Bulb...that puts out far more UV than any bulb or tube you'll find anywhere...and it's a good preventative for MBD.

 

[tobibaby]

cutie!!!!! do u know when he hatched??? i have one 2 and half month old and i love him to death.. he has brought so much joy to my life.. oh and his name is Tobi..welcome to the forum

nathalie

 

[qessnce]

Thanks everyone! Tobi looks wonderful too, Nathalie! No idea exactly how old he is. We got him in August, so we've arbitrarily and shamelessly assigned him a birthday! 3/2/10. I added a pitcher of water as suggested, and kept up with his daily water sprays. I also made use of an old pet carrier you see those poor RES's sold in. He now has a humid hide box (lined with saturated sphagnum moss) of sorts!

It's only been a week or two, but his shell looks like it's getting smoother! fingers crossed.
-Jonathan
--------
11/8/10
Abel: "those darned humans...they took me out of my warm basking spot today and made me wander around in the bedroom! Why couldn't they just give me my food and be done wit.. AND what's this??! ANOTHER TORTOISE!"

( fullsize: http://imgur.com/9Y47Q.jpg )

"GR. Just a mirror. This is what I look like? Geez, not bad! "

-Abel

 

[Torty Mom]

Awwwww that last picture is soooooo cute!

 

[Tom]

I just found this thread, so sorry I'm late.

I see you are using a CFL. THe 26 watt one. If that one of those coil bulbs, go shut it off right now. Those can be damaging to tortoise eyes. What are you doing for heat and what are your temps? If your tortoise is getting sunshine several times a week you can just use a regular incandescent flood or spot bulb for heat. I use 35-50 watt ones and raise or lower the ceramic fixture to get the right temp. If its indoors all the time then Dean's suggestion of a mercury vapor bulb is the way to go.

 

[qessnce]

Abel's 'blog' update

Thank you all for your care, help, and encouragement! It's time for another update.

Lighting:
(Day) T-rex 50watt basking heat lamp
(Night) Zilla 75W black heat bulb
Future plans==megaray uvb bulb when back in stock.

Food:
*Replanted some seeds from sulcatafood.
*Awaiting arrival of cactus pads from rivenrock gardens.
*Continued Mazuri food diet.

Substrate:
*Remodeled his home using one full brick of compacted Zoomed's Coco Fiber. Very moist.
--Removed miraclegro potting soil.
*Coco fiber inside humid hide box stays very damp throughout the night, temps read roughly 25*C +/- 2*C.

Behavior observed:
*Less attempt to get out; hangs out/sleeps near heat sources most of the day. Is this okay? I try to get him to exercise in the home, but he just goes to the nearest corner and clonks out.

He looks a bit fat in the 'pits and nooks and crannies. Worried about his growth..
-----
11/17/10

Abel: "..ey HEY HEY! It's already past my bedtime! My photoshoot hours are between 9 am and 9 pm!"

full image here: http://imgur.com/jPdbt.jpg, another for fun: http://imgur.com/dN4Xj.jpg

 

[RV's mom]

welcome to the forum. nice looking baby. And agree ~ the mirror pic needs to go in the next calendar.


teri

 

[qessnce]

Update: Began feeding him opuntia cactus, peeled and diced. Purchased from rivenrock cactus farm. Absolutely beautiful pieces! I got the $10 sampler pack. Came with 5 leaves.

Of a quarter inch slice diced up, Abel can finish roughly 3/4 of it in one sitting. Pretty good!

Full size here: http://imgur.com/75bPt.jpg

Main diet now: Trader Joe's(TM) Baby Spring Mix + Opuntia, diced + sometimes random vegetables (baby bok choy, etc.)

**I found a picture of him from the first week he came home. My goodness...he was in much worse shape than I thought! Bulging eyes, pyramiding, maybe early signs of MBD..

Taken with camera phone, here's Abel almost 4 months ago.

Full size here: http://imgur.com/qLSPW.jpg , Dated 8/09/10

 

[qessnce]

Belated November post.

Long time no update! Diet during this period went to primarily opuntia cactus with other foods as supplement. Abel really likes the small leaves that rivenrock sent.

He's doing great as far as I know! I try to take him out of his enclosure to accompany me during studies, and I got a picture of him that I really liked (and decided to use for some play around photo fun).

"Thinking the same thing..." describes this photo well.

As always, full size for you big screen peeps here: http://i.imgur.com/Anwbi.jpg

I ordered a MegaRay 100W near the end of November for Abel. It is supposed to be their "new generation" model of the bulb. It's finally back in stock! However, turns out Abel doesn't get to have it yet until the new year due to delays on both the shipping and the receiving fronts.

Routine:
Soak morning and evening.
Feed morning, afternoon, and before lights out.
Substrate re-flooded every 2-4 weeks.
Lighting is 24hr 75W night black heat until the MegaRay got installed.

---

And...a recent post! In this post I hoped to document any visually perceived improvements due to the addition of the MegaRay.

Placement: 1 corner of enclosure, roughly 2 feet up.
Time: 9am - 9pm, give or take a lot.

Here's a picture taken tonight, 1/11/11.

He just finished his night soak, and is getting 2 mazuri pellets as a treat. I'm not quite confident about his shell smoothness after comparing with some other progress pictures you all have posted.

What I'm seeing (peaks to insets):
1. Pyramid/light coloring in the centers attributed to treatment by breeder
2. A small, roughly 2-3 ring growth of slightly darker/mixed color, probably attributed to our initial care.
3. Darker colors, smoother in most spots with less noticeable growth rings. Likely his growth after all his enclosure upgrades.
4. Deep channels between each pyramid, possibly new growth with relapse of pyramiding. MegaRay maybe drying him out too much during the day.

Here's Abel:

Full size image: http://i.imgur.com/c0EhI.jpg

All comments and constructive criticism appreciated, as always. Happy new year everyone! By the way, Jonathan and Nicki are now engaged as of Dec. 21, 2010!

Best, Jonathan, Nicki, and Abel.

 

[Xilonen]

Miracle Gro potting soil has fertilizer and other stuff in it and that's not good for him. So IMO you need a better and safer substrate.

Just to clear this up, Miracle Gro does make an additive free potting soil that is completely derived from organic compost, which is what the original poster mentioned. I have it, I've used it, and it's part of my substrate mix for my boxy. Even if it's not the ideal substrate for a sulcata, it's perfectly safe, chemical-wise.

What a cute little guy! I love the name Abel.

 

[Yvonne G]

Have you set a date?

What you want to look for is the new growth, the spaces down in between the raised parts, looking level or smooth. To me that dark brown DOES look like its growing level.

 

[qessnce]

Thanks Yvonne!! We have indeed set the date. 7/26/11 in Maui, HI. Sorry I haven't been back in a very long time. I lost/forgot my pw, and didn't go through the trouble to recover it. Bad.

On a better note, Abel has been moved to my parents place, where daily sun is a staple and there is no need of a MegaRay! He got relocated because the MegaRay died < three months in. it took almost 4 months to get a replacement sent to me (I just received it yesterday, 6/28/11) since they were having stock issues and supplier QC issues among other issues. He's been pretty happy, roaming around in the backyard and such. Here's the daily routine I had my mother execute since the arrival of their new 'baby'.

1. In the AM, give him a warm water constant drip (to maintain warm temps) bath in a shallow dish, allowing excess to run down the drain. Wait until he poops/crawls out, before moving.

2. Dampen 2 pellets of Mazuri, let him eat it outside.

3. Let him roam free in the bright los angeles sun! Diet: Whatever he finds in the backyard. Tons of clovers, assorted weeds, flowers, etc.

4. Collect him in the evening, turn on the 100W black heat bulb for his enclosure.

He outgrew the little dish that we used, and my parents have chosen to use a frisbee as his replacement bathtub! Genius!

Here are some pictures!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Jonathan:

Welcome back! Abel is lookin' pretty good. So glad he's able to be outside. That's the best thing for him.

 

[l0velesly]

The updated pics look nice I got my baby sulcata slightly pyramided too. You seem to be doing a great job!