Baby Sulcata burrowing!

[Hazey29]

So I'm a new sully father. As you can see in the pic, I have 2 lamps going. A UVB and a 100watt heater. Temp should be perfect for the little guy but he keeps burrowing. Not just for sleeping but he burrows constantly and I'm not sure if it's too hot or too cold for him...any advice?
PS: The AC in the background has not been used since I got him.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Your set up is all wrong. Sorry. I don't say it to be mean. I say it so you will know what to fix and make it better. This is not your fault. Most of the care advice from breeders and pets stores for this species is all wrong.

Read these first, and you'll see the changes that need to be made. Question and conversation are welcome.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

• That tank is much too small. Four times that size would be about right for starting a tiny hatchling. At least 2x4'.
• That bowl you are using for food is hazardous for tortoises. They will flip, or if they have any sense, they will avoid that bowl even with the food or water in it.
• Your water bowl is too small and those sides are difficult for a tortoise to navigate. Sink a larger terra cotta saucer into the substrate.
• That type of UV bulb is not effective, and sometimes dangerous to tortoise eyes. They should not be used.
• Your CHE is okay for ambient heat maintenance, but it needs to be controlled by a thermostat.
• You need a basking lamp.
• Those clamps always fail eventually. Best case: Your tortoise is walking around on broken glass with a live electrical socket within reach. Worse case: Your whole house burns down. And maybe a couple of your neighbor's houses too. Happens all the time all across the country. Hang those lamps from over head.
• The wide open top is letting all your necessary heat and humidity escape. You need a closed chamber.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure.
3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.

This is a lot to take in. Come back with all your questions when you've had a minute to think it over.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Welcome and check out the Sulcata Care Guide https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Hazey29]

Hello and welcome. Your set up is all wrong. Sorry. I don't say it to be mean. I say it so you will know what to fix and make it better. This is not your fault. Most of the care advice from breeders and pets stores for this species is all wrong.

Read these first, and you'll see the changes that need to be made. Question and conversation are welcome.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

• That tank is much too small. Four times that size would be about right for starting a tiny hatchling. At least 2x4'.
• That bowl you are using for food is hazardous for tortoises. They will flip, or if they have any sense, they will avoid that bowl even with the food or water in it.
• Your water bowl is too small and those sides are difficult for a tortoise to navigate. Sink a larger terra cotta saucer into the substrate.
• That type of UV bulb is not effective, and sometimes dangerous to tortoise eyes. They should not be used.
• Your CHE is okay for ambient heat maintenance, but it needs to be controlled by a thermostat.
• You need a basking lamp.
• Those clamps always fail eventually. Best case: Your tortoise is walking around on broken glass with a live electrical socket within reach. Worse case: Your whole house burns down. And maybe a couple of your neighbor's houses too. Happens all the time all across the country. Hang those lamps from over head.
• The wide open top is letting all your necessary heat and humidity escape. You need a closed chamber.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure.
3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.

This is a lot to take in. Come back with all your questions when you've had a minute to think it over.

Thanks alot for all your advice man. Unfortunately for my tortoise and I, this setup was put together by the gentleman at the reptile store I bought him at. There were 4 sulcata hatchlings in the 30 gallon tank with bowls and lighting very similar to mine. I'm going to start the hunt for a larger enclosure for him, and will be making the necessary changes to his bowls, their positioning, and the heating elements I've been using. Im sure I'll run into some challenges, and if I cant solve them myself, I'll for sure be back with more questions. Thanks again for your help!

 

[wellington]

Thanks alot for all your advice man. Unfortunately for my tortoise and I, this setup was put together by the gentleman at the reptile store I bought him at. There were 4 sulcata hatchlings in the 30 gallon tank with bowls and lighting very similar to mine. I'm going to start the hunt for a larger enclosure for him, and will be making the necessary changes to his bowls, their positioning, and the heating elements I've been using. Im sure I'll run into some challenges, and if I cant solve them myself, I'll for sure be back with more questions. Thanks again for your help!

All the help Tom gave you is what you will need to raise a healthy tort. Sorry your advice from the breeder was so bad. It happens a lot unfortunately.

 

[Tom]

Thanks alot for all your advice man. Unfortunately for my tortoise and I, this setup was put together by the gentleman at the reptile store I bought him at. There were 4 sulcata hatchlings in the 30 gallon tank with bowls and lighting very similar to mine. I'm going to start the hunt for a larger enclosure for him, and will be making the necessary changes to his bowls, their positioning, and the heating elements I've been using. Im sure I'll run into some challenges, and if I cant solve them myself, I'll for sure be back with more questions. Thanks again for your help!

We are all here to talk tortoises. Your questions and conversation are welcome!