Beginner sulcata owner

[tinycata]

helloo! My friend recommend me this website
I need help !
I just bought a baby sulcata And does it need a substrate in the cage? I plan to buy coco husk because most online shops sell coco husk, do you think coco husk is good? also I saw on tiktok and google that I should give calcium powder to prevent mbd (soft shell due to lack of calcium?) and other vitamins for sulcata? but I don't know what brand of calcium powder and what brand of vitamins are good (that wont cause overdose/death or bad thing in the sulcata’s body), can one of you help me? and what vitamins are good for sulcata? And is it mandatory to give vitamins? Because the vitamins that i found are mostly in liquid form and i think its useless because its likee a water?so its like we spray the vitamins to the food. Also I see many cases of sulcata getting mbd can it be cured? if it can be cured, do I have to give medicine or calcium powder supplements? Also, I'm confused about whether to put a water dish in the cage or not, because many people say not to put a water dish in the cage because it will evaporate or something. Hopefully some of you guys answer ^^

 

[TammyJ]

Hey there and welcome to the forum! Some nice, experienced folks will be along to give you all the best advice. One thing I will tell you immediately: your little tortoise NEEDS WATER. To drink, and warm shallow water to be soaked in for at least an hour every single day. Most important!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! So glad you’ve made your way here!! There’s so much outdated misinformation when it comes to raising and caring for tortoises, if this is all completely new to you, do yourself a favour and use this place as your only source of information for the foreseeable future, it’ll save you SO much confusion I promise! It’s a literal hive mind of update care information, this place will not steer you wrong!

To answer your first question, yes baby does need substrate in his enclosure, however I would not use coconut husk, it’s much too fibrous which can cause impactions over time if eaten. Your safest choice would be coco coir, it comes in dry bricks you soak in water until it becomes a damp soil, firmly pack this by hand when putting into the enclosure, it shouldn’t be sopping wet, just damp, don’t leave it loose and fluffy as it’ll dry out too quick under the bulbs, some folks add an orchid bark layer on top to help lock in moisture.

Calcium and vitamins do help in preventing MBD yes, as does the right lighting and a good well balanced dieta pinch of this stuff on top 3 times a week should suffice and you can place pieces of cuttlefish in the enclosure for tortoise to get a calcium boost when they need


Baby does need access to water at all times, this should be provided in a shallow clay terracotta saucer, most pet store dishes are a hazard.

I’d suggest giving this housing thread a read to check your bulbs etc, this thead covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some work better than other but perhaps some of the topper ideas will inspire an idea for your current one!

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one is probably most important so do definitely go over this! it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I know this probably feels like a lot to go over and can feel overwhelming, but don’t worry, take all the time you need, once you’ve read them we can go back a break down any information you need and answer further questions, I know brands can vary from location too, I’m not sure what you have available to you, but we can look over any items you find! we’ll help one step at a time! Welcome to the forum

 

[tinycata]

Hello! So glad you’ve made your way here!! There’s so much outdated misinformation when it comes to raising and caring for tortoises, if this is all completely new to you, do yourself a favour and use this place as your only source of information for the foreseeable future, it’ll save you SO much confusion I promise! It’s a literal hive mind of update care information, this place will not steer you wrong!

To answer your first question, yes baby does need substrate in his enclosure, however I would not use coconut husk, it’s much too fibrous which can cause impactions over time if eaten. Your safest choice would be coco coir, it comes in dry bricks you soak in water until it becomes a damp soil, firmly pack this by hand when putting into the enclosure, it shouldn’t be sopping wet, just damp, don’t leave it loose and fluffy as it’ll dry out too quick under the bulbs, some folks add an orchid bark layer on top to help lock in moisture.

Calcium and vitamins do help in preventing MBD yes, as does the right lighting and a good well balanced dieta pinch of this stuff on top 3 times a week should suffice and you can place pieces of cuttlefish in the enclosure for tortoise to get a calcium boost when they need
View attachment 384754

Baby does need access to water at all times, this should be provided in a shallow clay terracotta saucer, most pet store dishes are a hazard.

I’d suggest giving this housing thread a read to check your bulbs etc, this thead covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some work better than other but perhaps some of the topper ideas will inspire an idea for your current one!

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one is probably most important so do definitely go over this! it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I know this probably feels like a lot to go over and can feel overwhelming, but don’t worry, take all the time you need, once you’ve read them we can go back a break down any information you need and answer further questions, I know brands can vary from location too, I’m not sure what you have available to you, but we can look over any items you find! we’ll help one step at a time! Welcome to the forum

Hi! Sorry for late respond, i forgot to open this website! By the way i bought a calcium powder already sorry… but next time i will buy zoomed! Im not sure about this calcium i just bought, it only says 100% cuttlebone powder + vitamin d3 and it doesnt tell me the amount of the d3. The brand is Kaizoo Natural Calcium Powder (You can try search it on google)