beware of well meant but wrong advice for adult sulcata care

[Pia B]

I am a new member of this forum and through reading in the forum I became aware how much wrong and misleading information and advice I have gotten.

First off heat ! They do need heat just as much as when they are hatchling or juvenile age . A simple heat pad is not enough . A heated night box should be available throughout the year .

water . False : they get all the moisture from the greens or dewy grass in the morning . Even though I gave my tortoise the opertunity to get into a kiddy pool to soak and offered water but not regular . I became aware that his water intake was minimum Glad I did give him warm showers during winter and when he was allowed to roam about he drank from the dog bowl . His water intake is now on regular basis .

Mazuri tortoise food is not bad for them but a part of a balanced diet .

That having your tortoise's stool checked is part of their care .

Even though I made sure my tortoise has a very good diet and he is taken care off , his care could have been better . I got him from hatchling stage to 17 years of age and he had never been ill but due to this forum his care will now be excellent .

Makes me wonder how many people that are giving the wrong advice and unknowingly their tort is suffering due to it .

 

[Big Charlie]

I'm sure many people are still using the wrong advice. I got Charlie 18 years ago, and much of the advice given then was based on wrong assumptions. However, Charlie's breeder did recommend daily soakings, which I did for the first year, which I think helped him immensely.

 

[Pia B]

I'm sure many people are still using the wrong advice. I got Charlie 18 years ago, and much of the advice given then was based on wrong assumptions. However, Charlie's breeder did recommend daily soakings, which I did for the first year, which I think helped him immensely.

yes I soaked mine every day when he was a baby I burned out two mixers to chop his hay up back then I had to mix the hay into something he liked . I was on a tortoise forum back then but it closed up years ago . I didn't get mine from a breeder he came through a contact ,my friend worked in a pet shop and some guy was selling them . Like you said in an earlier post Speedbump should be bigger I think that is because I did not keep him warm enough after he reached 5 years old or so maybe even a few other factors .

 

[Big Charlie]

yes I soaked mine every day when he was a baby I burned out two mixers to chop his hay up back then I had to mix the hay into something he liked . I was on a tortoise forum back then but it closed up years ago . I didn't get mine from a breeder he came through a contact ,my friend worked in a pet shop and some guy was selling them . Like you said in an earlier post Speedbump should be bigger I think that is because I did not keep him warm enough after he reached 5 years old or so maybe even a few other factors .

I'm sure the warmth is part of the reason. I didn't provide Charlie enough heat from about age 5 to a few years ago when I discovered the forum. But I'm in California so the temperatures aren't that bad. During those years he had a burrow. He would disappear down it for days at a time during the winter, since it was too cold to eat. I provided a heat lamp on the patio for him that he would use if it was really cold or wet, but he got too big for that kind of heat. I bet he would be even bigger if he had had proper heat through all those winters. The first winter he had his heated night box, it must not have been warm enough because he didn't come out every day. What I worry about now is that spending nights in his heated night box is drying him out more, and it is a challenge to provide humidity in the winter. During the summer, I can spray him with a hose and make mud puddles, but it is too cold in the winter for that. I spray the inside of his night box with water. I don't know if it helps that much.

I never gave Charlie hay. I gathered him weeds from an early age because lettuce was becoming too expensive. I didn't realize at the time that the weeds were healthier for him. I also had guinea pigs to feed so I would gather the same things for all of them.

 

[wellington]

We get new members all the time that comes here having had been told bad advice.
Most of us older members were in your same shoes at one time.
Should a little note though. Stool checks or vet visits don't really need to be done if everything is going good. None of mine has ever gone to the vets until my one female wasn't laying her eggs. Because a lot of vets don't know what they are doing with tortoises, it's best to live by if it's not broken don't fix it. If it is broken, that's when a vet visit is warranted, but you'll do better asking for advice on here or what are the do's and don't's for the vet.

 

[Pia B]

We get new members all the time that comes here having had been told bad advice.
Most of us older members were in your same shoes at one time.
Should a little note though. Stool checks or vet visits don't really need to be done if everything is going good. None of mine has ever gone to the vets until my one female wasn't laying her eggs. Because a lot of vets don't know what they are doing with tortoises, it's best to live by if it's not broken don't fix it. If it is broken, that's when a vet visit is warranted, but you'll do better asking for advice on here or what are the do's and don't's for the vet.

I think I read on the forum to have a stool sample done someone had a question about growth I think . I wanted to just have his stool checked to make sure he has no parasites but because he has never been seen he required an appointment it's at the wildlife center and odd pet vet clinic . One of their members actually owns a sulcata I won't have anything done to him no need, he doing fine . I did not want to use my regular dog /horse vet.

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

You're certainly not alone! Sadly the majority of people out there have bad information. I have seen it SLOWLY get better over the years but most people still aren't getting correct information. I think a big part of why this is still such a problem is because Sulcatas are so hearty. I've seen people who never have given their tortoise heat or even water and raised them to adulthood. They figure hey it worked so it must be right! Breeders who have done it the same way for years figure the same thing and pass along the bad info. The fact is yes, Sulcatas can live on despite the torture they are put through but all too often the don't or they live miserable lives in spite of it. It's sad and at the same time amazing to see what these tortoises can endure. Best we can do is educate when and where we can.

 

[Pia B]

You're certainly not alone! Sadly the majority of people out there have bad information. I have seen it SLOWLY get better over the years but most people still aren't getting correct information. I think a big part of why this is still such a problem is because Sulcatas are so hearty. I've seen people who never have given their tortoise heat or even water and raised them to adulthood. They figure hey it worked so it must be right! Breeders who have done it the same way for years figure the same thing and pass along the bad info. The fact is yes, Sulcatas can live on despite the torture they are put through but all too often the don't or they live miserable lives in spite of it. It's sad and at the same time amazing to see what these tortoises can endure. Best we can do is educate when and where we can.

I once saw a sulcata her shell was so deformed it hurt to look at her Checked out you site I all of a sudden got baby fever beautiful babies !