CA Dessert Hatchling

[dannyboy]

Our new tortoise, MichaelAngelo was born in September. We are newly parents to a CA dessert. What have y'all fed your torts and do hatchling eat a lot of the same thing adults do?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Their diet is similar to any other tortoise. Here is a list for sulcatas, but it applies to others as well. You can also pick up some seed mix from tortoisesupply.com and grow your own. If you must use grocery store produce you can get a roduct called "Salad Style" which is basically blended up hay that you can sprinkle on top of the greens to add some much needed fiber.

I highly recommend you change that substrate as soon as humanly possible. Sand poses a huge impaction risk and can irritate their eyes and skin. Also your water tray will likely discourage your tortoise from drinking or going near it. It is too slick, deep and tall sided. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work much better.

While we are at it, did the pet store sell you one of those coil type UV lights? What are you using for light and heat?

Your cave looks nice for hiding, but he will really benefit from a warm humid hide. This will go a long way in keeping your baby hydrated. And speaking of hydration... I like to soak hatchlings daily for the first few months and taper off as they gain size.

Has anyone mentioned the importance of sunshine yet?

Good luck. Hope this helps.

 

[ascott]

Hello and welcome. Their diet is similar to any other tortoise. Here is a list for sulcatas, but it applies to others as well. You can also pick up some seed mix from tortoisesupply.com and grow your own. If you must use grocery store produce you can get a roduct called "Salad Style" which is basically blended up hay that you can sprinkle on top of the greens to add some much needed fiber.

I highly recommend you change that substrate as soon as humanly possible. Sand poses a huge impaction risk and can irritate their eyes and skin. Also your water tray will likely discourage your tortoise from drinking or going near it. It is too slick, deep and tall sided. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work much better.

While we are at it, did the pet store sell you one of those coil type UV lights? What are you using for light and heat?

Your cave looks nice for hiding, but he will really benefit from a warm humid hide. This will go a long way in keeping your baby hydrated. And speaking of hydration... I like to soak hatchlings daily for the first few months and taper off as they gain size.

Has anyone mentioned the importance of sunshine yet?

Yeah, what he said

 

[SDDTMama]

Welcome!

I have a (approximately) 2-month-old CDT and I feed "him"

• organic dandelion greens (red & green varieties)
• chard, both red and green
• nopales (opuntia cactus pads)
• finely diced timothy hay mixed with Mazuri (2x a week)
• collard greens
• carrot tops (greens)
• escarole
• endive
• hibiscus leaves and flowers
• mustard greens
• opuntia fruit (only once in two months)
• clover sprouts

and he grazes freely on the bermuda grass in our yard when I take him outside (daily) for 30- 40 mins.

At any one time I'm cycling at least 4 of these greens through to provide "him" with as much variety as possible. I also scrape his cuttle bone onto his greens 2x a week as supplemental calcium. I dice up any greens I give him into very small pieces since his mouth is so small.

Hope this helps!

 

[dannyboy]

The lady we got him from actually looked at my set up and she thought it was great lol.

What types of fruit can he eat? He loves his greens we have been soaking him in a few times a day. He like Luke warm water.

What would be actually use instead of sand? We have dirt but we don't trust in case of pesticides.

We have a uv light right now. The heat lamp was left on too long a went out. We're gonna get another.

A list of fruit veggies etc and where we could get those would be very helpful.

Thanks so much!

 

[leonardo the tmnt]

I would recommend coco coir, organic soil or Cyprus mulch they are cheap and hold humidity well instead of sand

 

[SamB]

Tom, Ascott, and SDDTMama are 200% right on the money -- the person you got your tort from is unfortunately wrong.

On the sand thing, they need moisture and humidity and sunshine pronto