Couple Questions

[wrmitchell22]

Okay, so to clarify and make sure I am doing the right things I have some questions
1. When can I put Boulder outside for the entire day while I am at work? We are building him a secure pen in our yard. It will have plants for shade, water to soak and drink, food bowls, grass and plants to munch and a hide in the corner.

2. If Boulder spends 6-10 hours a week outside does he need any supplements? I have heard he doesn't need calcium if he spends enough time outside, but I don't really understand that. As of now he has cuttlebone in his pen. He eats, spring mix, grassland tortoise food (waiting on my Mazuri shipment), green leaf, pansies, cactus flowers, squash, romaine and grass.

Thanks so much, I always know where to turn for help

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Okay, so to clarify and make sure I am doing the right things I have some questions
1. When can I put Boulder outside for the entire day while I am at work? We are building him a secure pen in our yard. It will have plants for shade, water to soak and drink, food bowls, grass and plants to munch and a hide in the corner.

2. If Boulder spends 6-10 hours a week outside does he need any supplements? I have heard he doesn't need calcium if he spends enough time outside, but I don't really understand that. As of now he has cuttlebone in his pen. He eats, spring mix, grassland tortoise food (waiting on my Mazuri shipment), green leaf, pansies, cactus flowers, squash, romaine and grass.

Thanks so much, I always know where to turn for help

I forgot to mention I live in the desert the high right now is right around 100, between 95-104 everyday

 

[turtletrucker]

How are you qualifying his outdoor enclosure as secure? If he has water and shade then he should be fine but I would just worry about something (or someone) else coming by and snatching him...

The calcium thing doesn't make any sense to me... I can see people saying that about the D3 supplements but calcium shouldn't really be effected.

 

[wrmitchell22]

He will have chicken wire protecting him from any birds, also we have a 6 foot rock wall around our yard, nothing gets in other than birds and lizards. I thought the calcium thing sounded weird! Thanks

 

[Tom]

Your going to get some varied opinions here. There is not really a right or wrong way as long as your tortoise is healthy. Here are my opinions:
1. In a very dry climate, like yours and mine, I don't like to leave them outside all day until they are at least 6" or so. I do one or two hours for babies and gradually more as they get bigger. I always follow sunning time with a soak. My yearlings are around 5-6" now and they get 4-6 hours a day about 5 days a week. Not saying right or wrong, but this is my preference and seems to be a good compromise between all the factors of my situation.
2. Sunshine, in my opinion, does not eliminate the need for calcium and vitamin supplementation. With 6-10 hours of sunshine a week, I don't think you need any D3 in your calcium, but it really won't hurt anything either. In discussing Yvonne's Aldabras many months ago, she convinced me of the necessity for calcium supplementation for all of the "larger" species. You gotta figure that an animal that goes from 35 grams at hatching to 45,359 grams in ten years has got to lay down a serious amount of calcium. Even if you think all is well and your diet is perfectly balanced, a little extra calcium sprinkled on the food a couple of times a week will not do any harm to a healthy, well-hydrated small sulcata. If it is not needed by the body, it will simply pass through, unused, and be excreted.

 

[wrmitchell22]

Your going to get some varied opinions here. There is not really a right or wrong way as long as your tortoise is healthy. Here are my opinions:
1. In a very dry climate, like yours and mine, I don't like to leave them outside all day until they are at least 6" or so. I do one or two hours for babies and gradually more as they get bigger. I always follow sunning time with a soak. My yearlings are around 5-6" now and they get 4-6 hours a day about 5 days a week. Not saying right or wrong, but this is my preference and seems to be a good compromise between all the factors of my situation.
2. Sunshine, in my opinion, does not eliminate the need for calcium and vitamin supplementation. With 6-10 hours of sunshine a week, I don't think you need any D3 in your calcium, but it really won't hurt anything either. In discussing Yvonne's Aldabras many months ago, she convinced me of the necessity for calcium supplementation for all of the "larger" species. You gotta figure that an animal that goes from 35 grams at hatching to 45,359 grams in ten years has got to lay down a serious amount of calcium. Even if you think all is well and your diet is perfectly balanced, a little extra calcium sprinkled on the food a couple of times a week will not do any harm to a healthy, well-hydrated small sulcata. If it is not needed by the body, it will simply pass through, unused, and be excreted.

Thanks Tom,
So I will continue with his 2 to 4 hours in the afternoons and not leave him out all day just yet