I noticed my baby Sulcata's nose looked very dry today. I was wondering if this is normal and what could've caused it. I bathe them every day and if not then every other day, I spray their tank which is 4x3 feet and they're only 8 months old. I have two babies if it's possible that the other Sulcata did this but they get along very nicely and I have 5 separate areas in their enclosure so they can get away from each other. They have a healthy diet of dandelion greens, wheatgrass, red lettuce, carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Please tell me this is normal and it's just dry. Should I bathe them more often?
Dry Baby Tortoise Head
- Thread starter ssprada
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- baby sulcata dry nose
Do you keep them on wet-to-moist substrate?
I keep on them on coconut fiber substrate I believe it’s called and on top of that is dried orchard grass hay but I spray it with a spray bottle about twice a day for a minute each time
That's not good enough. The coco coir needs to be quite moist and hay molds, so you should get rid of the hay. I pour a whole pitcherfull of water into the enclosure then mix it up with my hand. Cover the enclosure to keep it humid inside. Please read this:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
Please give these a read-
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/
Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Tortoises are solitary animals, and cannot make friends. I would definitely put a barrier in the enclosure so that they cannot reach each other.
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/
Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Tortoises are solitary animals, and cannot make friends. I would definitely put a barrier in the enclosure so that they cannot reach each other.
daniellenc
Well-Known Member
@Tom can probably help. Hay is not good substrate and will mold and grow bacteria. Sulcatas can’t be fed carrot and tomato nor should they be housed together. Your idea of getting along is probably the first signs of bullying. Please read the caresheets in the sulcata forum. Your intentions seem good but the info you’ve been given is all wrong.
Hi there, welcome from Texas! If this were my baby tort, I’d keep it in a very humid covered tank at temps never below 80F day and night. For me the trick to high humidity was getting the Reptifogger. I loved that thing! Still use it to this day at bedtime. I believe inhaling those vapors helps with all kinds of stuff in torts. I would also bathe my baby every single day. Heck! Mine are 3 yrs old and I still do that! Because I can. And we have nicely settled into this routine. But generally I believe in daily soaks in 1st year, then can go to every other, etc. But! Every time something is off (tort is not eating, or gets a sniffle, or lamp went out and it got too cold for a while, or I’m worried they got overheated, or no poo, or pee looks too concentrated (in your case urates would be gritty instead of creamy consistency)... anything off- calls for nice warm soak! That is my policy and I swear by it
Also diversify the diet, wide variety of weeds, no more carrots/tomatoes (sugar is bad for your sully), if you must rely on storebought produce, try collard greens, escarole and endive lettuces, raddicchio, carrot and radish tops, @Tom has an awesome list of good greens you can feed your herbivorous tort. And don’t forget about the cactus!!! Opuntia pads are awesome food for the torts! Lost of calcium and great nutrients there.
Hello and welcome to the forum.
I've raised a lot of baby sulcatas over a lot of years, and the typical advice given, outside of this forum, is just plain wrong. Its been wrong all along and its still wrong. We are all trying to spread the correct info, but our voices are often drowned out by the masses of people parroting the old wrong info that even I used to parrot, until I learned better the hard way, and figured out the right way through lots of study, experimentation and trial and error. I gathered lots of info from lots of people and lots of sources and those threads that TechnoCheese linked for you spell it out pretty well.
I agree with what all of the other posters on your thread here have said so far. Get rid of the hay, separate these two, make a closed chamber with damp substrate, get rid of the lettuce, tomato, and carrots, and feed more things from the list in my thread. The grass and dandelion greens are good. Now add more of the right types of weeds, leaves, succulents and flowers. Keep up the daily soaks. Whoever told you that got that part right.
Feel free to question any of this. I'm happy to explain more. We're here to talk tortoises, so let your questions fly!
After reading all of these comments I've decided to make a lot of changes to the way I'm raising my tortoises. I'm eliminating the carrots and tomatoes (should never have listened to the pet store guy). I will now only feed them grass, dandelion greens, any other organic weeds I can find, carrot greens, cactus pads, and radish greens. I also fed them fresh aloe vera one time and they really liked it, does that have nutrients like a cactus pad? Aloe vera is all around my property but the cactus pads are not. I'll be eliminating the hay and changing the substrate. Would it be safe to put them on organic store bought soil for a garden? I would get one that absorbs water really well so I could pour a gallon on every day. Also, I'm looking for a cheap way to add humidity, the reptile fogger from Zoo Med is a tad expensive. They have a water dish and I will keep up the daily soaks. I've attached pictures of their current enclosure that I know has a lot of issues but I wanted to attach so that way you could nicely tell me everything that is wrong with it if I haven't already pledged to fix it, thank you, Tom!! P.S. I open that window above their enclosure every day and it lets in 4-5 hours of natural sunlight every day and they love to bask in it.Hello and welcome to the forum.
I've raised a lot of baby sulcatas over a lot of years, and the typical advice given, outside of this forum, is just plain wrong. Its been wrong all along and its still wrong. We are all trying to spread the correct info, but our voices are often drowned out by the masses of people parroting the old wrong info that even I used to parrot, until I learned better the hard way, and figured out the right way through lots of study, experimentation and trial and error. I gathered lots of info from lots of people and lots of sources and those threads that TechnoCheese linked for you spell it out pretty well.
I agree with what all of the other posters on your thread here have said so far. Get rid of the hay, separate these two, make a closed chamber with damp substrate, get rid of the lettuce, tomato, and carrots, and feed more things from the list in my thread. The grass and dandelion greens are good. Now add more of the right types of weeds, leaves, succulents and flowers. Keep up the daily soaks. Whoever told you that got that part right.
Feel free to question any of this. I'm happy to explain more. We're here to talk tortoises, so let your questions fly!
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daniellenc
Well-Known Member
In an open top no fogger will maintain humidity. And if you think a fogger is expensive you have no clue what they’ll cost to feed as they grow lol. You’ll need two large closed enclosures and if you know someone handy can get it done under $1,000. If you read the attached posts you’ll see orchid bark or cypress mulch is best. Organic soils tend to have additives not safe to eat. Both can be bought in bulk online or at Lowe’s. If you mention where you’re located people could suggest good local weeds and such and you can grow your own as well. Tortoises aren’t cheap so rehoming one is an option so you can set things up right for the other. Not trying to be mean but two sulcatas will need an acre or more in a few years.
I'm located in Phoenix, AZ. And I know they're expensive to feed but I'm not rehoming my tortoises. And In less than 2 years they'll have 150+ acres, so right now I'm trying to find the best solutions to make them comfortable, healthy, and happy "lol."
Your diet changes sound great and aloe is okay once in a while, but it has laxative properties, so not too much.
Bought-in-a-bag soil is not recommended because you can't know what composted material it is made of. Could be something safe or it could be oleander clippings. Its also very messy. Fine grade orchid bark is best.
The key to maintaining humidity is not to try to add more as you lose it, but to not lose it in the first place. You need a closed chamber. Well… actually you need two of them. Stop the leak in your boat instead of trying to bail out the boat with a bucket as it sinks.
daniellenc
Well-Known Member
@Tom has a post linked here with weeds but hibiscus, grape leaves, and mulberry are great. Growing your own is easy (I kill everything) but have successfully grown the weeds from tortoise supply a lot of people use here. Greenhouse covers can be used to enclose your table and bought on amazon oh and you’re in the perfect place to grow cactus. Without closing their enclosure you’ll have some pyramiding in a major way and it begins quickly so start looking at closed chamber threads here now.
