First baby Sulcata

Jade Pardee

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Hi everyone!

I am from North West Pennsylvania and after researching and reading and researching I finally felt comfortable enough to invest in a little tiny baby Sulcata. I have always loved turtles/tortoises and even have had a few painted turtles but i knew i just needed a tortoise. So I researched many different types and settled on the Sulcata and YES i do know she will get big!

With my birthday being this week, I went to this little pet store that has a good reputation for caring for their animals as well as being knowledgeable about their animals. As soon as I walked in the pet store, they had a large enclosure with their tortoises and I was mesmerized by them. I spent a solid 20 minutes just watching them be tortoises and interacting with one another. I finally I wondered farther into the store and their they were. Three tiny adorable baby Sulcatas and I was in love.

It took me a little bit before finally deciding to adopt one. It wasn't the price or the commitment, I knew what I was getting into, but I was nervous because I love turtles and tortoises so much and just wanted to do the best I could when caring for this little thing.

But finally my step-mom just told me to get one and I did. So the worker pulled all three out and let me pick which one I wanted. They were so sleepy and tucked in tight but eventually popped their heads out to see what all the commotion was about. One of them had caught my attention immediately but I still wanted to give the rest a chance. One was really curious and looking about and getting ready to take off and the other one was so scared and tucked himself in again but the original one that caught my eye seemed just right. So I finally said " I don't know what it is about this one but I like her" and my step mom chimed in and said "that's the one I wanted you to get too."

So I bought the remaining supplies I needed to properly care for her and we were on our way. When we got home I decided she looked like a Cora (Core-uh) so that's what I named her. So that night I kept waking up just to make sure she was okay and was nervous all day the next day at work. I was so worried about her I even left on my lunch break just to check in.

She is doing really well, she sleeps a lot but during the day she will get up and walk around and eats like a little champ! Sometime I just sit beside her and talk to her and she will look up at me and then continue to do whatever she was doing. I feel like a new mom to a new baby hahaha.

I just have a few questions. When I talked to the pet store all they told me was that she was a hatchling and was just born. When I measured her she was 8cm, so does her size give a more specific time frame of how long ago she was hatched.

Like I said before she eats like a little champ! I've seen her eat probably close to three times a day since i've gotten her. This makes me happy because I know she is already comfortable in her new home and is at least warm enough but I know they can over eat so at what point should i just take the food away from her?

Also, I know she needs a lot of moister but I am struggling to keep it up, does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to keep the humidity up for her. I've also been letting her soak for a while and i've been taking her outside. Yesterday we sat outside together while she ate a salad I had made.

I am so excited to have a life long relationship with this little tiny tortoise.

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Tidgy's Dad

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Hello, Jade and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and your beautiful little sulcata.
Shallow terracotta saucers are better as water dishes, when sunk into the substrate as the baby can get in and out easily and there is more grip than with a metal one.
Careful he doesn't chew that electric lead as well, he'll try it at some point and we don't want any accidents.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/ is good for basic info
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/ is more specific for your needs.
Good wishes to you both.
 

Jade Pardee

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Hello, Jade and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and your beautiful little sulcata.
Shallow terracotta saucers are better as water dishes, when sunk into the substrate as the baby can get in and out easily and there is more grip than with a metal one.
Careful he doesn't chew that electric lead as well, he'll try it at some point and we don't want any accidents.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/ is good for basic info
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/ is more specific for your needs.
Good wishes to you both.


Oh the cord is most definitely on the outside of the glass. And yea I am in the process of changing her bowls. Luckily I was watching but she got into it and couldn't get out. So that was a quick fix. Thanks for the links!
 

Jade Pardee

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Haha it's okay! I was even like WAIT! what haha then I remembered I had it on the outside! I want to get her into a bigger living space soon but I am currently just subletting a place until summer is over. I was worried she was stressed out because I got her by my house and we stayed there a day and then went to my apartment but she's acting like she owns the place so that worry went away
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Some adapt quite quickly, but a move or a new enclosure is always stressing to some degree.
But always the rule is: the bigger the better.
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Hello Jade ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1434572226.764700.jpghave a great tort day ! And before I forget ( old people loose their memory:) )ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1434572326.747600.jpg your getting a lot of great advise
 

Jodie

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Welcome. Can you tell us more about your set up? What are your temps and what equipment are you using to achieve these temps, and provide UVB? Any coil bulbs? Is your enclosure a closed chamber? If not you will probably have to cover it to get humidity up.
What an adorable little Sulcata you have!
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome to you and Cora. if you follow all the advice you find here you should have a very happy healthy tort for life. So read and search the threads and ask as many questions as you need there's always someone here to help.
 

Jade Pardee

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Welcome. Can you tell us more about your set up? What are your temps and what equipment are you using to achieve these temps, and provide UVB? Any coil bulbs? Is your enclosure a closed chamber? If not you will probably have to cover it to get humidity up.
What an adorable little Sulcata you have!

I am using eco terra or whatever it's called for the heating/basking lamp and it contains uva. The overalls temp is right around 90 and basking is about 100. The uvb bulb I have does have a coil but it was the only thing in stock at the time and wanted to make sure she had something while I could find an alternative. I'm using eco Earth coconut fiber with Cyprus substrate on top. I originally started off with just the coconut but it kept getting all over her face and she didn't like it. I also have a little hut for her to hide in and I just made a humidity hut today. She's currently in a glass aquarium until I myself get a permanate apartment
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Chuck the bulb out now.
She'll be better off without UVB for a while than with a bulb which could potentially damage her eyes, or if not, doesn't give out enough UVB anyway.
Sunshine if you can and then buy a mercury vapour bulb, on line if necessary.
You can cover the aquarium to help keep up the humidity.
 

Jodie

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I think an mvb will be too much heat in an aquarium. The tube lights might be better. They put out UVB, but not heat. I agree about turning off the coil though.
To keep humidity up, I pour water into my substrate. Like you would to water a plant. If you pack The coir down with your hand and keep it moist it is less messy.
The temps sound good. What are your night temps?
 

Tidgy's Dad

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I think an mvb will be too much heat in an aquarium. The tube lights might be better. They put out UVB, but not heat. I agree about turning off the coil though.
To keep humidity up, I pour water into my substrate. Like you would to water a plant. If you pack The coir down with your hand and keep it moist it is less messy.
The temps sound good. What are your night temps?
Fair point, I don't have an aquarium, so heat may be an issue.
How big is the aquarium?
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Jade, and welcome to the Forum!

If you haven't done so yet, read the pinned threads shown at the top of the Sulcata section.
 

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