First post. With pics.

[Snakelings]

Well, I have been wanting a Tort for a while. I am totally new to them, and have been spending some time reading about them, and talking to owners of them.
I have held off on getting one for a while, because of my other Reptile stuff going on...

But....

This afternoon I rescued this little Sulcata here locally. I don't know her age, or sex. But, I do know that she has been kept in bad cage with heat rock, eating lettuces and living with an adult Frilled Dragon.

She seems to be in good health, she ate today like a pig and is pretty active. I don't have a name for her yet, and I am calling her, a her, because its so cute and tiny!

I found this forums by doing a Google search for Tort forums.

Well, here are a couple of pictures.

Snakelings.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Cute baby...welcome...please set her up by herself away from your other reptiles and here's a care sheet for you...also please feel free to ask any questions, we are glad to help

http://africantortoise.com/

 

[Snakelings]

Cute baby...welcome...please set her up by herself away from your other reptiles and here's a care sheet for you...also please feel free to ask any questions, we are glad to help

http://africantortoise.com/

She is by herself now. I am glad the Frilled Dragon didn't chew on her. Thank you for the link.

 

[Meg90]

She can't have been there long, she's obviously very young. There are no signs of new growth between her scutes. I'm glad you rescued her. I don't like people that mix species.

Here's some basics for her care.

The recommended substrate for young sullys, is 70% eco earth, 30% sand. Pyramiding is now thought to be mainly caused by a dry, arid substrate. They need the humidity to have smooth growth.

She'll need UVB. With Young torts, their shells go soft VERY quickly. Quicker than you'd even think. I would recommend getting an MVB. Like a 100W Trex bulb, or a 100 Powersun. That way, she will have everything all in one---basking, and UVB.

You will also need to dust her meals with Calcium powder at EVERY feeding. Don't skip days, or do every other IMO that's an easy path to soft shell. I dust my two young torts meals every day. The extra Ca will leave their bodies if they don't need it. Its better to have extra than not enough.

Diet wise, you want to stay away from Iceberg, and mostly from Romaine. The diet of choice here is Springmix. You can buy it prepackaged at Walmart (organic too) for 3.28$ for a small box (that should work for her) or a box twice that size for 4.28$ (good if you like salads with dinner for the leftovers) Spring mix is baby lettuces, and there is a good variety in most brands. The one I use is Earthbound Farms organic. You can google it. There is a website. Try not to feed any fruit if you can. Its too high in sugar. Some veggies are OK, but those too, should only be fed once a week at most. Don't feed ANY spinach. It binds Ca and is a cause of pyramiding.

You should also soak her daily in warm, reptile treated water. Soaking keeps them hydrated. She should also have a shallow dish of water available in the cage at all times. Its best to make sure that she has the option of water, if she ever feels the need to drink.

 

[Snakelings]

She can't have been there long, she's obviously very young. There are no signs of new growth between her scutes. I'm glad you rescued her. I don't like people that mix species.

Here's some basics for her care.

The recommended substrate for young sullys, is 70% eco earth, 30% sand. Pyramiding is now thought to be mainly caused by a dry, arid substrate. They need the humidity to have smooth growth.

She'll need UVB. With Young torts, their shells go soft VERY quickly. Quicker than you'd even think. I would recommend getting an MVB. Like a 100W Trex bulb, or a 100 Powersun. That way, she will have everything all in one---basking, and UVB.

You will also need to dust her meals with Calcium powder at EVERY feeding. Don't skip days, or do every other IMO that's an easy path to soft shell. I dust my two young torts meals every day. The extra Ca will leave their bodies if they don't need it. Its better to have extra than not enough.

Diet wise, you want to stay away from Iceberg, and mostly from Romaine. The diet of choice here is Springmix. You can buy it prepackaged at Walmart (organic too) for 3.28$ for a small box (that should work for her) or a box twice that size for 4.28$ (good if you like salads with dinner for the leftovers) Spring mix is baby lettuces, and there is a good variety in most brands. The one I use is Earthbound Farms organic. You can google it. There is a website. Try not to feed any fruit if you can. Its too high in sugar. Some veggies are OK, but those too, should only be fed once a week at most. Don't feed ANY spinach. It binds Ca and is a cause of pyramiding.

You should also soak her daily in warm, reptile treated water. Soaking keeps them hydrated. She should also have a shallow dish of water available in the cage at all times. Its best to make sure that she has the option of water, if she ever feels the need to drink.

Awesome. Thanks for the information, its appreciated.

The bulbs that you are talking about. They give heat and UV? Do you turn them off at night and leave no heat on at night other then ambient room heat?

Thanks.

 

[Meg90]

Yes, the bulbs provide a good hot, basking temp, and UVB. I also do turn all my lights off at night, and don't have any other heat source---my littlest tortoise is 2 months old. At night, she has no heat, and is at ambient temperature, just like my other torts. The room they are kept in, drops down to 71-73F at night. As long as your room is above 65F your hatchie will be fine.

What kind of enclosure do you have her in? Glass tanks are not recommended, they have a "greenhouse" effect of holding too much heat, and its not good for torts. Bins are highly recommended. I am moving my middle kid, Anouk, into one of those big xmas tree bins (the ones with the red tops) when they are back in stores. Since sully hatchlings, are pretty large, and grow pretty quickly, I would suggest using one of those for your enclosure.

Shoot for 3-4 inches of substrate so she can burrow. Sullys love to.

 

[Snakelings]

Yes, the bulbs provide a good hot, basking temp, and UVB. I also do turn all my lights off at night, and don't have any other heat source---my littlest tortoise is 2 months old. At night, she has no heat, and is at ambient temperature, just like my other torts. The room they are kept in, drops down to 71-73F at night. As long as your room is above 65F your hatchie will be fine.

What kind of enclosure do you have her in? Glass tanks are not recommended, they have a "greenhouse" effect of holding too much heat, and its not good for torts. Bins are highly recommended. I am moving my middle kid, Anouk, into one of those big xmas tree bins (the ones with the red tops) when they are back in stores. Since sully hatchlings, are pretty large, and grow pretty quickly, I would suggest using one of those for your enclosure.

Shoot for 3-4 inches of substrate so she can burrow. Sullys love to.

Yeah she is in a bin.
I will pick up one of thous lights in the morning. Sounds like a good idea.

Thanks again.

 

[Meg90]

That's great. We love pictures here too.

 

[Yvonne G]

I love her little extra scute just above her tail area. She can be "spot" because of that little extra scute!!

Yvonne

 

[Crazy1]

Snakelings, Congratulations on your new little sully. I would suggest you also get a scale if you don't have one already to track her wt for now. It will often let you know something is not right before you would otherwise notice. I too love the little extra scute on her shell. Makes her unique . Sullys are about 35-45 grams when they hatch. I would say yours is pretty new. Again Congratulations and welcome to the forum. It's a great place for inforamation and a great Community to belong too.

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your little sully He is really cute!

 

[katesgoey]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[TortieGal]

Welcome! She is adorable, you could nave her Dotty because the extra little scute looks like a Dot.

 

[Stazz]

What a cutie pie, congrats

 

[Snakelings]

Welcome! She is adorable, you could nave her Dotty because the extra little scute looks like a Dot.

Haha. That is what I have been calling her is "Dot".