First time to post! How am I doing?

[jessrich87]

My name is Jess and my Sulcata's name is Spike. He is less than a year old and and 3 inches. He is very active and friendly and loves to eat. I have had him since about March of this year and I am still learning to take good care of him. I am aware of the size he will be and the care he will need. I want him to grow big and healthy so any advice is welcome. I
already know he needs a bigger enclosure and that will happen as soon as I can. So here it goes:

Inside the house he has a 10 gal tank with mostly Pete Moss substrate. He has a shallow Tupperware lid for his food bowl. He has a Tupperware dish turned upside down as a hideout. He has a shallow exo terra water dish. He has a UVA basking bulb and a UVB bulb that stay on from about 9am until about 9pm. In the winter I use a heating pad at night.

Outside he has a 4x4 circular pin that I recently built him. He loves it. it has a mixture of soil and Pete Moss. It has a wicker tunnel from PetSmart for shade, a small, shallow cat bowl for water, cat grass planted and a couple of rocks. I covered the top with poultry netting so I don't have to worry about other critters messing with him when I can't watch him.

Any suggestions? Do you think I am doing okay so far? He seems happy, but I'm not sure if he is growing or not.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Jess.

Your inside habitat is way too small. 10 gallon aquariums should be outlawed for tortoises.

The outdoor habitat sounds great, but I don't blame you for not leaving such a small tortoise outside all the time.

 

[wellington]

Hello and WELCOME I know you said he needs a bigger indoor enclosure. That should happen ASAP, like already said, they should not be allowed for tortoises, not even a newly hatched one. What do you feed him, when he is not outside grazing? All in all not doing to bad. Do you feed Mazuri tortoise diet? You should add that to his diet once or twice a week.

 

[ascott]

You can pick up a rubbermaid 50 gallon tote for like 20.00 bucks and that would at least offer move around room for a bit....

 

[Nixxy]

The Rubbermaids are great. Cheap, sturdy, and easy to clean.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Where in the world are you? It helps us to give more appropriate advice if we know your climate a little more. Someone in Pheonix would need to do things quite a lot differently than someone in Seattle.

Here are some tips based on what you've told us:
1. I think EVERYONE is going to tell you to get a bigger enclosure right away. I start my brand new hatchlings in nothing smaller than a 40 gallon, but lately I've been using a 4x4' enclosure. They need lots of room to move.
2. What sort of UV bulb are you using? If its one of those coil type cfl bulbs, it can damage their eyes, especially in such a small enclosure. I recommend you not use that, if that's what you have. If your tortoise is getting regular sunshine outside, you do not need any artificial UV inside.
3. Your heating and lighting strategy all sounds okay, but make sure you know your four temps, monitor them, and adjust as needed.
4. Outside make sure the temps are okay. Use a temp gun and check it frequently. Sounds like he might need more shade. Also, cat bowls usually are too tall, steep and slick. I highly recommend a terra cotta plant saucer instead. S can drown in the wrong types of water bowls or get stuck in them outside in the sun.
5. Lastly, poultry netting is better than nothing, but be careful. Most of the predators we all need to worry about can get through or around poultry netting pretty easily. A cover made of hardware cloth or welded wire would be much more sturdy and predator resistant.

If you click the links in my signature, there is a ton of info on housing and raising sulcatas. You might find something you like, even though it sounds like you are off to a pretty good start.

 

[jessrich87]

Thanks for all the advice so far!

We live in Texas- its really hot and everything is dead right now. His outdoor enclosure is in partial shade though.

The only problem with a Rubbermaid container is that I cannot have anything with an open top because of the cats and dogs in the house and I am not able to isolate that container in any part of my house due to space. I may be able to update to a 20 gal long tank soon, when I find a home for the fish tank that is currently in that spot, but at this point I'm not sure if that would even be advantageous with the way y'all are talking. Sounds like I need a BIG upgrade.

Inside he eats Herbal Salad Mix from Carolina Pet Supply supplemented with wheat grass and twice a week spring mix with calcium dust. Outdoors he grazes on the grass and weeds in the yard as well as orchidgrass hay. He also loves chopped up cactus pads.

Yes, I use one of this UVB bulbs from PetSmart.. Was not aware it could damage their eyes. My temps inside are consistent but outside it gets pretty warm obviously and is different everyday. Today it is 90 but last week it was 106.

I think I answered your questions. Please, keep the advice coming. I obviously need it.

 

[jessrich87]

I also wanted to add that while space is limited now because we are living with roommates, my fiance and I are getting married in November and will be purchasing out first home soon after. Space then will not be an issue and we can start his big boy enclosure outside as well. Just until then, I'm limited... So any creative ideas are welcomed.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Jacqui]

I have dogs and cats living in my house too. One thing I found that is cheap and super easy, take a section of stiff wire called hardware cloth often. Have it a little longer then the plastic tote and then about 6-8" wider. Take it and just bend over the two long sides so each side is that 3-4" extra you had. Then you just slide it off and on to your enclosure. Does not look pretty, but it works. Then when you build your bigger and better enclosure, you can make something nicer.

 

[jessrich87]

That's a handy idea.

 

[Mjdeisher]

Where do you buy the 50 gal rubbermaids? I've heard people talk about up to 100 gallons but I can't find anything more than 40 here. I've checked meijer, Walmart, and lowes... I'm going to try homedepot in the morning. I'm Contemplating just putting the boyfriend to work and just building a table instead.

 

[jessrich87]

This is his outside play area. I have the tunnel and mondo grass for shade, a shallow cat bowl for water, and a mix of peat moss and top soil for substrate. The edges are just a raised garden kit. I have planted bermuda grass and wildflower seeds in the area as well. I think Spike likes it. I also cut chicken wire and pin that on the top for protection when I can't watch him.

 

[Laura]

very nice for outside.
I think he need more natural shade tho. Esp for where you live.
and the metal water dish I bet get really hot and its slippery. COnsider a large ceramic dish that would go under a flower pot. You can get them pretty cheap. or even the plastic ones.

as for the rubbermaid containers someone asked about... walmart maybe.. but even better are the stock tanks you can get at feed stores or tractor supply. Look for the sheep ones.. they aren't as tall.

---

you can plant pansies, pertunias, squash plants, pumpkin...to name a few,,,, inside the space you got there.

 

[jessrich87]

He is in partial shade from a nearby tree as well, but I agree. I would like to gradually plant more in there. It is a work in progress. I will get a new water dish in the form of a plant tray, thanks. I was just looking for something shallow at the time and that was the best Petsmart had...

 

[Laura]

get bigger too... he will need it soon! if its deeper, you can add pebbles to it,, but most flower pot dishes are perfect depth. The plants mentioned will provide food as well as shade if he doesnt eat them!

 

[jessrich87]

Are the flowers like petunias safe to eat?

 

[Irwin4530]

You can also put some hosta in there and/or plant some fountain grass, a rose of sharon, fig or mulberry tree outside so it will offer some shade. All are edible and unlike the others listed will come back next year and are a bit taller so may not get eaten all up.
I like the idea of a ceramic dish and use them in all my enclosures.

WELCOME!!!!

 

[jessrich87]

Thank you very much!

 

[jessrich87]

So I got a three foot plastic container from Walmart today that I am going to use for his indoor enclosure. I will post pics when I can.