Hey guys i recently lost my sulcata that I have had for over 5 years now and I am looking to get some hatchlings..i have never had hatchlings before so i was wondering what I need to do to make sure that they survive...any comments or suggestions would be really awesome..thanks
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- Thread starter trentlee111
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Read this thread and do a good job of trying to follow it religiously:
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies
Congrates and good luck.
Just don't buy them from a breeder that keeps them dry, on dry pellets, with no water bowl, no soaks and under a hot light. A large percentage of those will die inexplicably months down the road. Cory will have some hatchlings soon, but hatchlings can be delicate.
Tyler at http://tortoisesupply.com/ had some really nice older ones that were very well started, totally smooth and very healthy. Its worth the extra money to get one that you KNOW will live in my opinion.
Tyler at http://tortoisesupply.com/ had some really nice older ones that were very well started, totally smooth and very healthy. Its worth the extra money to get one that you KNOW will live in my opinion.
how did you lose the one you had for 5 years?
hatchlings can be heartaches.. is sometimes best to start with an older one. YOu can contact a rescue near you to see what they have...
hatchlings can be heartaches.. is sometimes best to start with an older one. YOu can contact a rescue near you to see what they have...
Let us know what you get an dont forget to post some pic's
Laura said:
I put him in our fenced in backyard on sunday to graze and hang out in a bigger space and my gf accidently left the gate open and he got out...we been looking for him around my neighborhood but no luck as of yet..
Laura said:
do you have any idea where i can find out if there is a rescue near me?
Sorry to hear that, Trentlee. Don't give up. Put up fliers at all the local pet shops, vet offices and animal shelters. Go door to door and ask people. I bet somebody saw something. Keep looking.
Welcome to the group! I'm so sorry to hear about your Sulcata. How long has it been since he got out? Are the temps warm enough? Sometimes people will keep a found tort as their own pet unfortunately, instead of looking for the owner, especially for a large Sulcata. But, make sure you do make the phone calls and place ads to try and find him. Did you raise the escaped Sulcata from a hatchling?
They can be so fragile, and there are many older Sulcatas that could use a good home since their owners got overwhelmed by them. If you tell us where you live we can try to suggest rescues, or if you just Google your city/area/state and tortoise rescue, you might find some. Animal shelters will also get some. If you live in California or Arizona (any other states?), you may also be interested in adopting a Desert Tortoise.
Personally I wouldn't want to support the breeding of Sulcatas by buying a hatchling, but its a personal decision. What do you mean by "some" hatchlings? How many? How much space do you have for when they grow up? it is very difficult to raise one adult Sulcata, and a herd can be many times more difficult. No guarantees they will be able to get along and live together...you have to count on a separate enclosure for each, and sometimes even then if they can smell each other (males), they will be unhappy and pacing and trying to get through a fence. They can eat a large yard down to the dirt very quickly. Buying food for them is expensive and not as good as graze. If you are interested in having a herd of Sulcatas, I'd see how you do with one adult one and then consider if you have the space and means for more. Temperature-sexed hatchlings are not 100%, so going by a breeder saying you have 2 or 3 of one sex if you are trying to avoid breeding aggression (a male usually doesn't do well with one female) isn't a sure thing.
If you want more than one tort because you want it to have a "friend", keep in mind that torts are solitary animals in the wild. Its us humans that think they need a companion. More than one tort in an enclosure can have more problems than benefits. Breeding aggression with a male-female pair or even male-female-female group. Aggression with groups of males. Even groups of females aren't guaranteed. The more space the better, but you never know until they reach sexual maturity. Seems like people on the forum seems to have Sulcatas do best either alone, or in a very very large herd.
But, on the subject of keeping a hatchling alive, if you choose to go that way: Best to buy one closer to a year old than a fresh hatchling. Price shouldn't be of concern, but health and similar traits. You will spend so much on a tort over their lifetime that $100 shouldn't be an issue. Be patient and don't just buy the first one you see. You may have difficulty finding a hatchling this time of year, depending where you live, although you might find some hold overs from the breeding season which are older...they aren't as fragile. Have the setup ready before you get one with the good UVB & heat (getting a tort and then ordering the MVB is a bad idea because in that week a hatchling can go soft and die), daily pure calcium hides, baby proof enclosure, diet researched, etc. Have a tort vet established (I recommend taking any new tort to a vet for a check up and fecal test for parasites...even my captive bred tort had parasites his first year.
Read up on the signs of illness so you can identify them (eyes closed, not moving, discharge from eyes/nose, etc). Look to buy one that is smooth, active, alert, seen eating, and from a reputable breeder close to your home and who gives advice you agree with (if they say they don't get big and you can feed them iceberg, or they are selling hatchlings with egg sacs still, for example, run away). I agree with Laura that you have to be prepared for heartache, as sometimes hatchlings take a quick turn for the worse and there isn't much you can do. It isn't wise to leave a hatchling while you go on a weekend trip like you may do with older torts, so that is another thing to prepare for. With any tort, you want to have emergency money saved up for unexpected vet bills, and including them in your will is wise.
And importantly-fix that gate. You can set it up so that it will swing closed and latch because you have a stiff spring in it, so it can't be left open. For a hatchling to have outdoor time, you will want an enclosure not too much larger than the indoor one, likely with hardware cloth or something else over it (if you aren't going to watch it the whole time), a hide and water, and only when temps allow.
Good luck!
They can be so fragile, and there are many older Sulcatas that could use a good home since their owners got overwhelmed by them. If you tell us where you live we can try to suggest rescues, or if you just Google your city/area/state and tortoise rescue, you might find some. Animal shelters will also get some. If you live in California or Arizona (any other states?), you may also be interested in adopting a Desert Tortoise.
Personally I wouldn't want to support the breeding of Sulcatas by buying a hatchling, but its a personal decision. What do you mean by "some" hatchlings? How many? How much space do you have for when they grow up? it is very difficult to raise one adult Sulcata, and a herd can be many times more difficult. No guarantees they will be able to get along and live together...you have to count on a separate enclosure for each, and sometimes even then if they can smell each other (males), they will be unhappy and pacing and trying to get through a fence. They can eat a large yard down to the dirt very quickly. Buying food for them is expensive and not as good as graze. If you are interested in having a herd of Sulcatas, I'd see how you do with one adult one and then consider if you have the space and means for more. Temperature-sexed hatchlings are not 100%, so going by a breeder saying you have 2 or 3 of one sex if you are trying to avoid breeding aggression (a male usually doesn't do well with one female) isn't a sure thing.
If you want more than one tort because you want it to have a "friend", keep in mind that torts are solitary animals in the wild. Its us humans that think they need a companion. More than one tort in an enclosure can have more problems than benefits. Breeding aggression with a male-female pair or even male-female-female group. Aggression with groups of males. Even groups of females aren't guaranteed. The more space the better, but you never know until they reach sexual maturity. Seems like people on the forum seems to have Sulcatas do best either alone, or in a very very large herd.
But, on the subject of keeping a hatchling alive, if you choose to go that way: Best to buy one closer to a year old than a fresh hatchling. Price shouldn't be of concern, but health and similar traits. You will spend so much on a tort over their lifetime that $100 shouldn't be an issue. Be patient and don't just buy the first one you see. You may have difficulty finding a hatchling this time of year, depending where you live, although you might find some hold overs from the breeding season which are older...they aren't as fragile. Have the setup ready before you get one with the good UVB & heat (getting a tort and then ordering the MVB is a bad idea because in that week a hatchling can go soft and die), daily pure calcium hides, baby proof enclosure, diet researched, etc. Have a tort vet established (I recommend taking any new tort to a vet for a check up and fecal test for parasites...even my captive bred tort had parasites his first year.
Read up on the signs of illness so you can identify them (eyes closed, not moving, discharge from eyes/nose, etc). Look to buy one that is smooth, active, alert, seen eating, and from a reputable breeder close to your home and who gives advice you agree with (if they say they don't get big and you can feed them iceberg, or they are selling hatchlings with egg sacs still, for example, run away). I agree with Laura that you have to be prepared for heartache, as sometimes hatchlings take a quick turn for the worse and there isn't much you can do. It isn't wise to leave a hatchling while you go on a weekend trip like you may do with older torts, so that is another thing to prepare for. With any tort, you want to have emergency money saved up for unexpected vet bills, and including them in your will is wise.
And importantly-fix that gate. You can set it up so that it will swing closed and latch because you have a stiff spring in it, so it can't be left open. For a hatchling to have outdoor time, you will want an enclosure not too much larger than the indoor one, likely with hardware cloth or something else over it (if you aren't going to watch it the whole time), a hide and water, and only when temps allow.
Good luck!
Tom said:
thanks tom..i put out about 100 flyers in my neighborhood the last couple days but i found him today eating in my neighbor across the streets yard!
Thats great you got him back now make sure the gate is shut it's a Happy ending
GREAT! Glad you found him
tortoisenerd said:
wow thanks for all the information..it really helps...i actually found my tortoise this afternoon thank god! he wasnt a hatchling when i got him i actually rescued him while working at petsmart YEARS ago..i live in lafayette louisiana..do you know of any rescues somewhere in louisiana..i dont mind driving a ways to get one either..my sulcata is about 12 inches i guess i never measured him tho i really need to...do you have any suggestions for food because i want to give him a variety but most of what i see on the forum isnt available at my grocery store...any recommendations would be great i dont mind planting things either i just need suggestions....thank u so much!
Yay!!! Since you have a yard, the best thing you can do for your tort is to scatter seeds for a large variety of graze. Your tort is now the size that weather permitting it can be living outside (most people set up a shelter with heat, whether its a dog igloo or a shed, depending on how large the tort is and how much time it needs the heat...lots of info in the enclosure section). You can buy seeds online for favorite tortoise weeds, greens, lettuces, edible flowers, etc. Chemical free is the best, so you shouldn't be spreading fertilizers or pesticides on your yard (unless they are organic like manure). What is the worst is stuff from nurseries, as its not meant for human consumptions such as lettuce you buy at the store.
If you can sustain your tort off your land it will save you a lot of money in the long run, plus be more natural for the tort than grocery greens. But, feeding grocery greens, a good start to a diet is spring mix (no spinach & chard), plus 1-2 other greens a week like collard, mustard, dandelion, etc. If you can get your tort eating hay, he is a good age for that. A soft salad style low protein hay moistened mixed in with greens is a good way to start. If you tell us what you are currently feeding, then we can try to make suggestions from there. There are some great sites out there which tell you how to identify non toxic weeds, list what sorts of foods your tort might enjoy for your to gets seeds for, etc.
photo guide to identify plants: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=az&l=all
long list of good foods: http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Foo...orts-DT-Marginated-Greeks-Russians-Sullys-etc
Are you still wanting to add to your tort family now that your tort is back? How much yard do you have? It is my personal opinion that you should wait until your 12 inch tort gets closer to full grown to see if you have enough land for him plus another, etc, but, from a search, I found: http://reptile.rescueshelter.com/Louisiana Getting a second large tort, you want a quarantine period, and once you an introduce them, you have to consider any size differences, gender differences, territory issues, etc. Good luck!
If you can sustain your tort off your land it will save you a lot of money in the long run, plus be more natural for the tort than grocery greens. But, feeding grocery greens, a good start to a diet is spring mix (no spinach & chard), plus 1-2 other greens a week like collard, mustard, dandelion, etc. If you can get your tort eating hay, he is a good age for that. A soft salad style low protein hay moistened mixed in with greens is a good way to start. If you tell us what you are currently feeding, then we can try to make suggestions from there. There are some great sites out there which tell you how to identify non toxic weeds, list what sorts of foods your tort might enjoy for your to gets seeds for, etc.
photo guide to identify plants: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=az&l=all
long list of good foods: http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Foo...orts-DT-Marginated-Greeks-Russians-Sullys-etc
Are you still wanting to add to your tort family now that your tort is back? How much yard do you have? It is my personal opinion that you should wait until your 12 inch tort gets closer to full grown to see if you have enough land for him plus another, etc, but, from a search, I found: http://reptile.rescueshelter.com/Louisiana Getting a second large tort, you want a quarantine period, and once you an introduce them, you have to consider any size differences, gender differences, territory issues, etc. Good luck!
tortoisenerd said:
yes i would like to add another tort..my yard is pretty big i dont know the dimensions exactly...do you know where i could get the seeds for those weeds and plants? im feeding him romaine lettuce, mustard greens, and collard greens right now...i do let him out from time to time to grass in the yard and had no problems until this weekend! thanks for helping me out i appreciate it
Also sulcatafood.com and turtlestuff.com, and there are some seeds you can get from garden centers for the greens more so than the weeds. I would honestly measure your yard and ask here...as an adult sulcata needs A LOT of land, probably more than you think. It would be a shame to think you have enough land for to sustain two adult sulcatas when you don't, and then you run into high food bills to buy lettuce, when the graze is so much better. In the meantime, switch from romaine to a spring mix (no spinach), buyign the brand with the most variety. See if you can find dandelion or turnip greens, kale, watercress, endive, or any other greens to rotate with the mustard & collard greens. I like to do about 50-50 lettuces & greens. Cactus pads, butternut squash, and pumpkin make great treats....Whole Foods has canned pumpkin and butternut squash (organic), or you can feed fresh, either cooked or raw. Grow some edible flowers and even grape leaves are loved by torts (they can have most fruit & veggies leaves, except tomato & potato). Squash blossoms are awesome if you want to plant some squash.
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