Garrett525
New Member
Hello everyone, new guy here! I just stumbled upon this forum through Reddit and I was like "Hey, these people probably know what they're talking about". I started with reading some of the more popular threads last night as far as general care and diet et. ect. I have already learned so much as in I need to raise humidity, and I need cuttle bone, and a slew of other things people have not been able to answer for me in person.
I have had my dear friend Mosby, a Sulcata tortoise, for going on two years (ish). Unfortunately, I believe I may have fallen victim to being on of those typical noobs - who were told that a dry substrate, high temps and a dark green diet is the way to go. It would seem I was ill advised, even with all the reading I have done about them online. So in order to turn things around for my friend Mosby, I'm going to upload a few pictures of him, where he is currently living, and what his diet consists of. Any and all criticisms and or advice is greatly appreciated, I just want to give this little (hopefully one day, big) guy a quality and happy life.
So right now we live together in an apartment in Michigan. That said - today it is 40 degree outside, but he is not yet an adult so I figure I have some time before I have to cross that bridge (building an outside habitat). I always make sure there is food in Mosby's dish, which ranges from Kale, Timothy Hay, mixed greens to commercial 'Grassland Tortoise Food". About 3 times a week I sprinkle some calcium powder on his food and it goes down just as easy as the rest for him. I ALWAYS have clean water out for him (which I don't see him drink too often) and I bathe him once a day with warm water, along with spraying him with a water bottle about twice a day. In Mosby's enclosure It stays a consistent 80 degrees, in which I also have a UVB to help calcium metabolization. He eats like a horse, and is very active - so I'm thinking I'm not doing the worst job ever, but I know there is room for improvement. I have some basic questions as such:
1- Does Mosby look healthy?
2- Is Mosby 'pyramiding'? If so, how to combat that.
3- What's the best way to emulate his natural habitat?
4- As far as short term, is this a decent indoor habitat for Mosby?
Thank you all so very much, I look forward to your wisdom!
I have had my dear friend Mosby, a Sulcata tortoise, for going on two years (ish). Unfortunately, I believe I may have fallen victim to being on of those typical noobs - who were told that a dry substrate, high temps and a dark green diet is the way to go. It would seem I was ill advised, even with all the reading I have done about them online. So in order to turn things around for my friend Mosby, I'm going to upload a few pictures of him, where he is currently living, and what his diet consists of. Any and all criticisms and or advice is greatly appreciated, I just want to give this little (hopefully one day, big) guy a quality and happy life.
So right now we live together in an apartment in Michigan. That said - today it is 40 degree outside, but he is not yet an adult so I figure I have some time before I have to cross that bridge (building an outside habitat). I always make sure there is food in Mosby's dish, which ranges from Kale, Timothy Hay, mixed greens to commercial 'Grassland Tortoise Food". About 3 times a week I sprinkle some calcium powder on his food and it goes down just as easy as the rest for him. I ALWAYS have clean water out for him (which I don't see him drink too often) and I bathe him once a day with warm water, along with spraying him with a water bottle about twice a day. In Mosby's enclosure It stays a consistent 80 degrees, in which I also have a UVB to help calcium metabolization. He eats like a horse, and is very active - so I'm thinking I'm not doing the worst job ever, but I know there is room for improvement. I have some basic questions as such:
1- Does Mosby look healthy?
2- Is Mosby 'pyramiding'? If so, how to combat that.
3- What's the best way to emulate his natural habitat?
4- As far as short term, is this a decent indoor habitat for Mosby?
Thank you all so very much, I look forward to your wisdom!
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