No, not all of us eat tortoises!
Hello, I've kept a sulcata hatching for about a month. Here is what he looks like:
I suppose he could have an internet alias. For our purposes, let's call him "Chairman Mao".
Bio: Captive bred. Purchased 2011/8/26 when he was 6cm 48g. Has his papers. It's been a month and he's still 47-49g.
Here's my setup:
Temperatures:
Indoor ambient: 81'F; Basking spot: 99'F; Cool spot 81'F; Inside heated humid hide: 86'F; night time, 81'F throughout.
Humidity:
40-60% under basking spot; 70-80% elsewhere. (i.e. fairly wet due to substrate choice and humidifer set to turn on for 15 minutes six times a day)
Diet:
Fed once every two days. Meal consists of: Appetizer: dried timothy hay (grounded, a small pinch), a single 2mm pellet of Komodo commercial tortoise feed moistened. Entree: balcony grown bermuda grass (5 blades), a small cutting from the leaves of homegrown turnip & dandelion, bought mulberry, bought plantain. Dessert: Tiny cuttings from spineless cactus, succulents and homegrown alfafa used as occasional treats. Always hungry.
Space:
Glass tank 40"x18"x8"tall. Access to 6'x20' balcony in sunny afternoons. Rooftop garden if he were to get big.
UV and exercise:
Gets three hours outside on the balcony in the afternoon if the sun is out. The Chairman just loves it.
Heating:
One 60w ceramic heater over humid hide only used when cool spot falls below 80'F.
Sleep:
From 7pm to 7am. He also naps in the afternoon especially after his afternoon walk.
Soakings:
Infrequent, and if he gets one, for only two minutes. Likes warm (~105'F) water. Three water bowls in each corner of the tank. He doesn't seem to like water but doesn't mind it if the water bowl happens to be in his way.
Substrate:
Zoo med coco-noir (aka "EcoEarth"); sphagnum moss inside the humid hide.
Long term support:
Four qualified reptile vets within an hour's drive. I'm writing him into my will in the next update.
Digestion/waste problems - Not sure if I've seen any urates for sure yet. (Found a few specks of white solids on the substrate two weeks ago) He poops around 18 hours after he eats - perfect 4mm pellets but made up of green leaves/grasses very much undigested.
Psychological well being - Tends to walk endlessly along the side of the tank. It's been a month and he still seems bothered by the glass...very curious about his reflection and what's outside. Waiting for him to get used to it or I'm going to have to wall him up with wood.
In anthropomorphic terms he prefers freedom and really wants to get out of the tank. I've been trying to make his jail cell more comfortable by changing temperatures etc...but he's not buying so far. Does not burrow, loves to climb climb climb. Topples over every other day, does not really try to right himself (even if I wait for a hour unlike my friend's leopards) unless he smells an incentive nearby (such as a fresh leaf).
I'm new to pets after a hiatus of thirty years...and I'm very keen to have the Chairman survive his first winter. Read as much as I could online and like this site very much - look forward to exchanging info further with all of you.
Hello, I've kept a sulcata hatching for about a month. Here is what he looks like:
I suppose he could have an internet alias. For our purposes, let's call him "Chairman Mao".
Bio: Captive bred. Purchased 2011/8/26 when he was 6cm 48g. Has his papers. It's been a month and he's still 47-49g.
Here's my setup:
Temperatures:
Indoor ambient: 81'F; Basking spot: 99'F; Cool spot 81'F; Inside heated humid hide: 86'F; night time, 81'F throughout.
Humidity:
40-60% under basking spot; 70-80% elsewhere. (i.e. fairly wet due to substrate choice and humidifer set to turn on for 15 minutes six times a day)
Diet:
Fed once every two days. Meal consists of: Appetizer: dried timothy hay (grounded, a small pinch), a single 2mm pellet of Komodo commercial tortoise feed moistened. Entree: balcony grown bermuda grass (5 blades), a small cutting from the leaves of homegrown turnip & dandelion, bought mulberry, bought plantain. Dessert: Tiny cuttings from spineless cactus, succulents and homegrown alfafa used as occasional treats. Always hungry.
Space:
Glass tank 40"x18"x8"tall. Access to 6'x20' balcony in sunny afternoons. Rooftop garden if he were to get big.
UV and exercise:
Gets three hours outside on the balcony in the afternoon if the sun is out. The Chairman just loves it.
Heating:
One 60w ceramic heater over humid hide only used when cool spot falls below 80'F.
Sleep:
From 7pm to 7am. He also naps in the afternoon especially after his afternoon walk.
Soakings:
Infrequent, and if he gets one, for only two minutes. Likes warm (~105'F) water. Three water bowls in each corner of the tank. He doesn't seem to like water but doesn't mind it if the water bowl happens to be in his way.
Substrate:
Zoo med coco-noir (aka "EcoEarth"); sphagnum moss inside the humid hide.
Long term support:
Four qualified reptile vets within an hour's drive. I'm writing him into my will in the next update.
Digestion/waste problems - Not sure if I've seen any urates for sure yet. (Found a few specks of white solids on the substrate two weeks ago) He poops around 18 hours after he eats - perfect 4mm pellets but made up of green leaves/grasses very much undigested.
Psychological well being - Tends to walk endlessly along the side of the tank. It's been a month and he still seems bothered by the glass...very curious about his reflection and what's outside. Waiting for him to get used to it or I'm going to have to wall him up with wood.
In anthropomorphic terms he prefers freedom and really wants to get out of the tank. I've been trying to make his jail cell more comfortable by changing temperatures etc...but he's not buying so far. Does not burrow, loves to climb climb climb. Topples over every other day, does not really try to right himself (even if I wait for a hour unlike my friend's leopards) unless he smells an incentive nearby (such as a fresh leaf).I'm new to pets after a hiatus of thirty years...and I'm very keen to have the Chairman survive his first winter. Read as much as I could online and like this site very much - look forward to exchanging info further with all of you.
