Hello New to site

[JoshRiess]

My name is Josh and my wife and I have decided my 12 year old daughter Heather is old enough and responsible enough, so we decided to get her a Sulcata Tortoise !
I have been reading a TON from this awesome site , you all are very knowledgeable and have a lot of experience raising these little guys , So I would like to thank you for this site and any knowledge you pass down to us.
I will more than likely ask way to many questions and post way too many pics I hope you guys and gals don't mind too much !

 

[Jacqui]

Hello! So she has already gotten her tortoise?

 

[Irwin4530]

welcome!

ask away...we love questions!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. If your getting her a young one. Please read Toms threads at the bottom of my post. They are the best for raising a smooth, healthy sulcata. Btw, Tom is a great member of this great forum

 

[JoshRiess]

wellington I have read Toms threads and continue to do a lot Thanks for the info !

 

[JoshRiess]

Just made Hunter a new Basking Playground for Daily out side basking in the sun and partial shade .
Its 100+ here in Bakersfield , Ca right now so I think it's perfect weather for this little guy and my daughter loves taking him out to play he gits a minimum or 2 hour a day with this new playground . We plan on putting one more bag of Cypress Mulch in it and keep it moist but not soaked daily. Also plan on making a hut for Hunter to nap in and make it out of an old terracotta planter tipped over on it side so Hunter can go in and out a he wishes .
Going to try and put a garden of some sort in there so we can grow fresh food for him to munch on too.
What do you guys and gals think ?
Are we on the right path so far.

 

[Lindafarnadis]

hello and welcome..........

 

[Jacqui]

Hi! Yes I would add perhaps even a couple more bags of the mulch (or coir or soil). I would also give him a hide and several plants to hide under for security and to get out of the sun, if he wishes. Right now i's just too open looking, which is scarey for a little tortoise. Plus this is a great place and time for him to get to do more things like graze.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Josh, and welcome to the Forum!!

I don't think you'll be able to add too much more substrate because the sides of your "playpen" are not tall enough. What I would do is add some clean garden soil. Just enough to fill in the blank spaces, but not enough that he can stand on his back legs and reach the top of the wall.

Terra cotta pots make good hiding places when the are broken in half lengthwise. If you just lay a full pot on its side, the opening is way too 'open' to offer much of a hiding place.

I'm curious about something...my maiden name was 'Neiss' and it was pronounced 'nice,' rhymes with 'ice.' Your name is spelled slightly different and I was wondering if it is pronounced 'rice' or 'reese.' Before I was married, people were always trying to tell my my last name was 'Neese.'

 

[luvpetz27]

Hi and welcome!!

 

[JoshRiess]

Hi! Yes I would add perhaps even a couple more bags of the mulch (or coir or soil). I would also give him a hide and several plants to hide under for security and to get out of the sun, if he wishes. Right now i's just too open looking, which is scarey for a little tortoise. Plus this is a great place and time for him to get to do more things like graze.

Thanks for the tips Jacqui ! I ordered the southern mix of seeds online today from sulcatafood.com and we are buying two pots for Hunter to hide and potted plants to make it homy feeling too
But boy does Hunter love to rum around when we put him in it, he could be a racing tort and put others to shame maybe we should have named him sparkplug or nitro

 

[JoshRiess]

Hi Josh, and welcome to the Forum!!

I don't think you'll be able to add too much more substrate because the sides of your "playpen" are not tall enough. What I would do is add some clean garden soil. Just enough to fill in the blank spaces, but not enough that he can stand on his back legs and reach the top of the wall.

Terra cotta pots make good hiding places when the are broken in half lengthwise. If you just lay a full pot on its side, the opening is way too 'open' to offer much of a hiding place.

I'm curious about something...my maiden name was 'Neiss' and it was pronounced 'nice,' rhymes with 'ice.' Your name is spelled slightly different and I was wondering if it is pronounced 'rice' or 'reese.' Before I was married, people were always trying to tell my my last name was 'Neese.'

my name is pronounced REESE like reese pieces ( name i always got in school) it Austrian but over there its spelled RIES'