Help! My baby sulcata is trying to hurt the other one

KarenSoCal

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Yes, at the moment I am sharing the lamp while waiting for the new fitting to be arrived. I don’t have any night heat.

I lived in Indonesia where the temp at night will not go any lower than 28 C.
The humidity is mostly go around 60% to 70%. I keep misting their enclosure to maintain the humidity up to 80%. Considering the natural condition in my area, do I still need to place a night heat? The room temperature at noon time usually around 30-31.



Hi

Thanks for the input.
The substrate which I am using at the moment called coco husk. It’s made off coconut shell which been dried. May I know what kind of soil that should be added to its top?

Most of the members on the forum recommend no soil in the enclosure. The main reason is that sometimes torts eat it, and it is a big risk of impaction.

Also, when you wet the substrate, soil can turn into a muddy mess.

And finally it's a major concern where the soil came from. Here in the USA, store bought soil is made up of ground up yard trimmings. There is no way to know what was ground up...it could be poisonous plants.

If you put something as finely ground as soil on top of your coco husk, the soil will just sink below the husk anyway...it won't stay on top.

All things considered, it's just not worth the risk.

All year the night temp never goes below 28°C? As long as there is no chance of a sudden cold drop, you shouldn't need night heat. If there's a chance of a cold spell, if you ran a CHE on a thermostat it would only come on in an emergency.
 

cakberlin

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I myself use Westland top soil, it retains moisture well, and is thoroughly sieved to remove stones and debris which could cause impaction. You don’t want a top soil which has sand in it, or contains chemicals used to speed up plant growth. The only top soil I use is Westland as it is the one most recommended by tortoise owners as far as I’ve seen, though if anyone else has any additional recommendations : )
I use coconut husk myself, but I added this after I was able to feel the firmness of my tortoise’s shell, and could acknowledge that he could easily clamber over such things when walking, the skin of young tortoises is very soft and if it manages to get caught somewhere within the openings of the shell, such as between the back legs and tail, it can be quite painful. Adding soil to make the ground flatter and easier to walk on for them, until they are a little less squishy would be ideal : )

Unsure on if you can get this variety in Indonesia, but this is the soil I am referring to::
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07739RTZ8/?tag=

I received similar information when I got my leopard tortoise, though I did research beforehand and acknowledged that their information was indeed wrong. Unfortunately at the time I was unaware of how badly kept many animals are in pet shops and my little dude has extremely stunted growth due to inadequate watering at such a young age. Places like this are perfect for new tortoise owners as they allow you to interact with experienced tortoise keepers and breeders all over the world, meaning you can get exactly where you need to be with your tortoises!

Also before I forget, I’m not saying you should get this now as they’re still young, but in the future I’d invest in two slate slabs for them to eat from, this will help them grind down their beaks and prevent them from becoming overgrown. Also slate heats up really well and could be used as a good basking platform. My dude can be found sitting on his slate throughout the day to get warm! It’s a real big favourite : )

Do you mind share the picture of your enclosure for reference?

Are slate slabs like the one in the following pictures? At what size of tortoise do you recommend it to be placed on the enclosure to grind down their beaks?

1613720820493.png
 
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cakberlin

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Most of the members on the forum recommend no soil in the enclosure. The main reason is that sometimes torts eat it, and it is a big risk of impaction.

Also, when you wet the substrate, soil can turn into a muddy mess.

And finally it's a major concern where the soil came from. Here in the USA, store bought soil is made up of ground up yard trimmings. There is no way to know what was ground up...it could be poisonous plants.

If you put something as finely ground as soil on top of your coco husk, the soil will just sink below the husk anyway...it won't stay on top.

All things considered, it's just not worth the risk.

All year the night temp never goes below 28°C? As long as there is no chance of a sudden cold drop, you shouldn't need night heat. If there's a chance of a cold spell, if you ran a CHE on a thermostat it would only come on in an emergency.

Some of tortoise keeper in Indonesia that I know tend to use coco husk / forest bark for the substrate (most of them only use old newspaper for their substrate ?

Correct, all year the night temp never goes below 28°C.
We only had 2 seasons in Indonesia and I live near the beach the temperature is much higher compared to the temperature in mountain area.

I already placed a thermostat on their enclosure to measure the room temperature, enclosure's temperature and the humidity of the enclosure.
 

Melissacoop

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I use coco coir mixed with fine orchid bark. It holds humidity well. Here is a picture of my enclosure which has the ceramic heat emitter for night heat on a thermostat, a slate for feeding , a basking light and two hides.
 

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wellington

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Like already said, as long as your temps dont go below 80 you dont need added heat. If you can take them outside daily or every other day for 1/2 hour to an hour to get uvb from the sun you don't need a uvb bulb. However still use a basking bulb that reaches 95-100 under it at tort level.
80% humidity day and night.
The substrate you have is fine don't need to add soil.
 

Maggie3fan

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Hi!

I just knew that following, sleeping together and laying on each other are kind of bullying thing.
I thought that they are enjoying life together by doing that ?

Thank you for your advice, I will replace the food dish when I made the new enclosure for them.

P.S. At first I thought that nobody will reply to my question, but knowing you and gsxs750 replied to my question made me feel happy to join in this forum. I hope that I could raise Noshi-Noshi and Moja until they give me babies of Sulcata :D
There are many of us Sulcata keepers, and we want to help new tort keepers make great habitats for their Sulcata and give them a great life. Welcome
 

Maggie3fan

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Do you mind share the picture of your enclosure for reference?

Are slate slabs like the one in the following pictures? At what size of tortoise do you recommend it to be placed on the enclosure to grind down their beaks?

View attachment 318665
I know some keepers who do this, but in 20 years I feed on Frisbee's and use them to soak. Don't worry so much right now about their beaks. I think you need to fix your habitat, get better substrate, maybe some plants
 

cakberlin

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I use coco coir mixed with fine orchid bark. It holds humidity well. Here is a picture of my enclosure which has the ceramic heat emitter for night heat on a thermostat, a slate for feeding , a basking light and two hides.

Your tortoise and your enclosure is looking great! Is it Chunk in the picture?

Sorry for asking, is that an aloe vera plant? Are you using fertilizer to make it grow?
I wanted to put some plants in the enclosure but I am still confused how to maintain the substrate clean because I changed the substrate with the new one once a month.

Like already said, as long as your temps dont go below 80 you dont need added heat. If you can take them outside daily or every other day for 1/2 hour to an hour to get uvb from the sun you don't need a uvb bulb. However still use a basking bulb that reaches 95-100 under it at tort level.
80% humidity day and night.
The substrate you have is fine don't need to add soil.

I soaked my tortoises every morning for 10-15 minutes. Once they finished their poo and pee (do tortoises urates come out every day? sometimes their urates came out every day; mostly in the form of paste and for some days their urates didn't come out. I was wondering if this is normal or not. All these studies about humidity and hydration got me paranoid) I dried them up and put them back to their enclosure.

There are many of us Sulcata keepers, and we want to help new tort keepers make great habitats for their Sulcata and give them a great life. Welcome

I know some keepers who do this, but in 20 years I feed on Frisbee's and use them to soak. Don't worry so much right now about their beaks. I think you need to fix your habitat, get better substrate, maybe some plants

Thank you for the warm welcome!
I will giving my best to my tortoises and learn as much how to raise them in the very best way.
 

Melissacoop

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Yes, that is my Chunk. He is bigger now. He is 1 1/2 year old. Much bigger than in the picture. I have an aloe Vera plant I just stick in the substrate and also different succulents. He will munch on them sporadically. They don’t last long and then I replace them. Lol.
 

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wellington

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Your tortoise and your enclosure is looking great! Is it Chunk in the picture?

Sorry for asking, is that an aloe vera plant? Are you using fertilizer to make it grow?
I wanted to put some plants in the enclosure but I am still confused how to maintain the substrate clean because I changed the substrate with the new one once a month.



I soaked my tortoises every morning for 10-15 minutes. Once they finished their poo and pee (do tortoises urates come out every day? sometimes their urates came out every day; mostly in the form of paste and for some days their urates didn't come out. I was wondering if this is normal or not. All these studies about humidity and hydration got me paranoid) I dried them up and put them back to their enclosure.





Thank you for the warm welcome!
I will giving my best to my tortoises and learn as much how to raise them in the very best way.
No they don't have to have urates every day. Some, like leopards, we never see them. Don't dry them off. Put them back in enclosure wet. You do not have to change substrate monthly. If you spot clean daily you should never have too change it. Never use fertilizer.
 

Melissacoop

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No they don't have to have urates every day. Some, like leopards, we never see them. Don't dry them off. Put them back in enclosure wet. You do not have to change substrate monthly. If you spot clean daily you should never have too change it. Never use fertilizer.
I can’t handle those little tiny bugs. I know they’re supposed to be a cleanup crew but I just ordered new substrate to change mine. It’s been 2-3 months. When I lift his water bowl or feeding plate you can see all of them and they will crawl on my tortoise when he’s on the plate!!?
 

wellington

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I can’t handle those little tiny bugs. I know they’re supposed to be a cleanup crew but I just ordered new substrate to change mine. It’s been 2-3 months. When I lift his water bowl or feeding plate you can see all of them and they will crawl on my tortoise when he’s on the plate!!?
Bake the new substrate at 250 for about 2-3 hours. This will kill any eggs etc in the substrate. They eventually come back but it's a lot longer down the road like 6 months or more. Keep spot cleaning daily to help keep them and other bugs away longer.
 

Melissacoop

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Bake the new substrate at 250 for about 2-3 hours. This will kill any eggs etc in the substrate. They eventually come back but it's a lot longer down the road like 6 months or more. Keep spot cleaning daily to help keep them and other bugs away longer.
Ok. Thank you. Mine usually poops in his soak and just recently changed his schedule to pooping in the morning in his enclosure. As soon as I see it I remove it but I wish I could get him back to pooping in the water. ?
 

cakberlin

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Yes, that is my Chunk. He is bigger now. He is 1 1/2 year old. Much bigger than in the picture. I have an aloe Vera plant I just stick in the substrate and also different succulents. He will munch on them sporadically. They don’t last long and then I replace them. Lol.

Wow, it grows really fast! Do you take a note of his growth progress monthly? Is there any guidance in how tortoise shall gain weight every month?
Lol. I wanted to put an aloe vera too in my enclosure because both of my tortoises love to eat them ?

No they don't have to have urates every day. Some, like leopards, we never see them. Don't dry them off. Put them back in enclosure wet. You do not have to change substrate monthly. If you spot clean daily you should never have too change it. Never use fertilizer.

I am glad to hear this information that they don't have to have urates every day.
Okay, I'm trying to make the enclosure clean since I ever saw my tortoises were trying to eat their poop ?
 
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