Help what type of tortise do I have

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
[split] new with questions

Hi my sister just got some sulcata tortoises is there any way we can chat privately about them as we have questions
 

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
Help me an my sis sulcata tortises

Hi my sister got some sulcata tortoises yesterday and when we went to the pet store they tired selling us bedding. Will anyone be willing to stay on an chat as to what we need what they can eat. And care
 

Wartortle

Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
94
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California (Simi Valley)
RE: OJAI SULCATA PROJECT!!!!!!

Rachael88 said:
Hi my sister just got some sulcata tortoises is there any way we can chat privately about them as we have questions

Well, most of the main questions are answered on the sulcata section of the site. Tom (see above) is kinda the "go to" guy when it comes to sulcatas and nearly everything he says is golden!!! I've been here nearly a week and I'm still learning as well. I can help as much as I can, but personally I'd try to get my information from some of the more "veteran" members ;)
 

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
Re: OJAI SULCATA PROJECT!!!!!!

Ok thanks we were told we needed to buy bedding and that if they were in the sun for an hour a day we still need a uvb light.
 

Dizisdalife

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
1,754
Location (City and/or State)
California
RE: Help me an my sis sulcata tortises

Rachael88 said:
Hi my sister got some sulcata tortoises yesterday and when we went to the pet store they tired selling us bedding. Will anyone be willing to stay on an chat as to what we need what they can eat. And care
You will get lots of help from the members here. To help us help you better please tell us about your tortoise(s). How old or how big? What part of the world you live in? Just some things like that. And, oh yeah, can you post a few pictures of them. In the mean time, keep them warm.
 

Dizisdalife

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
1,754
Location (City and/or State)
California
RE: OJAI SULCATA PROJECT!!!!!!

Rachael88 said:
Ok thanks we were told we needed to buy bedding and that if they were in the sun for an hour a day we still need a uvb light.

If they are babies and they are getting an hour of sun (direct sun and not through glass) they don't need a UVB light. Still they will need a basking light, a flood light (not a CFL type) will do the job.

Tom has posted some good care sheets on raising baby sulcata that you should read before buying a bunch of stuff that you may not need or want to use. Start with this one.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-79895.html
 

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
Re: OJAI SULCATA PROJECT!!!!!!

Thank you! The lady at the pet store sold us some light bulbs one is blue one is red. Do u know what those are used for?
 

Levi the Leopard

IXOYE
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
7,958
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Oregon
RE: Help me an my sis sulcata tortises

In the wild these guys hatch into the hot, humid and rainy season. If they are babies, you'll want to buy supplies to create a hot and humid chamber. Think hot and wet NOT hot and dry.
 

bouaboua

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
11,809
Location (City and/or State)
San Jose CA

Dizisdalife

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
1,754
Location (City and/or State)
California
RE: OJAI SULCATA PROJECT!!!!!!

Rachael88 said:
Thank you! The lady at the pet store sold us some light bulbs one is blue one is red. Do u know what those are used for?

I don't like the colored bulbs. They are sold to be used as night time heat. What you need is probably, and I say probably because I don't have a complete picture of what you have, is a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) for ambient heat and for night heat in a closed chamber enclosure. They look like this:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/ceramic-heat-emitter-60w?gdftrk=gdfV2226_a_7c268_a_7c6967_a_7c214930

And you will want to control the heat from this CHE with a thermostat. It looks like this:
http://www.reptiledirect.com/1000-watt-temperature-controller.aspx?gclid=CPvhgs_dmLwCFc41QgodiGgAmg

This lets you keep the heat at the right temperature day and night without having to worry about over heating.
 

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
Re: Help me an my sis sulcata tortises

There about half the size of an iphone I will try an upload pictures. We live in Tucson az. They fit in the Palm of our hands right now. Should we be soaking them or wetting their shells?
 

Dizisdalife

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
1,754
Location (City and/or State)
California
RE: OJAI SULCATA PROJECT!!!!!!

Rachael88 said:
Ok thank you so much!
You're welcome. Read all the care sheets in the Sulcata section. Others have responded to your other thread with some good information. Sulcata babies, like babies from every species, are kept different than adults. Babies lose heat faster and the dehydrate faster than adults. So, you need to keep them where the temps are warm, have a basking spot for them, and keep them hydrated by regular soakings and a humid enclosure for them.
 

Levi the Leopard

IXOYE
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
7,958
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Oregon
RE: Help me an my sis sulcata tortises

If they fit in the palm of your hands:
I'd soak them once a day for 20min in warm water. House them in a hot and humid chamber day and night but build a predator proof, safe outdoor pen to let them get some natural sunshine for an hour or 2 each good weather day.
 

sibi

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
6,486
Location (City and/or State)
Florida, USA
RE: Help me an my sis sulcata tortises

You have baby sulcatas, probably a few weeks old. It's important that you soak the babies in a small plastic container with warm water. The water should reach only as high as the bottom shell. I would soak the babies two times a day until they are about a year old. After that you can soak them once a day. Information on diet and enclosures can be read from Tom's threads. He is a member here that is an expert on raising sulcatas. Since the babies are so small, you may want to put them in a plastic container with a lid. You'll need substrate of coco coir and organic soil that has no pesticides. You can also use cypress mulch mixed with soil. You'll also need to get two hides for each of the babies. Make sure you provide fresh water in a plant saucer...something that has shallow sides so that the babies can get in and out easily. Foods can be kale, collards, turnip greens, envine, rose pedals, hibiscus flower, cactus fruit and cactus, just to mention a few. Babies should be introduced to young, fresh grass since grass will one day make up the majority of his food for life. I hope this helps you.
 

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
Re: [split] new with questions

How do I tell how old they are? Or if they are male or female?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
RE: [split] new with questions

The only way to know age is to know the hatch date. If you can show pics and tell us how they spent their first few weeks( wet or dry) we can make an educated guess.

Most of the time you won't know the sexes until around 3 years old. It is usually discernible by then. If you know the incubation temperature, we can make a pretty good guess for you.

Are you finding the info you need in the linked threads? Here are some more for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-32333.html
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-76744.html
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-22635.html
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-45180.html
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-30683.html
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-23493.html
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-34837.html
 

Rachael88

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
19
Re: [split] new with questions

I'm not aware of the hatching date I got them from a lady who had "no time" for them


Here's a picture of one if them
 

Attachments

  • 1390667198206.jpg
    1390667198206.jpg
    64.1 KB · Views: 68

Levi the Leopard

IXOYE
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
7,958
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Oregon
Re: [split] new with questions

that sure looks like a CDT (California Desert Tortoise) baby to me. Not a Sulcata baby. hmmm...
 
Top