Help :)

[lisser]

Hi everyone,

I am a social worker at an elementary school and have acquired 3 African Sulcata tortoises from a student. The student and his mother were in a very dangerous domestic violence situation and had to move from my school (Cincinnati/NKY area) to California where mom has family. The student was not able to take his tortoises with him and was very upset about having to leave them. I told him I would take them.

This was a very snap decision, there was no time for research, all I was told is that they are dessert turtles, not tortoises, turtles. The student told me he feeds them worms that are "dried up" and iceberg lettuce. I know that iceberg lettuce is of no nutritional value and mostly all water so I knew that wasn't right.

I began researching them right away and found out that these beautiful animals get to be quite large do not eat worms, and require huge areas to be happy. The three tortoises I have are not large at all. The largest one looks like the size of an adult box turtle, the other one is slightly smaller than that one and the 3rd one is even smaller.

I feel I can keep these guys pretty happy for awhile but once they get to be large, there is no way I can care for them the way they deserve to be cared for.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do long-term with them? They are so sweet. They are enjoying dandelion leaves, weeds, some hay, their basking lamp I've bought, and the cactus I bought for them today at the local Mexican store.

I'll take all the help I can get

 

[Robert]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place.

Based on your comment, "once they get to be large, there is no way I can care for them" I would say the best thing to do would be to rehome them immediately. Are you willing to rehome them?

Can you post pictures of them? That will allow people to help assess their ages and current health status.

Good luck.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[lisser]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I am fine with rehoming them as soon as an appropriate home can be found. I am completely willing to care for them until they get too large for me to lift. I'm not sure how long that will be. They are quite small now. I have a picture of them on my iPhone. I will try and see if I can post it here from my phone. I have them in a temporary tortoise table type set-up. It is something I just threw together on Friday after school.

Bear with me as I try to post the picture....

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Hope this works....please remember, this is just something I threw together for them at the end of the school day on Friday. I'm having my dad build a tortoise table for me.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Might be easier and better to buy a great big tub or cement mixing tub.

Here's a care sheet that should answer all your questions:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1GX3MDYSx

 

[lisser]

I was going to buy the biggest under the bed rubbermaid type container I can find until my dad is done with the tortoise table. I still need to buy a UVB bulb. I bought a proper basking lightbulb today at the petstore. Right now I've just got a regular 60 watt bulb in there and they went right to it. I've got them on some aspen bedding. Their water dish is in the shaded area. I'm learning as I go The middle turtle does have bubbles coming out of her/his nose and I know this is bad. I'm not sure what to do about it though.

 

[Laura]

too bad he could take them to calif and re home them.. much beter weather for them out here..
If those are pine shavings.. remove them right away.
I would put a inch of wrm water in your bath tub, plug it.. and give them all a nice long warm soaking. Dont let the water get cold. the one with a runny nose might need a vet and some antibiotics. If it is eating, it isnt a dire emergency. keep them warm.. 80 minimum.
Get some calcium into them, as well as good dark greens. Sprink mix from the store is good. wet it and sprinkle calcium over the top. A cuttle bone from the pet store would be good to offer them also.
A book case layed on it back with the shelves removed is a great tort table. line it with plastic or a shower curtain, and place a few hides and substrate, good warm heat and basking.. If you cant offer them an outdoor enclosure, i would consider re homing them as soon as you can, for thier sake. You did great by taking them in.

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oh aspen.. i see that now.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi lisser:

Welcome to the forum!! May we know your name?

Dried worms! Can you imagine?? I felt bad the kid had to move and leave his tortoises, but so happy to have them out of his care and into the care of someone who researches their proper care! Good for you!!

Those tortoises are all big enough to go outside as soon as the weather is nice enough. So, the bigger indoor habitat you can build, the better. Can you picture a 5 shelf book case? They're about 5' tall and about 2' wide. Well, that would be an ok size for a tort table. Any smaller and it would be too small for those three tortoises. If you can find one at a yard sale it would save your dad some work and $$ on materials. Lay it on its back, take out the shelves and line it with a shower curtain liner. Voila!! tort table.

Good luck with your new charges. They're going to grow on you.

 

[shellysmom]

Turtle Rescue of Long Island might be able to help you out with finding them homes. They rescue a lot of Sulcatas and try to rehome them further south in warmer parts of the country, so they can live outdoors when they get big. Their website is www.turtlerescues.com Good luck!

 

[Livingstone]

Go with 8' by 4' if possible.

2x100watt mvb for day.
1 x100watt CHE for night.

bedabeast substrate. 50- 60% humidity. 95 in the basking spots during the day, 70 in her house at night.

 

[lisser]

Thanks guys for all the info!! My name is Melissa I do have to admit, these three guys/gals have already grown on me. They are very personable!! The student was only 10 years old so I can't fault him but his parents probably should have done a little more research. The home situation was pretty bad for he and his mom so who knows.

I love the idea of a bookshelf without the shelves!! I can't believe I didn't think of that!! I'll go buy one tomorrow. I also like the idea of putting a slate rock inside the enclosure under the basking light I've bought. I live in Northern KY so here it is still cold. Sadly, I have my yard treated for weeds and crab grass so I can't let them graze in my yard. I can let them graze on school grounds though for sure. That's where I've been getting all the yummy dandelion leaves for them.

From the picture I've posted, can anyone tell about how old they are? I've been reading about their shells pyramiding and how it is not good. The biggest one does have some pyramiding to him/her but the other two are maybe too young for it? Their shells are smooth.

I will get a cuddle bone tomorrow. All three are eating big time. As soon as I put those dandelion leaves in there they ran towards them. I am a little unclear on the misting part...do I mist them? I will soak them all tomorrow in nice warm water as suggested. I do need to get a proper thermometer as well.

Keep the suggestions coming please. I appreciate it so much.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[Laura]

be careful where you pick weed from.. unless you know for sure they never spray..
Grocery store greens, spring mix in a bag,, etc are good.
Soak them as soon as you can. I bet they are very thirsty..

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oh , and a cuttle bone can be found in the bird section.. sometimes cheaper at a feed store.. walmart isnt bad..

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considering the background.. they looks pretty good. 3-4 years? but hard to tell. if they dont get good care, they dont grow very well.
The misting is more for hatchlings.. i wouldnt worry too much about that at this point.. How do they walk? do they look strong?
Another good quick enlcosure is a Kiddie Pool. put some dirt in it and and you are good to go!

 

[Tom]

Laura is giving you great tips. She beat me to everything I wanted to say. In fact, every single post here has been great advice.

If I was a woman, I'd say we should all hug. But I'm not. So I won't. You gals go ahead though...

 

[lisser]

I've given them fresh, clean water everyday since I've had them and showed them where it was. I put their basking lamp in today and they are sunning themselves. I got the dandelions from our school grounds and trust me, we don't spray for anything here. With the way funding is, there would be no way money would be spent on that. In the ten years I've been here, we've never sprayed for weeds. It's evident by the amount there are Do I give them any hay?

Can anyone suggest an approximate water temp for the soakings? I don't want the water too warm or too cold.

They walk well but I've got them in such a small enclosure right now they don't have much room to move. That is changing today. I'm having a hard time locating this coconut coir though. Any suggestions on where to get that? All of their eyes open wide and they look bright, coloring of their skin looks good too. I am worried about the one with bubbles coming out of his/her nose though. They are eating great!! They devour what I put in there. Since they haven't been fed properly, probably their whole lives, any suggestions on a healthy treat that I can give them to get some needed nutrients in them? I bought some cactus at the Mexican store. They love it. Where can I get those cactus flower things? We have an exotic food store called Jungle Jims about 45 minutes from me...maybe I can try there?

I'll take more pictures of them today and post them so you guys can get a better look at each one. Anyone want to help me name them?

I think it's a little obvious, but I am in love with them!!!! I might have to move so my yard suits them!!!

 

[shellysmom]

If you're in love already, I guess you're planning to keep all of them. That's great... It's always a happy day when neglected torts end up with someone who cares enough to do right by them. Well done!!

C'mon, Tom, group hug!

 

[Tom]

You don't have to go to crazy with the diet. Weeds and grass from your untreated school yard and some of the cactus pads once in a while is really all they would ever NEED. If you want to add more that's fine, but not a necessity. Spend some time on the weed ID section and see if you recognize any other weeds from your school yard. Or post some pics of your weeds and we'll try to ID them for you. That is really the best diet for them. For smaller torts like yours, I grab a clump of fresh grass in one hand and chop it up real fine with scissors in the other. I usually don't worry about the hay until they are a little bigger, but you can chop it up like the grass, sprinkle it on their greens and spray it with water to rehydrate, I you want to.

Most important right now, since the one is already showing bubbles, is to get those temps up to 80-85 and keep them there all the time. They still need a 100 degree basking spot, but keep the overall temps up all day and night too. This will hopefully get him all better with out antibiotics. If it were me, I'd set that one up in his own tub until he's better. That will make him feel less stressed and let you keep a better eye on him at the same time.

Then, as the weather warms up get them out in the sun as much as you can. There are all sorts of outdoor enclosure ideas in the enclosure section.

Good luck. Your life may never be the same again...

 

[Jacqui]

I think it's a little obvious, but I am in love with them!!!! I might have to move so my yard suits them!!!

I never takes long for that to happen!

 

[lisser]

As much as I would love to keep them, I just don't know how I will be able to. I can't lift a 200 pound tortoise if it were to need help. Crap, I'll be lucky to lift a 60 pounder. By the time they get that large, I'll be too attached. My backyard is not fenced in, I have it chemically treated for weeds, I guess I could stop the treatments but I like to have a nice green yard with no weeds. I know the tortoises could take care of my weeds but I want to keep my grass

I just went outside and cut some grass for them and got some dandelion leaves. I see lots of that onion grass outside...I wonder if that is harmful...I'll check in that section.

I've got a 75 watt basking bulb in there now...they love it. I need to get a thermometer to check the temp though. I've emailed the guys in our warehouse for the school district to see if they can find me an old bookshelf that I can use. I need to get a shower curtain liner when I can secure the bookshelf.

So I really shouldn't worry about the coconut coir? Gonna do soaks after they finish eating. They are chowing down!! I took some more pictures!

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More pics!

 

[Yvonne G]

Coconut coir is called Bed-A-Beast (brand name) and it comes in a compressed brick. You put it into a bucket of water and let it sit a while and it fluffs up. But personally, I don't like it. I'd rather use plain old dirt from the yard, or cypress mulch or orchid bark.

 

[lisser]

I don't have any dirt right now...I don't even think any of the hardware stores are selling yard stuff yet around here yet.