Hey Koopa the Baby Sulcata here!

[Drama]

Hey there, new tortoise owner here. I'm from Seattle Washington Pacific North West area and my tortoise will be growing indoors, I have a magnificent house and when my sulcata gets to be a little bigger I have a whole room planned out for her, there will be outside time but not a whole lot. Have a few Ivy plants growing in the back with Ferns / blackberry bushes (maybe some info if any of these are bad for her, I'll leave a photo of the overgrown backyard, yes I plan on doing major landscaping back there! New home owner as well!) I have just a few questions about having a "Fluker's Sun Dome" I keep it on pretty much 24/7 occasionally I'll turn it off at night for about 6-8 hours, I'm afraid it may get too cold here if I even turn it off. It's summer and the coldest temp has been 51 degrees at night. I'm wondering if the Fluker's gives the D3 supplement. I've been sprinkling calcium -d3 3x a week on kale / spring mix / shredded carrot diet! Any info would be great, this is a topic i've seen two sides of and I just would like some serious information for the climent / enclosure Koopa will be growing in =)

Photo 1. Finished Enclosure (she's about 4-5 inches) Photo 2. Finished Enclosure Full shot. Photo 3. Finished Enclosure Full shot. Photo 4. My overgrown Backyard. (Again I plan on major yard changes, just want to know about plants at the moment, when I do take koopa outsides its just near basic yard grass / dirt) Photo 5. Room I plan on cutting out the carpet and turning into a walk in Tortoise Room

 

[Drama]

Here's a photo of Koopa today, shell looks all good? She has no problems eating / tromping around looking for food in a massive 8 foot - 5 foot Bookshelf enclosure, I give her a daily soak, she discharges in the soak. It's just the tinted coloring on some parts of the carapace that have me questioning! Let me know!

 

[Drama]

 

[Drama]

big tortie stretch and has been napping now an hour, she is incredibly happy I can just tell with the amount of exercise she does daily (4+ hours give or take a day non stop tromping around) I see her eat / drink water (looks like a little dinosaur) I bathe daily, I just really don't want to deal with a bad bone disease or MAJOR pyramiding.. Seattle humidity is ***. I spray water on the enclosure every morning and have a little hide with stagma moss that i put in warm water then i leave the tuperware bowl in the hide to try to keep it moist and humid. It just gets cold and damp in my opinion all I see her do is walk through the hide, never naps inside of it, mostly stays around the lamp area, but definitely tromps around the whole enclosure for hourssss (gets more exercise than I do)

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. I'm glad you've found us, but I've got bad news.

You cannot maintain the correct conditions in an open topped table like that. Your tortoise needs it dark at night, but still 80 degrees at the coldest spot in the enclosure.

Unfortunately, most of what you find for care info on this species is wrong. Here is the correct info. Make these changes ASAP. Don't let your baby be cold tonight.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[Drama]

Welp, well this is what's going down, with my set up here in washington, pacific north west. Humidity will be a problem. My questions still remain, as they were kind of sidestepped and not answered. I may just leave the current light on 24/7, there are a few dark hide spots. But anyways you kind of avoided the question's I was asking Tom, also I have been navigating around this thread all day and I've come to notice that you don't really say anything positive at all man. Kind of a bummer reading most of your comments. Alighty my question remains about the Fluker's Sun Dome, and the Vitamin -D3 with my current set up!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Alighty my question remains about the Fluker's Sun Dome, and the Vitamin -D3 with my current set up!

Welcome to the forum!

The Fluker's Sun Dome is the fixture your bulb is in. You need to tell us what bulb is in it. Actually, it doesn't matter...unless it is an ordinary incandescent flood bulb, it's the wrong one. You must have 1)a basking bulb, the flood bulb, 2)a UVB bulb. Especially keeping your baby inside, you need to have UVB that is reliable and efficient. The only bulb to do this is a fluorescent tube type UVB. The bulb does not supply Vit D3. The bulb makes it possible for Koopa's body to use Vit D3 to be able to utilize calcium, which she needs for her bones and shell.

You can sprinkle supplements, but nothing compares to the sun for warmth and UVB. Leaving a bulb on all night for heat is like the sun never setting. Tortoises need a light/dark cycle just like we do. The basking bulb should be on 12hrs/off 12 hours, dark at night. To keep the heat she must have, you need a CHE (ceramic heating element). Her enclosure needs a constant day and night minimum temp of 80°F. She needs humidity of 80% minimum at all times to help with smooth growth and prevent kidney damage. Cold + Damp = Respiratory Infection! If you do not keep her warm enough, all of this will be moot...she will be dead.

It is impossible to maintain that temp and humidity in an open topped enclosure. We have a couple ways for you to remedy this if you're interested.

Kale and spring mix is good, but she needs a wide variety of foods to make sure she is getting all the nutrients she needs. Carrots have lots of sugar in them. Tortoises' GI tracts are not designed to process sugars, so they should not be fed to them. I'll link a thread that will help you with what to feed.

You came on this forum wanting help and advice. Yet when it was given, you immediately rejected that advice. I would have liked to be able to ooh and ahh over your indoor enclosure..you did a great job and it's gorgeous! But I can't, because it is not good for Koopa, and her welfare is uppermost in my mind.

If you hold on to your insistence to "do it my way", I fear for little Koopa. If you will take the urgent advice given (she's much too cold), then we can all work together to make sure Koopa is getting the best she can get. The best place to start is with these 3 care sheets.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

4 elements of heating: By Tom
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Welp, well this is what's going down, with my set up here in washington, pacific north west. Humidity will be a problem. My questions still remain, as they were kind of sidestepped and not answered. I may just leave the current light on 24/7, there are a few dark hide spots. But anyways you kind of avoided the question's I was asking Tom, also I have been navigating around this thread all day and I've come to notice that you don't really say anything positive at all man. Kind of a bummer reading most of your comments. Alighty my question remains about the Fluker's Sun Dome, and the Vitamin -D3 with my current set up!

The "Flukers Sun Dome" is simply a fixture for a lightbulb. Whether it's putting off uvb all depends on the bulb your using inside of it. Screw in uvb bulbs like coil, and MVBs aren't very good either. So unless your using an incandescent bulb like @KarenSoCal said then your using the wrong UVB bulb. If you are using an incandescent bulb then the answer to your question is NO, you need a different fixture and bulb for UVB. An incandescent bulb is used for basking. Your Tortoise needs darkness at nighttime though with ambient heat provided by a CHE. Everything you need to know about the best way to raise a Sulcata is linked in the caresheet @Tom provided. I hate to be the bearer of bad news too but keeping an adult Sulcata in a bedroom is kind of like trying to keep a Cow in your bedroom.

 

[Drama]

Thank you KarenSoCal and Toddrickfl! The reason I gave such a negative response to Tom was just because he has obviously been here a while and like I said, I've been around the forum all day and just have read a few of his comments. Not impressed with the little to no effort in response to others situations let alone mine. But Karen thank you so much for the information based on my set up! I found the bulb box and it's a 75 watt incandescent light bulb, I read so much conflicting posts about D3 and -D3. Still a little confused on it, I do have calcium supp with -D3 and with D3. I will be ordering a heat pad right now for the nights so I can turn off the light. its 90+ here during the day on occasion so I'll be turning the light off during the day, Maybe leave it on during the night til the heating mat gets here?

About the indoors, She'll be living indoors, (there will be an outside area constructed in the next year or two, but she wont be living in it full time, maybe certain times of the year when she's bigger) I'm from washington and if anyone has ever been up here the weather is mad bipolar. That picture busting through the wall is great, gave me a good laugh! nothing cinderblocks around the edge of the room wont fix though!

questions, +D3 or -D3 calcium sprinkle, Do I continue using the -D3 if I take koopa outside for what 4 hours a week? (4-5 inches long) or do I switch to the +D3 sprinkle if I'm doing this.
and the the question about the lighting, turn off the light keep the pad on at night, how long do heating pads last? how / when do i turn it off / on? and im assuming this incandescent light works as a basking light then

 

[Tom]

Welp, well this is what's going down, with my set up here in washington, pacific north west. Humidity will be a problem. My questions still remain, as they were kind of sidestepped and not answered. I may just leave the current light on 24/7, there are a few dark hide spots. But anyways you kind of avoided the question's I was asking Tom, also I have been navigating around this thread all day and I've come to notice that you don't really say anything positive at all man. Kind of a bummer reading most of your comments. Alighty my question remains about the Fluker's Sun Dome, and the Vitamin -D3 with my current set up!

If you don't want my help, say the word. It won't make me happy to sit back and watch all the mistakes you are making, but I can't stop you. Your tortoise is the one that will pay the price. Not me or you.

Your questions are answered in the thread I linked, but you'd have to read it to know that.

Apt user name...

 

[Drama]

If you don't want my help, say the word. It won't make me happy to sit back and watch all the mistakes you are making, but I can't stop you. Your tortoise is the one that will pay the price. Not me or you.

Your questions are answered in the thread I linked, but you'd have to read it to know that.

Apt user name...

Yikes bub, just move on lol. I've read multiple threads that line up with your little slice of information and yes I did read it. But aragont people like you I just don't have time for. Very halfassed response man. Take note.

and about my user-name that you so thoughtfully brought up. I'm an actor and you probably watch my movies =)

 

[KarenSoCal]

I will be ordering a heat pad right now for the nights so I can turn off the light. its 90+ here during the day on occasion so I'll be turning the light off during the day, Maybe leave it on during the night til the heating mat gets here?

Ok, heat pads are not good for torts either. Think about it...torts bask. They lay in the sun which is overhead, and judge their own temp by how it feels on their backs. So the incandescent bulb is like the sun. It should come from above, and should stay on all day, off all night.

Koopa would rather have a CHE, or a radiant heat panel (RHP). Like this

ZooMed ReptiTherm Habitat Heater

Top quality tortoises for sale. Buy tortoises here from our large selection of captive bred tortoises for sale.

www.tortoisesupply.com

This would be mounted on the ceiling of your enclosure. I have never used one of these...someone who has could tell you more about it.

It does need to be on a thermostat. I use these...

Zilla Temperature Controller Thermostat (500W)

Top quality tortoises for sale. Buy tortoises here from our large selection of captive bred tortoises for sale.

www.tortoisesupply.com

I do use CHE's.
Like these...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078TDWPW5/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

With these, you get 2, plus a digital probe thermometer. It's a good buy.

They are basically bulbs that only produce heat, but no light. They do get very hot, so you need a ceramic socket, available at Home Depot or Lowe's.

 

[Agathaade]

Lol. Man, no one cares about your job. People here just care about taking good care of tortoises. You’re not going to impress anyone going that route. Cringe.
Tom is someone who helps people everyday on here. He gets to the point. It’s not about you. Sounds like that’s something you’re not used to.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Could the negative comments against the OP please stop? Little Koopa needs help, and Tom is not the only member who can provide it. Let's put our collective energy into something constructive.

Now, anyone who uses RHP's...could you provide more detail about how they are mounted and used?

 

[Minority2]

Yikes bub, just move on lol. I've read multiple threads that line up with your little slice of information and yes I did read it. But aragont people like you I just don't have time for. Very halfassed response man. Take note.

and about my user-name that you so thoughtfully brought up. I'm an actor and you probably watch my movies =)

Well to be fair. The well crafted mini essay that @KarenSoCal wrote you. That takes up a lot of thought and energy because she's also diagnosing while she's writing up other information from memory. Now to do that for every single new member over and over for hundreds to thousands of posts can be rather taxing for any normal person. That's a lot of effort for anyone. Take a look at @Tom and his total message count. 49000+ and counting. At least half of that was Tom being as friendly as he can be.

For someone that has taken the time to write so many up to date care sheets/instructional guides and been apart of discovering numerous modern practices that members use today, all of which are much safer than the outdated practices from the past, I would say that he's well earned his right to be passionate and blunt when it comes to a subject matter where he happens to be one of the more experienced go-to people to defer to.

I would probably be grumpy too if I spent tons of time coming up with scientific studies and writing up the findings in detailed guides if no one bothers to read them.

 

[Drama]

The ignore function works well =) #cancelculture! Thanks a ton for the info Karen I very much appreciate the thought into my situation! I'll be taking her out 4+ hours a week in the sun to receive those sun supplements! 1 hour per inch right? And its weekly not daily?

 

[Drama]

Well to be fair. The well crafted mini essay that @KarenSoCal wrote you. That takes up a lot of thought and energy because she's also diagnosing while she's writing up other information from memory. Now to do that for every single new member over and over for hundreds to thousands of posts can be rather taxing for any normal person. That's a lot of effort for anyone. Take a look at @Tom and his total message count. 49000+ and counting. At least half of that was Tom being as friendly as he can be.

For someone that has taken the time to write so many up to date care sheets/instructional guides and been apart of discovering numerous modern practices that members use today, all of which are much safer than the outdated practices from the past, I would say that he's well earned his right to be passionate and blunt when it comes to a subject matter where he happens to be one of the more experienced go-to people to defer to.

I would probably be grumpy too if I spent tons of time coming up with scientific studies and writing up the findings in detailed guides if no one bothers to read them.

I totally agree with what you're saying and I have read his post, both before and again after he posted on my comment. but I also believe each situation is unique. His post doesn't really cover Pacific north west climents, I've read a few different essays like his and just really wanted the answers to my questions about my bulb / flukes review which looking online for was kinda off and on. People also take "drama" to a new meaning these days. It is what it is, I just don't put up with it, I'm just as blunt right back! It's a forum page, take the time. You don't need a response back ASAP. If you do then go to a vet. Take your time and respond that's what forums are about connections and information! Take a break from your online activities if these things get to you. The self centeredness and near sight of today is incredible. This is the last I'll say about a topic that has little to nothing involved with what I'm looking for answers for! I really appreciate Karen for the well thought out answers and information provided, she even sited Tom's post for lighting! People are just rude online =P Cancel culture works fine with ignore functions

 

[Minority2]

Could the negative comments against the OP please stop? Little Koopa needs help, and Tom is not the only member who can provide it. Let's put our collective energy into something constructive.

Now, anyone who uses RHP's...could you provide more detail about how they are mounted and used?

Here is a link I found where @Kapidolo Farms describes how to strategically mount reptile heat panels. It also includes a number of pictures from the original poster he??? or she??? helped. Pretty informative.

Enclosed enclosure help

I have adopted a leopard tortoise named Charlie months ago. Charlie weighs 228 G and fits in the palm of my hand. I am not sure on the age? I am having a custom pvc enclosure made by Herptastic Reptiles. Its going to be a 4' X 8' X 30" high enclosure. I am having two 3' arcadia t-5 fixtures...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I totally agree with what you're saying and I have read his post, both before and again after he posted on my comment. but I also believe each situation is unique. His post doesn't really cover Pacific north west climents, I've read a few different essays like his and just really wanted the answers to my questions about my bulb / flukes review which looking online for was kinda off and on. People also take "drama" to a new meaning these days. It is what it is, I just don't put up with it, I'm just as blunt right back! It's a forum page, take the time. You don't need a response back ASAP. If you do then go to a vet. Take your time and respond that's what forums are about connections and information! Take a break from your online activities if these things get to you. The self centeredness and near sight of today is incredible. This is the last I'll say about a topic that has little to nothing involved with what I'm looking for answers for! I really appreciate Karen for the well thought out answers and information provided, she even sited Tom's post for lighting! People are just rude online =P Cancel culture works fine with ignore functions

Literally everything you need to know regardless of what climate you live in about UVB, heating, lighting, humidity, diet, enclosure size, substrate, supplements, outdoor enclosure, even the correct type of water dish, is covered in Tom's post you've been referred too. That's the best method we know of to raise a smooth, healthy Sulcata. That's whats going to be recommended by everybody on this forum.

 

[Minority2]

I totally agree with what you're saying and I have read his post, both before and again after he posted on my comment. but I also believe each situation is unique. His post doesn't really cover Pacific north west climents, I've read a few different essays like his and just really wanted the answers to my questions about my bulb / flukes review which looking online for was kinda off and on. People also take "drama" to a new meaning these days. It is what it is, I just don't put up with it, I'm just as blunt right back! It's a forum page, take the time. You don't need a response back ASAP. If you do then go to a vet. Take your time and respond that's what forums are about connections and information! Take a break from your online activities if these things get to you. The self centeredness and near sight of today is incredible. This is the last I'll say about a topic that has little to nothing involved with what I'm looking for answers for! I really appreciate Karen for the well thought out answers and information provided, she even sited Tom's post for lighting! People are just rude online =P Cancel culture works fine with ignore functions

So what you're saying is that your personalities are similar which is why y'all clashed instantly right?

You should also look at in your typical forum member's shoes. Not every new member's first post or first advice seeking thread is similar to yours where you're giving us information from the start. Some new members start their threads in an immediate panic. They're scared and they need assistance asap. There are some that are so reluctant that they sometimes even refuse to show their setups because they secretly know it won't past a safety check. It is unique as you say.

There's also people that have complained about members like myself writing up such long responses during times they themselves believed were critical but in actuality was pretty minor once changes, suggested by members of this forum were made. No matter what you do there's always going to be people you're not going to click with. It's just easier to come to an understanding and move on.

A lot less energy wasted coming back with insults and what not. ?