Hi from another AZ Sulcata

[daleth42]

HI my name is Doug. My wife and I just brought home a hatching sully.

We've got him in a 20 gallon long terrarium right now until we can get an appropriate enclosure built for him. We're looking forward to seeing Bowser grow and explore our yard.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Your little cutie has some pyramiding going on already. That means he was hatched and raised dry before you got him. Give him a warm soak every day for 20-30 minutes. Also, read atoms threads below in my post for raising him to grow new growth in smooth.

 

[AZtortMom]

Hi and welcome to TFO [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

 

[daleth42]

His new home is moist with a little humid hide, so hopefully the pyramiding will stop and grow smooth from here on out. In preparation for bringing him home I've read and re-read each of Tom's beginner threads to get ready.

 

[wellington]

Did your homework, good for you. That little guy got a great place to call home

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome...two things i would change. One is i would remove the hay, if your humidity is at 80% and above like it should be it will mold easily. And 2, i would put something around the outter bottom so that he cant see out. Other then that. I dont know. I cant see a dish for food or water so i cant say anything else. Cute little one... does he/ she have a name?

 

[cvasta]

Hi and welcome aboard.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Hi bowser. Welcome to TFO.

 

[sibi]

Hi and welcome. Like Mainely34 mentioned, the substrate should be changed, and coco coir is a favorite among many here as a substrate. I'd mix 50/50 of coco coir and organic soil (no fertilizers or chemicals). I just ask that you read just one more of Tom's threads. It's under my name below. It's a must read for new parents

Correction: it's the second of the three threads listed. The first and third threads are great for those who want ideas on how to build an enclosure.

 

[daleth42]

The photo is of his ride home in a critter carrier. He was raised on the timothy hay, but we've got him on repti-bark in his new enclosure. It also has a piece of flagstone for him to bask and eat on and a terra cotta dish for water. This is his starter enclosure while I plan and build a more permanent one.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. I actually like that substrate for baby sulcatas (sorry Sibi), but like mainey said, I would remove the hay and then dampen it up substantially. Make sure you keep it nice and warm when you do this, even at night.

 

[Arnold_rules]

We're looking forward to seeing Bowser grow and explore our yard.

Explore, renovate, rearrange, re-landscape your yard

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome to TFO! Is this your first tortoise? What caused you to decide to not only get a tortoise, but a sulcata?

 

[Tom]

Explore, renovate, rearrange, re-landscape your yard

BULLSEYE!

 

[daleth42]

Thanks Jacqui, yes this is our first tortoise. My wife works with a few people that have sulcatas and we loved their size and curiosity. They weren't the typical image of a tortoise, a slow shambling rock, but instead had good mobility, wanted to investigate everything, and had their own personalities.

Except for our pool, our backyard is a giant patch of bermuda grass and rocks around the edges, we're planning on building him a pen once he's big enough to live outside, so "renovations" shouldn't be a problem

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, and thanks for all the posts and wisdom Tom, it's made bringing home a new family member much easier. So far the only issue is keeping temp and humidity in the tank. I'll get it up to 80% but it falls down to 60% over time. Temps seem ok during the day, but at night it dropped to 75, so I'll probably be picking up a CHE and thermostat this weekend.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Doug, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[lkwagner]

I would also cover half the tank where there is no lights. It would keep temps up and humidity in

 

[mike taylor]

Welcome to TFO!!

 

[AZtortMom]

I love how all of these AZ tort peeps are popping up [WHITE SMILING FACE]️Makes me do a happy turtle dance!