How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies discussion thread

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

The "black" light is the one the UV one (the one that emits violet light and makes neon colors glow) right? So i just point it at my enclosure (36 x 24 sweater box) for the rest of the night?

No. Those are the florescent black lights. You want the regular screw in type "black" incandescent bulb for heat. You can also find blue, red or black incandescent bulbs at the pet store for night time. My preference is for Ceramic Heat Emitters over colored light bulbs. They screw in like a light bulb, but make only heat and no light. They are more expensive initially but they last forever unless you drop them and break them or something. I am still using one that I bought in 1991. In contrast, the colored bulbs only last a few months, if you are lucky. If you use a colored bulb, make sure you buy a couple as they seem to burn out at the most inconvenient times.

 

[kastalarial]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I just went to our common electrical shop they had blue and red bulbs at 20 watts and halogens at 55. Can I use a halogen and encase it in something dark?

 

[DeanS]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Why not just go with a Ceramic Heat Emitter...there's no need for light at night!

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I just went to our common electrical shop they had blue and red bulbs at 20 watts and halogens at 55. Can I use a halogen and encase it in something dark?

I don't think 20 watts will do it and I would not try to "encase" a bulb. Try the pet store or do a google search and order online. I agree with Dean. A CHE is the easiest and best way to go. I like to run them on a thermostat so that they can add heat anytime its needed, day or night.

 

[BrinnANDTorts]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I don't think 20 watts will do it and I would not try to "encase" a bulb. Try the pet store or do a google search and order online. I agree with Dean. A CHE is the easiest and best way to go. I like to run them on a thermostat so that they can add heat anytime its needed, day or night.

What do you mean exactly by run them on a thermostat ? I am gonna guess that its something that you buy that you set to a temp and plug the light into to and it will turn the light on when temps drop and back off when temps get to what they should be again..
what is a good brand of thermostat ? Do they make ones for humidity levels too so that I can just plug a humidifier into to make sure that it stays humid enough?

 

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I don't think 20 watts will do it and I would not try to "encase" a bulb. Try the pet store or do a google search and order online. I agree with Dean. A CHE is the easiest and best way to go. I like to run them on a thermostat so that they can add heat anytime its needed, day or night.

What do you mean exactly by run them on a thermostat ? I am gonna guess that its something that you buy that you set to a temp and plug the light into to and it will turn the light on when temps drop and back off when temps get to what they should be again..
what is a good brand of thermostat ? Do they make ones for humidity levels too so that I can just plug a humidifier into to make sure that it stays humid enough?

ZooMED and Zilla make a thermostat that you plug the ceramic emitter into. They both have a cord sensor the you place in the enclosure for the thermostat to read. I kicks off and on to keep a certain temperature that you want. And Zoo Med also makes one for a humidifier. There is afew other higher priced brands out there too but I just gave two of the cheapest ones.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Chris is right on here. I use a brand called "A Life". I buy them from LLL Reptile. They only cost around $25 and they are very reliable and accurate. I'm running around 10 of them all over the place. Indoors, outdoors, underground, etc... You can plug in up to three "appliances" to them totaling up to 1000 watts. I'm running three of them with 600 watt oil filled radiant heaters plus several others with a radiant heat panel and pig blanket combo.

 

[kastalarial]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I just bought a 40w blue bulb. Is a 50w halogen to hot for a tortoise? My sweat box is actually positioned right next to the window and he gets a lot of sunlight.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I just bought a 40w blue bulb. Is a 50w halogen to hot for a tortoise? My sweat box is actually positioned right next to the window and he gets a lot of sunlight.

Only YOUR thermometer in YOUR enclosure can answer that question. You should be using a remote probed thermometer and a temp gun to assess your four temps and make the necessary adjustments.

 

[kastalarial]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

The thermometer readings are 32° Celsius. But I'm kinda scared as the halogen is smoking. I don't want to burn my torts eyes.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

The thermometer readings are 32° Celsius. But I'm kinda scared as the halogen is smoking. I don't want to burn my torts eyes.

32 where? There are four temps to be concerned with. Cool side. Warm side. Basking spot. And night.

What type of thermometer are you using and where is the probe? If its one of those stick on types, they are just about worthless.

 

[kastalarial]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

It's electronic, 32° is on the basking side directly below the light and the rest of the sides are 25°. His hide is 23°. There is no cool side. Half of the box is 32° and the other half is 25° it's just a small enclosure

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I also measured the humidity and it goes down really fast when my halogen is on. From 90% to 25% in only 2 hours

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Maybe I should get a bigger box.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

It's electronic, 32° is on the basking side directly below the light and the rest of the sides are 25°. His hide is 23°. There is no cool side. Half of the box is 32° and the other half is 25° it's just a small enclosure

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I also measured the humidity and it goes down really fast when my halogen is on. From 90% to 25% in only 2 hours

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Maybe I should get a bigger box.

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I prefer warmer temps than that, but everyone is different. How big is your enclosure? I start my babies in a 24x24" or a 36x18". Then they move to a 60x18" or a 60x36" tub. This is where they spend nights and cold days. On warm days they stay outside in 4x8' pens for the babies and variously bigger enclosures as they grow. My adults live in a 7000 sq.ft. enclosure with a heated shelter 24/7.

 

[kastalarial]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

It's a 24 x 36 sweatbox. I asked around other enthusiasts in my country and they basically say it's the same as keeping snakes. According to them, the Philippine climate is pretty much the same as Africa so I really don't need bulbs and all.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Regardless of where in the world you are, an indoor tortoises still needs what it needs as far as its environment goes. In some areas of the world it will simply be easier to give it what it needs. Its easier to maintain humidity in South Florida than it is in Phoenix, AZ.

We have a member whose username is "Nobody". He is also in the Philippines. I would try to PM him and see if he's got some tips for you about keeping them in your specific area.

 

[blastoise91]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

see im not the only one who thinks youre awesome tom! lol. 30 mins twice a week of sunshine is really enough? i thought they would need much more. yeah i understand the more the better but thats good info to have.

with hatchling leos do u give suppliment asap or do you wait a few weeks or so? and ive heard alot of mixed opinions on with d3 and without. can u clarify that for me?

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

I start supplementing hatchlings right away. I also put their egg shells in their brooder boxes with them and they eat that too. My torts get sun all year, so D3 in my supplements is not critical. If it has it thats fine, in not, okay too. There is substantial doubt whether they can use dietary D3 anyway. Also, the amount of D3 that is in a calcium supplement is relatively low. There is no way to overdose them with a pinch 2 or 3 times a week.

About the amount of sun that is "needed". I have had many reptiles over the years and also worked retail and therefore shared experiences with a lot of customers and how they cared for their reptiles. I have never seen any reptile show any symptoms of MBD if they got 20-30 minutes of direct sun a couple of times a week. I don't know what the low end threshold would be, (once a week, twice a month, 10 minutes, five minutes?) but at this level, I never have seen any problems. I suggest 30 minutes twice a week as a minimum, but as was noted, more is better. Kristina, one of our moderators, keeps her tortoises outside a lot all summer long and then brings them in with the onset of colder MI weather. She uses no artificial UV at all and here tortoises are all healthy, thriving and free of any MBD. Her example is a good one too. I don't think that all this artificial UV hurts anything (excepting the coil type CFL bulbs), but I also don't think it is as necessary as we all make it out to be. One thing we will ALL agree on is that real sunshine is best and we should all strive to get our torts as much real sunshine time as we can.

 

[blastoise91]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Understanded. Thanks tom. Thats such a little amount if timr. Anyone could give direct sunlight. Who doesbt have that kinda time? and thanks about the suppliment. So d3 is more for tort who arent getting enough sun. Thats what im understanding. Thanks again. Ill start asap with calcium

 

[Sammy]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Is it ok to give them 30mins of sun every morning and then put them indoors under the UVB light? I don't want to leave them in the balcony with nobody around. Thanks.

 

[Tom]

RE: How To Raise Sulcata Hatchlings and Babies.

Understanded. Thanks tom. Thats such a little amount if timr. Anyone could give direct sunlight. Who doesbt have that kinda time? and thanks about the suppliment. So d3 is more for tort who arent getting enough sun. Thats what im understanding. Thanks again. Ill start asap with calcium

It's my opinion that dietary D3 just doesn't matter all that much. If they are getting enough UV, they manufacture their own. It is questionable whether they can even use dietary D3, and the amount is our calcium supplements is relatively low.

My strategy is to get them as much sunshine as I can, coupled with a good, varied diet and not worry too much about D3 supplementation. I just haven't seen any difference whether or not I give any D3 supplements or not. Granted, my torts gets sun all year, so maybe someone from the frozen North will have more insight into this than me.

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Is it ok to give them 30mins of sun every morning and then put them indoors under the UVB light? I don't want to leave them in the balcony with nobody around. Thanks.

If that is as much as you can do, then I think it's a good strategy. I still think the best strategy is a large outdoor pen where they can safely be left all day, but I realize that this is not always possible for a variety of reasons.