I need basic info for a new owner

[CharliePiff]

I plan on buying a baby sulcata and I'm looking for and advice that will help. I am going to create a "tortoise table" out of a kiddie pool and keep it in my room for now until he is bigger. I was thinking about making a substrate out of grass hay and organic soil. And I'm not sure what kind of heating and uv I'm going to use. So any brand recomendations or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Charlie:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

If you click on "forums" at the top of the page, then go to the section on African tortoises, at the top of that section are a couple of the more important articles for you to read. One of the is How to Raise Healthy hatchlings.

The few articles at the top of each forum section are called "sticky's" and those are usually worth your while to read.

There are also some good articles in the "General" section. This is a good one for beginners:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ive-or-Beginner-Tortoise-Owners#axzz1eGcGWm5h

If you have specific questions we will be happy to help you.

 

[Laura]

well. you came to the right place! start reading.. all the basic info and then some.. is here!
may i suggest you look at contacting a rescue to get one in need of a home?

 

[DeanS]

I plan on buying a baby sulcata and I'm looking for and advice that will help. I am going to create a "tortoise table" out of a kiddie pool and keep it in my room for now until he is bigger. I was thinking about making a substrate out of grass hay and organic soil. And I'm not sure what kind of heating and uv I'm going to use. So any brand recomendations or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome! For a sulcata...a kiddie pool will work for the first two years and then what?!?!

Since he's going to be in your room, may I suggest the substrate be a mixture of 3/4 coconut bark and 1/4 coco coir...it's less of a mess...and way cleaner than hay...which can actually do the bebies more harm than good. They don't eat it and sharp points do not-so-nice things to little eyes

Heating is simple: Daytime heat/lighting can all be achieved with the use of a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB)...I recommend that Powersun 160. They are costly but nothing is too good for our babies. At night, all you need is a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE)...100 Watts will do nicely (although I run the CHE all day...during the winter)! Make sure to pick up a small flagstone at Home Depot to put under the MVB as a basking spot. And it would serve you (and your tortoise) well to put his hide in the vicinity of the CHE. Make sure your fixtures are rated to handle this kind of wattage.

NOTE: DO NOT USE THE DEEP DOME COMBO!

 

[Lulu]

I use a mix of organic garden soil and coco coir for a substrate, with a thin layer of cypress mulch on the top.

I use a 100W CHE during the winter for heating and a Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 for UVB.