Is it normal for a baby sulcata to move alot?

[EmilyThePup]

My baby sulcata speedy loves moving around alot I think he's 1 month old and i put him in a temperary tank because its to hot out side and in my house its to cold. He sleeps alot but he is so fast, he wants to run all over the house when i take him out of his tank. Is this normal because I heard lots of baby tortoises are not that active please help me. Also Speedy likes reading, and he is a living model.

 

[eric joranson]

ok....I see a few problems here.......first the substrate; is not acceptable; you need to find coconut coir (eco earth); or fine orchard bark. It will help hold in the humidity a young tortoise needs.(look in care sheets about closed enclosures) Second; I cannot see the light; but I am assuming from the reddish color that you are using a red light as heat source. Not good for many reasons. What you need to get is a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) so you can have heat with out light at night. They need total darkness for sleep; and still need a heat source Then you need to get a light that provided ultra violets; such as a mercury vapor bulb; or a long tube fluorescent. If yo go to the care sheet provided for sulcatas here on this site; you will be guided through all the things you need to do to keep your tortoise healthy for years to come.

 

[EmilyThePup]

ok....I see a few problems here.......first the substrate; is not acceptable; you need to find coconut coir (eco earth); or fine orchard bark. It will help hold in the humidity a young tortoise needs.(look in care sheets about closed enclosures) Second; I cannot see the light; but I am assuming from the reddish color that you are using a red light as heat source. Not good for many reasons. What you need to get is a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) so you can have heat with out light at night. They need total darkness for sleep; and still need a heat source Then you need to get a light that provided ultra violets; such as a mercury vapor bulb; or a long tube fluorescent. If yo go to the care sheet provided for sulcatas here on this site; you will be guided through all the things you need to do to keep your tortoise healthy for years to come.

i have a uvb mercury vapor bulb and thanks thats alot of help

 

[Markw84]

A mercury vapor light is extremely desiccating on a young tortoise. Especially with an open top and no way to maintain high humidity. That will result in a pyramided tortoise. Please read the thread at the top of the sulcata section titled "how to raise a leopard or sulcata". Finding that was one of the best things I ever did in my 50+ years of keeping tortoises

 

[Bee62]

A healthy sulcata baby is very active, like your Speedy, but if you want that he stays healthy you have to change somethings for him.
Remove your substrate as @ericjoranson told you and add the soil he told you. Your baby tort needs high temps and high humidity of 80 % to stay healthy and not to pyramide. The care sheets can tell you all that you need to know about your new shelled friend.
You need a bright heat bulb for day and a CHE for the night. Temps at the basking spot should be 95 - 100 F and at the colder side 80 F. Never let the temp drop lower than 80 F at night.
He needs daily soaks in warm water and a flat water dish in his enclosure. Good hydration and warmth in a closed enclosure is the key for a healthy tort baby.

 

[EmilyThePup]

A healthy sulcata baby is very active, like your Speedy, but if you want that he stays healthy you have to change somethings for him.
Remove your substrate as @ericjoranson told you and add the soil he told you. Your baby tort needs high temps and high humidity of 80 % to stay healthy and not to pyramide. The care sheets can tell you all that you need to know about your new shelled friend.
You need a bright heat bulb for day and a CHE for the night. Temps at the basking spot should be 95 - 100 F and at the colder side 80 F. Never let the temp drop lower than 80 F at night.
He needs daily soaks in warm water and a flat water dish in his enclosure. Good hydration and warmth in a closed enclosure is the key for a healthy tort baby.

ok another question is if the basking area is like 85-90 how do i make the place hotter

 

[eric joranson]

ok another question is if the basking area is like 85-90 how do i make the place hotter

if you have your lights hanging from a bar above enclosure; you can adjust temperatures by raising and lowering them. If they are mounted in the top; you can get the same raising and lowering effect by adding more substrate bringing surface closer to heat sources.

 

[EmilyThePup]

if you have your lights hanging from a bar above enclosure; you can adjust temperatures by raising and lowering them. If they are mounted in the top; you can get the same raising and lowering effect by adding more substrate bringing surface closer to heat sources.

thanks

 

[Bee62]

Or you use a bulb with more watts. That will makes it warmer too.

 

[Markw84]

ok another question is if the basking area is like 85-90 how do i make the place hotter

Your problem is your open top on the enclosure. It will always be a problem trying to get temps and humidity correct. You need an enclosed system for your sulcata. That is also why it is not so active. When sulcatas hatch, and are active in the wild, it is rainy and humid and hot. When things dry out, the bury themselves and wait for more rains to come. You want to try to duplicate the wet, monsoon conditions in your enclosure for your little tortoise to thrive. As I mentioned above, the MVB lamp will dry things out too much, and young tortoises hide from the direct, hot sun. Just raising or lowering your current light will not solve your problem.