Is my baby Sulcata's shell rotting?

[ZenHerper]

Because it is dyed that red, is it going to run off on that baby? Does it have pine or cedar in it? Read up on what is actually in or on that stuff...use fine grade orchid bark or cocoir
read this...really...

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

Maggie - ReptiBark is 100% pure fir bark.

 

[Yona]

Because it is dyed that red, is it going to run off on that baby? Does it have pine or cedar in it? Read up on what is actually in or on that stuff...use fine grade orchid bark or cocoir
read this...really...

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

I was using cocoir but switched it to the red bark since it was getting really damp and I was afraid that my tortoise would get shell rott. I cant find orchid bark in UAE which is why I purchased the red bark. It says that it is 100% natural and till now I don't see any color transfer to my tortoise. The red bark is from a German brand called Hobby (dont know if you heard of it) and it says on the packaging that it is 100% pure fir bark suitable for tropical inhabitants like tortoises, spiders, frogs, and lizards. The red bark is called Terrano Red Bark.

 

[Yona]

I also wanted to ask about the lighting. I have these three products; heating emitter lamp, daylight spot (UVA + UVB), and a heating UVB lamp. So I would like to ask is it okay to just use the UVB with the heating lamp or the daylight spot with the heat emitter lamp? (Just 2 products)

Can someone help me with the lighting?

 

[Blackdog1714]

I was using cocoir but switched it to the red bark since it was getting really damp and I was afraid that my tortoise would get shell rott. I cant find orchid bark in UAE which is why I purchased the red bark. It says that it is 100% natural and till now I don't see any color transfer to my tortoise. The red bark is from a German brand called Hobby (dont know if you heard of it) and it says on the packaging that it is 100% pure fir bark suitable for tropical inhabitants like tortoises, spiders, frogs, and lizards. The red bark is called Terrano Red Bark.

Terrano Red appears to be a brand name and it is Douglas Fir Bark. It looks to be undyed so I feel for your location that is your best bet to put on top of the choc coir for a beautiful finish layer. Much cheaper and it is okay to use the two together. As far as light I would stay away from any screw in UV Bulbs as the MVB are known to malfunction and become very harmful. For light I would just go with a simple whitelight LED bulb on timer and put the CHE on temperature controller. This is a must since too cold and too hot can be dangerous for the tort. I use an Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller and I have it set for a 3 degree variance at 85 for my leopard- for you I would set it to 2 degrees Celsius for the range at the MAX. For UV take your tort outside for an hour a day for 3 days a week and that is more than enough UV so save your money on that you will need it for food as your Tank (tortie) grows.

 

[Yona]

Terrano Red appears to be a brand name and it is Douglas Fir Bark. It looks to be undyed so I feel for your location that is your best bet to put on top of the choc coir for a beautiful finish layer. Much cheaper and it is okay to use the two together. As far as light I would stay away from any screw in UV Bulbs as the MVB are known to malfunction and become very harmful. For light I would just go with a simple whitelight LED bulb on timer and put the CHE on temperature controller. This is a must since too cold and too hot can be dangerous for the tort. I use an Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller and I have it set for a 3 degree variance at 85 for my leopard- for you I would set it to 2 degrees Celsius for the range at the MAX. For UV take your tort outside for an hour a day for 3 days a week and that is more than enough UV so save your money on that you will need it for food as your Tank (tortie) grows.

Okay thank you soooo much for your help??

 

[Tom]

I was using cocoir but switched it to the red bark since it was getting really damp and I was afraid that my tortoise would get shell rott. I cant find orchid bark in UAE which is why I purchased the red bark. It says that it is 100% natural and till now I don't see any color transfer to my tortoise. The red bark is from a German brand called Hobby (dont know if you heard of it) and it says on the packaging that it is 100% pure fir bark suitable for tropical inhabitants like tortoises, spiders, frogs, and lizards. The red bark is called Terrano Red Bark.

Reptibark is fir bark and that is ideal. If the "Red Bark" is also fir bark, then you are all set. We just aren't familiar with that brand over here in the US.

Here is more lighting info:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours 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. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. 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 like sulcatas. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. 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. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In the UK, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and others produce none at all after two or three months.

 

[Yona]

Reptibark is fir bark and that is ideal. If the "Red Bark" is also fir bark, then you are all set. We just aren't familiar with that brand over here in the US.

Here is more lighting info:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours 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. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. 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 like sulcatas. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. 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. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In the UK, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and others produce none at all after two or three months.

I soak my baby Sulcata daily for 15-30minutes and then I feed him and let him roam for around 15-20 minutes daily. I am currently using a CHE and a UV bulb. So would it be better to switch the UV with LED light?

 

[Yona]

Reptibark is fir bark and that is ideal. If the "Red Bark" is also fir bark, then you are all set. We just aren't familiar with that brand over here in the US.

Here is more lighting info:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours 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. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. 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 like sulcatas. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. 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. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In the UK, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and others produce none at all after two or three months.

Is there any substitue to using protein powder?

 

[Tom]

Is there any substitue to using protein powder?

Protein powder? Did spell check get you? No protein powder for tortoises. An occasional pinch of reptile calcium powder or reptile vitamin supplement would be all that is needed.

 

[Yona]

Protein powder? Did spell check get you? No protein powder for tortoises. An occasional pinch of reptile calcium powder or reptile vitamin supplement would be all that is needed.

Oh sorry I meant Calcium powder?

 

[Tom]

Oh sorry I meant Calcium powder?

You can feed a lot of high calcium foods, and you can also offer cuttlebone. Mazuri pellets and ZooMed pellets also have added calcium.

 

[Yona]

You can feed a lot of high calcium foods, and you can also offer cuttlebone. Mazuri pellets and ZooMed pellets also have added calcium.

Thanks again for your help ??