My new Sulcata.

[Mattymac]

You've got some good weeds back there. I would say female, but I'm not the best at guessing the gender. Glad your sulcata now has a good home! Welcome to the forum

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(This is my signature)
Here's some great plant identification websites I use.

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/diet.htm#plantlist

http://africantortoise.com/edible_landscaping.htm

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp

Thanks! My daughter is hoping it's a female so it's name can be "Shelly" if it's a boy I will win with "Elwood"

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings, i was wondering how quickly you will have him out of that aquarium? In the meantime, i would suggest a few changes: add a lot more very moist substrate sphagnum moss, coir, clean dirt, etc so he can dig around in; add plenty enough additional substrate to come even with the water bowl; remove tupperware container ( not sure if that is in there to add more humidity or extra watering bowl). Use your terracotta plant saucer inside until you have the larger enclosure complete; and, i would fasten something around the bottom 8 inches of the tank so he can't see through it. Not much room for a hide, but id creatively come up with something for him to cover up and hide/sleep in. Hope that helps!

Can't wait to see your new indoor enclosure!

 

[Mattymac]

Greetings, i was wondering how quickly you will have him out of that aquarium? In the meantime, i would suggest a few changes: add a lot more very moist substrate sphagnum moss, coir, clean dirt, etc so he can dig around in; add plenty enough additional substrate to come even with the water bowl; remove tupperware container ( not sure if that is in there to add more humidity or extra watering bowl). Use your terracotta plant saucer inside until you have the larger enclosure complete; and, i would fasten something around the bottom 8 inches of the tank so he can't see through it. Not much room for a hide, but id creatively come up with something for him to cover up and hide/sleep in. Hope that helps!

Can't wait to see your new indoor enclosure!

Thank you for the advice and kind words. I took the time while she was out today to clean the cage. I redid the substrate and made it deeper. I also took out the Tupperware and am using the smaller rock bowl for water, if I use the saucer I have, it takes up half the tank. I added a hide, I took a pot I had and cut out a hole for her to go into it, it's a little tight but she likes it and can turn around in it. Here are some pics


I won't have the wooden enclosure till this week but this should work for a bit with daily time outside.

 

[Mattymac]

After some thought and watching the interaction of my large dog when around the tortoise I have decided to try and find her a new home. I have started a thread in the adoption forum. I would love to keep her but I am concerned for her safety later on in life when she needs to live outside permanently.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Put some foil across the top of the aquarium to help hold in the humidity.
I live in Corvallis and operate a vet small turtle and tortoise rescue, please let me know if I can help. Maybe we can get him to Calif on my next run...

[email protected]

 

[Mattymac]

Thank you Maggie, I just really want he/she to have a good life. She is ok now and we will continue to keep them separate. I guess I should have thought it through more thoroughly but I never considered having to separate them all the time. When I was younger a good family friend had them and her dogs hung out with them so I just assumed, I won't do that again.

I have been keeping the humidity up by misting and closing off most of the top, she goes outside every day as long as there is sun.

 

[ascott]

Also remember...the tortoise is designed to live a long long long life...so likely the tort will out live the dog.....so perhaps you can design a secure area that the dog can not get into...fencing is a wonderful took is done correctly for the situation....just saying is all

 

[tryme]

Cant you just fence it off? Thedog will learn if you train it. I suggest long walks to ware the dog out 45 mins inmorning 20 mins afternoon. Then try to bring the two together again

 

[Mattymac]

Our dog is a recent rescue also and is very unruly, we are in the process of going through training with her but as of right now she is very obsessive. I guess I am being overly cautious by not wanting to chance it and have her get hurt but some of the responses I got from my thread asking about food and other reading on the net would suggest dogs and tortoises just don't mix?

 

[tryme]

Dude people say dogs and cats dont mix. We moved in with my in laws for 5 months and they were so scared for me to bring the cat bur Anything is possible with patience. I believe you can do this. Walk the dot A LOT wear him out, create a bond and take it slow.

When the dog focusses to much on the tort give his lead a little short sharp snap and say no. If he is just briefly looking this is ok, but avoid fixation.

 

[Alaskamike]

My dog pays no attention to the torts, even when walking around on my enclosed lanai, even so I never leave them unsupervised, not even for a moment when he could get to them. Only a highly trained dog with a fairly large tortoise could be trusted, I do know a few people who have trained their dog to actually be both guardians of the yard AND the torts. Some on the forum would be shocked at this - but it is and can be done with certain animals, and skilled training. That said, it is not easy nor recommended. Animals are just that - animals, and instinct takes over quickly in the blink of an eye.

I'm sure you are aware that sully's are diggers, so If you do keep her in the yard enclosure it is recommended you put a barrier down a foot or 2 in the ground around the bottom. Many a Sulcata has escaped without it.

 

[Jabuticaba]

Our dog is a recent rescue also and is very unruly, we are in the process of going through training with her but as of right now she is very obsessive. I guess I am being overly cautious by not wanting to chance it and have her get hurt but some of the responses I got from my thread asking about food and other reading on the net would suggest dogs and tortoises just don't mix?

Hi, Matt. I'm just catching up now. Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry that you need to give up your tort so soon. I can understand your fears and not knowing what could happen. I think that if you can't be sure that you can effectively train your dog, rehoming your tort is the responsible thing to do. However, do consider building a secure enclosure and finding a positive trainer for your dog. I have 2 torts and 3 dogs. I combine management strategy (superviside interaction) and positive-reinforcement training to keep them all safe. Yeah, it's a lot of work and commitment, but it can be done. Best of luck, Matt.


May, Aussies, & THBs
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[bouaboua]

Nice enclosure you have there.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Matt, and welcome to the Forum!

Your tortoise's eyes don't look right. I would soak him every day for at least 15 or 20 minutes each time until the eyes are open wide and nice and bright. See how the white around the eye looks like its closed a bit? That's what I'm talking about. You don't want to see all that white skin. It should be pulled back from the eyeball.

 

[Mattymac]

Hi Matt, and welcome to the Forum!

Your tortoise's eyes don't look right. I would soak him every day for at least 15 or 20 minutes each time until the eyes are open wide and nice and bright. See how the white around the eye looks like its closed a bit? That's what I'm talking about. You don't want to see all that white skin. It should be pulled back from the eyeball.

I have been soaking her every day or at least every other day and also keeping her inclosure at 60-90% humidity and she seems to be doing better. I am also letting her roam outside in an inclosure in our side yard so she is getting lots of sun and eating lots of grass and weeds, this seems to have improved her energy level a ton! Here is a pic I took yesterday during a soak:


Her is also the inclosure I am working on for her today:


The part with the lid will be her indoor inclosure and the other will be the outer area. I am cutting a door in the side of the indoor inclosure so she can go in and out as she likes.

We have decided if you couldn't tell that we are going to keep her. We talked with the dog trainer and she feels like it will be ok and we also are going to devote our side yard to her inclosure which will have her separated from the dogs by a 6' fence. It will require a new gate and some fencing but should be nice and secure.

Any thoughts on the inclosure above or her eyes would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mattymac]

We finally finished the enclosure today, here are some photos






Just need to put a flap on the door and buy a temp controller. Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated, thanks.

 

[Alaskamike]

One of the requirements of these young ones is a place of high humidity. This is contrary to what we used to think, but is well researched and known now. These Sulcata tend to burrow in the ground and find a humid hide even in desert conditions. I use Spagum Moss under the dirt in enclosure because it holds moisture so well (you can find it in any garden store, in bags)
I would suggest you try and keep a wet spot in your enclosed area and mist frequently. You may find that closing off your vent holes . especially at night, will raise the humidity in the enclosed area. A humidity gauge is a good investment, and can be attacked to the plywood wall.

There are many on here with more experience with sully's that can probably give better suggestions.

 

[Kenneth Roszel]

I'm new with my husbandry for my baby salcuta he/she fits in the palm of my hand. and would love some help on knowing the correct temperature for basking and regular temp and humidity that's needed for my new baby? thank you all!