ive had no help on my sulcata and feel i am doing everything wrong, he is approaching a year old and is still fairly small, his carapace is not smooth, i mean its kinda like when i first got him i believe. Are young sulcatas supposed to be very smooth or do they get smoother as they get larger. ive fed it mostly turnip, and mustard greens, also dandelion greens, most of his life i now placed him in a large tub in my house for the winter with a hot emitting ceramic bulb, and a uv flourescent. i also placed alfalfa hay for him, but he doesnt seem to be eating i need help i guess back to basics, i really hope its not pyramiding i am causing for him, and if it is i would love to stop it before it goes any further.
my sulcata
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please post pictures of your setup and your tortoise. Pictures will help assess how bad off he is. What are you using to provide UVB? UVA and UVB are not the same thing. He needs UVB to grow properly.
Also, a good staple diet is spring mix. Its mixed baby greens and it has what a growing baby tort needs. Its what I feed all of my tortoises.
What are you using for bedding? What are his temps?
Also, a good staple diet is spring mix. Its mixed baby greens and it has what a growing baby tort needs. Its what I feed all of my tortoises.
What are you using for bedding? What are his temps?
Meg90 said:
ill get pictures up soon, well i kinda just put alfalfa hay down for it to walk on to and then designate a spot for him to eat that way he can kinda eat while he walks as well, i was looking through other posts and saw that sand with soil is better so i think ill go and get some. his basking area is about 90 degrees with cooler spots around 75, and he has a CHE so it is that tempature all the time, i will also get some spring mix too while i am out, i appreciate your help
Meg90 said:
please note that this habitat is very temporary
Meg90 said:
sorry one more thing, i bought the light when i got him, i got the light from a pet store and the guy said it was what i needed it says on the bulb... repti-glo, exo terra, for reptile use only, 2.0.
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What a handsome tortoise you have!
You will get lots of imput from expert Sulcata keepers on this forum, but one correction I can almost guarantee is that your guy needs a much bigger enclosure!
There is a section on the forum called Sulcata Central. Read as many threads as you can to become better-informed about tortoises like yours.
Good luck!
You will get lots of imput from expert Sulcata keepers on this forum, but one correction I can almost guarantee is that your guy needs a much bigger enclosure!
There is a section on the forum called Sulcata Central. Read as many threads as you can to become better-informed about tortoises like yours.
Good luck!
I'm hoping that your camera just caught the tortoise in mid-blink, because if not, you have a pretty unhappy, maybe sick tortoise. Those eyes should be bright and shiney, and open wide.
I agree your habitat is too small. I also don't like the hay as substrate.
Please don't be offended, as you came to us for help, and I'm offering my opinions on what you need to do to correct your tortoise habitat.
If you can't afford a bigger tub, then at least change out the substrate. I like either orchid bark or cypress mulch. If you notice your tortoise's carapace, you can see that he's starting to grow bumpy (pyramided). That's because he needs more moisture in his environment. You can provide the moisture with cypress mulch. You wet it down a bit, not too much.
Your diet is ok, but add some Spring Mix to it like was suggested in a previous post. You can buy spring mix at the grocery store with the packaged lettuces.
Be sure to add calcium to the food every other day or so. Not too much, just a little sprinkle over the food.
Don't worry so much that you are causing the tortoise to grow pyramided. Its not that bad yet, and its really only cosmetic. Once you get the heat and humidity right, he'll start growing smoother and eventually you might not even notice those little bumps.
What are the temperature inside the habitat at either end? You would strive for a hot side and a room temperature side (which you might not be able to get in a small habitat).
Good luck with your little sulcata. He's pretty cute. Let me know if his eyes are open wide, or if he always looks like in the picture, and if so, I'll try to help you with the eyes.
I agree your habitat is too small. I also don't like the hay as substrate.
Please don't be offended, as you came to us for help, and I'm offering my opinions on what you need to do to correct your tortoise habitat.
If you can't afford a bigger tub, then at least change out the substrate. I like either orchid bark or cypress mulch. If you notice your tortoise's carapace, you can see that he's starting to grow bumpy (pyramided). That's because he needs more moisture in his environment. You can provide the moisture with cypress mulch. You wet it down a bit, not too much.
Your diet is ok, but add some Spring Mix to it like was suggested in a previous post. You can buy spring mix at the grocery store with the packaged lettuces.
Be sure to add calcium to the food every other day or so. Not too much, just a little sprinkle over the food.
Don't worry so much that you are causing the tortoise to grow pyramided. Its not that bad yet, and its really only cosmetic. Once you get the heat and humidity right, he'll start growing smoother and eventually you might not even notice those little bumps.
What are the temperature inside the habitat at either end? You would strive for a hot side and a room temperature side (which you might not be able to get in a small habitat).
Good luck with your little sulcata. He's pretty cute. Let me know if his eyes are open wide, or if he always looks like in the picture, and if so, I'll try to help you with the eyes.
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It looks a lot like the young sullie I rescued.
He was not fed well and did not get enough humdity and was not regulary soaked as a hatchling.
I would focus first on getting your substrate changed over. Keep the sand minimal. It dries out fast and gets dusty. Just mix a little in with some coco-fiber (expanding bricks from pet stores) or some organic soil (no white vermiculite).
I pour a glass of water every few days and let it soak in to the soil. You don't want it too wet, but you need to be sure you are providing humidity. Start daily 10-20 minute soakings as well. Put it in a plastic bin with just enough luke warm water to reach the bottom of his shell while he's standing.
The hay is not a good substrate - and torts should not have alphalpha anyway.
Mine feed mostly on dandilions and other weeds and grass from my yard. But you can buy spring mix and some romaine and some mustard and colloard greens from the store.
Also, you won't know if it is male or female for several more years...
He was not fed well and did not get enough humdity and was not regulary soaked as a hatchling.
I would focus first on getting your substrate changed over. Keep the sand minimal. It dries out fast and gets dusty. Just mix a little in with some coco-fiber (expanding bricks from pet stores) or some organic soil (no white vermiculite).
I pour a glass of water every few days and let it soak in to the soil. You don't want it too wet, but you need to be sure you are providing humidity. Start daily 10-20 minute soakings as well. Put it in a plastic bin with just enough luke warm water to reach the bottom of his shell while he's standing.
The hay is not a good substrate - and torts should not have alphalpha anyway.
Mine feed mostly on dandilions and other weeds and grass from my yard. But you can buy spring mix and some romaine and some mustard and colloard greens from the store.
Also, you won't know if it is male or female for several more years...
Add humidity by changing substrate, get a larger habitat, and soak regularly and he should bounce right into being healthy and active.
Does have an odd face though.
Does have an odd face though.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
You've just been given lots of excellent advice so all I have to add is this link to a care sheet for Sulcata. Please read it and get your baby set up correctly...
http://africantortoise.com/
http://africantortoise.com/
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