Thanks Yvonne! These three are from the same hatch. They are approx. 3 years old. (the little guy eats plenty but just doesn't grow. ) They have been together since birth. The tort shack is heated. They never fight. I put them in the grass every day with a cage over them (for security) while they graze.Hi Joe, and welcome to the Forum!
I'd like to offer a bit of friendly criticism. Your baby should be living in the house in a closed enclosure with about 80% humidity. Also, you're running the risk of his being hurt by the larger tortoises by keeping them all together.
Please read the threads that we have pinned at the top of the Sulcata section. Tortoise-keeping has drastically changed in the last few years, and we no longer set them up in desert type settings.
Would it be possible for you to scrape away the rocks you're using for substrate and add some fir bark instead. Or coco coir. Or even better yet, move the whole tortoise yard out to that lovely grass area so they can graze on natural grass. Then add a few plants for cover and shade.
Your tortoises look pretty darned good, but I can see that the baby is starting to pyramid. Did you raise all of them from hatchlings?
He has always eaten voraciously. Just does not grow.That's amazing. Does he eat the same amount? How big is he? I've got to admit, that's pretty funny.
Wow that's a great setup also. Sometimes when there in the hide together. One will block so the others can't get out.Their old habitat. I have never ever seen any bullying from any of them. They would spend a lot of their time in the hide together. No problems. The little one eats as well as any of them if not more.
The substrate (paver base) is easy to clean. These animals poop a lot. The enclosure is 12' x 8' Changing out those other substrates could be daunting. I have read a mixture of sand and dirt is good. I think paver base is much safer. Welcome there opinions.
Not a hatchling. It is nearly 4 yrs old.Definitely get the little one set up in a closed chamber enclosure. It is not normal or healthy for it to be that size.
I highly recommend reading through these-
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/How-To-Raise-A-Healthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/
Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Keep in mind that these tortoises hatch during monsoon season in the wild. They require 80-100% humidity and temps no lower than 80 day or night when young. Open tops and outdoor housing are not suitable for hatchlings, and I highly recommend changing the substrate of their outdoor enclosure to soil. What you have now seems to be an impaction risk, and these are grazing animals that really should have a yard full of greens to munch on.
Yes, but at that size, it could really benefit from being set up like oneNot a hatchling. It is nearly 4 yrs old.