Never had tortoises before! I have no idea what im doing!

[TortoiseMamaof03]

Hello. I have three baby sulcata tortoises. Tiny, uncle grandpa & dude. (I don't think dude is a sulcata?)My boyfriend got them and he's currently on vacation. I personally have no idea what im doing! Ok so, they havent gotten much bigger since we got them in July. I personally have no idea how old they are.. any guesses?? We keep them inside in a glass encloser and take them outside for only about an hour a day.. is that bad?(we don't have a steady place to live at the moment.. ) I recently heard glass enclosers are not a good idea, true or false? I have a heat light for both day and night. During the day their enclosers usually around 90-95 degrees and at night I try to keep it cooler around 75-80. Is that good or no? I need any and all information I can get about taking care of these guys because their my children! Today I noticed my littlest one had a tad bit of white milky substance in her pee and she made a couple faint squeaks and kept going in like she had to pee but nothing or very, very little came out. What does that mean?? Should I take her to the vet? And how much does vet visits typically cost? I'm worried something may be wrong with her.. she isn't her normal self the last couple days, not eating at much as she did and sleeping a little more... WHAT DO I DO?
Diet. Like I said, I don't know what I'm doing
I've been giving them different kinds of greens, but they seem to like kale most. I give them squash, strawberries, grapes, (most of their food is greens though) along with a small amount of these pebble looking things they sell at petsmart for tortoise dietary supplements.. and I sprinkle d3 on their food .. is that okay?
They are a bit of a handful but I am trying.. any and all suggestions and tips are much appreciated!! Please!!

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

The white substance in the wee are urates which are completely normal and nothing to worry about. My torts almost looks like a drop of milk in the wee. I live in the UK and my vets it £35 for a check up and diagnosis. Don’t be using too many dietary supplements as they can be quite fatty. I’ve heard someone describe it before as giving a child a diet of chocolate. Obviously they’re fine every now and then. What kind of greens are you feeding them? Not too sure about sulcatas but my tort will go off food some days and then be perfectly fine the next. As long as they’re eating enough it shouldn’t be too much of a concern. Do you use any calcium powder or anything? How often do you soak them? What bulb are you using and is there any UV? Ideal temps are roughly 85-95 F. Night time temperatures should remain above 70 F. Keep the fruits limited to treats every now and then. Hope thats not too much at once. And don’t worry too much because everyone messes up on something. They’re a hard animal to look after tbf. Make sure you keep doing your research as thats the best way to gain information

you also need to be prepared for them to get very very big in the future. Hope this helped

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

Some good websites to look at. Hope this helps https://azeah.com/tortoises-turtles/basic-care-sulcata-tortoise

Sulcata Tortoise Care Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Learn how to raise a healthy and happy Sulcata, how to set up their enclosure, what to feed them, and good husbandry practices.

www.everythingreptiles.com

Info Sulcata Care Sheet

Northampton Reptile Centre is a leading authority on Reptile Pet Care in the UK. Trust us to ensure you get the right Food and Supplies for your Reptile. A Range Of Fresh Livefood & Quality Products For Reptiles & Fish. Order Today!

www.reptilecentre.com

 

[Chefdenoel10]

Hello. I have three baby sulcata tortoises. Tiny, uncle grandpa & dude. (I don't think dude is a sulcata?)My boyfriend got them and he's currently on vacation. I personally have no idea what im doing! Ok so, they havent gotten much bigger since we got them in July. I personally have no idea how old they are.. any guesses?? We keep them inside in a glass encloser and take them outside for only about an hour a day.. is that bad?(we don't have a steady place to live at the moment.. ) I recently heard glass enclosers are not a good idea, true or false? I have a heat light for both day and night. During the day their enclosers usually around 90-95 degrees and at night I try to keep it cooler around 75-80. Is that good or no? I need any and all information I can get about taking care of these guys because their my children! Today I noticed my littlest one had a tad bit of white milky substance in her pee and she made a couple faint squeaks and kept going in like she had to pee but nothing or very, very little came out. What does that mean?? Should I take her to the vet? And how much does vet visits typically cost? I'm worried something may be wrong with her.. she isn't her normal self the last couple days, not eating at much as she did and sleeping a little more... WHAT DO I DO?
Diet. Like I said, I don't know what I'm doing
I've been giving them different kinds of greens, but they seem to like kale most. I give them squash, strawberries, grapes, (most of their food is greens though) along with a small amount of these pebble looking things they sell at petsmart for tortoise dietary supplements.. and I sprinkle d3 on their food .. is that okay?
They are a bit of a handful but I am trying.. any and all suggestions and tips are much appreciated!! Please!! View attachment 307910View attachment 307916View attachment 307917View attachment 307918

Hi!! And welcome to the forum!
That being said....
You guys pick sulcata tortoises .
THE THIRD LARGEST TORTOISE IN THE WORLD.....
And you have no idea what you are doing?
Oh boy...!!
thank god you came here to the forum!
Best place to get all the RIGHT info to start a perfect family in the RIGHT direction!!
Good Luck ? and Prayers .... many..many prayers to you both!
You will have so much fun!
I will tag the professionals out to help you better.....
@Tom ,@Yvonne G

 

[method89]

Uncle grandpa is definitely not a sulcata... A Greek or Hermann's maybe.

 

[method89]

Tiny might be a desert tortoise

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Imagine learning all of this in the early 1980s with books written in the 1970s and no internet.
You're in good hands.

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

Hi!! And welcome to the forum!
That being said....
You guys pick sulcata tortoises .
THE THIRD LARGEST TORTOISE IN THE WORLD.....
And you have no idea what you are doing?
Oh boy...!!
thank god you came here to the forum!
Best place to get all the RIGHT info to start a perfect family in the RIGHT direction!!
Good Luck ? and Prayers .... many..many prayers to you both!
You will have so much fun!
I will tag the professionals out to help you better.....
@Tom ,@Yvonne G

just because i’m new doesn’t mean I haven’t done hours upon hours of research? and no i have a horsefield tort. After doing my research I decided that was the best tort for me

 

[AgataP]

Some good websites to look at. Hope this helps https://azeah.com/tortoises-turtles/basic-care-sulcata-tortoise

Sulcata Tortoise Care Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Learn how to raise a healthy and happy Sulcata, how to set up their enclosure, what to feed them, and good husbandry practices.

www.everythingreptiles.com

Info Sulcata Care Sheet

Northampton Reptile Centre is a leading authority on Reptile Pet Care in the UK. Trust us to ensure you get the right Food and Supplies for your Reptile. A Range Of Fresh Livefood & Quality Products For Reptiles & Fish. Order Today!

www.reptilecentre.com

How about DONT USE THIS CARE SHEET

 

[AgataP]

Please tell me that all three don’t live in that one tank?

 

[AgataP]

Here is the Bible we all use to ensure that our babies are healthy, strong and happy.
This is the only care sheet you should use.

Start with reading it. When you don’t reading it, read it again, and again.
I have it on my phone.

But there you go:

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

 

[AgataP]

Now here is bible number 2 for you.
Food bible.

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

How about DONT USE THIS CARE SHEET

i was just trying to help. Whats in those articles aren’t wrong are they?

 

[AgataP]

i was just trying to help. Whats in those articles aren’t wrong are they?

Yes, they have wrong information, like using dirt is just one of them.

Lots of information out there that is misleading and confusing.

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

Yes, they have wrong information, like using dirt is just one of them.

Lots of information out there that is misleading and confusing.

Oh I apologise as I didn’t know that thank you

 

[Chefdenoel10]

just because i’m new doesn’t mean I haven’t done hours upon hours of research? and no i have a horsefield tort. After doing my research I decided that was the best tort for me

I love you because what you say is cute.
I thought I had done Years of research when I got my baby sulcata ....then I found this forum.
Wow....
I could not be any more stupid! I was doing everything wrong from the start.. see this where all of it happens.
If you don’t care for them correctly from day one... the outcome LATER is irreversible.
Again. Love you! And best wishes ..
And trust me ... don’t question these answers (from the people on here)..
You will find out soon enough.. they were right all along.. Best wishes!! ?

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

I love you because what you say is cute.
I thought I had done Years of research when I got my baby sulcata ....then I found this forum.
Wow....
I could not be any more stupid! I was doing everything wrong from the start.. see this where all of it happens.
If you don’t care for them correctly from day one... the outcome LATER is irreversible.
Again. Love you! And best wishes ..
And trust me ... don’t question these answers (from the people on here)..
You will find out soon enough.. they were right all along.. Best wishes!! ?

That’s exactly why i made an account on here because i was reading so many different things I didn’t know that to believe

 

[Chefdenoel10]

That’s exactly why i made an account on here because i was reading so many different things I didn’t know that to believe

please take it from me. THIS is where to come for advice. They REALLY know their stuff. They raise them too!! ?
Glad you are here now!!
There are other rooms to explore too!!!
Come to “The cold dark room”
for a coffee and pull up a hedgehog ? and stay awhile. Or goto “the nut house” to add an opinion.... if you dare. But be up for some fun! No one here is perfect we all learn from each other as we have a laugh.
?

 

[Alyssaacurtis]

please take it from me. THIS is where to come for advice. They REALLY know their stuff. They raise them too!! ?
Glad you are here now!!
There are other rooms to explore too!!!
Come to “The cold dark room”
for a coffee and pull up a hedgehog ? and stay awhile. Or goto “the nut house” to add an opinion.... if you dare. But be up for some fun! No one here is perfect we all learn from each other as we have a laugh.
?

thank you so much. Made me feel very welcomed tbf. I’ve been reading forums the past few days and learned so much new stuff that has really affected how i’m caring for my tort it’s actually quite surprising. I’m only 18 so i’m just trying to do the best that I physically can i suppose

 

[shawnateerow]

I use eco earth coco coir substrate. It sells on Amazon as dehydrated bricks and not a bad price, and I mix it with reptibark..I think its zoo med brand. By far the best I have tried and my torts love it. With any bags of dirt you don't know what you might get in there. Besides all the bad stuff that could be mixed in, I got the pleasure of getting fire ants in the bag I bought ? which can be deadly to torts