New baby sulcata

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swellyjones

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I just want to get your opinion on my new baby girl and any advice on raising them !
 

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DanieltheAnvil

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RE: New baby sulcatta

Hey welcome to the Forum! Sulcatas are great. A Major factor with these guys is to keep the enclosure very humid and soak these guys in water at a minimum of 20 minutes a day. longer is better. very shallow water though to allow for breathing. they guys dont float! haha. This might sound funny because they are a desert tortoise, but as babies they hatch into the Rainy season in Africa and the conditions are wet. They need up to 80% humidity in the enclosure.

You should also have 4 different temps you try to hit each day. a basking spot temp, warm side temp, cool side temp and a nightly temp. I personally have a basking temp of 95, a warm side of 89-90, a cool side at 80 and a nightly temp of 76-79. sine the enclosure is humid, high temps are important.

substrate can vary but stay away from alfalfa pellets and stuff like that because it will mold. Coco Coir, Eco Earth, cypress mulch or clean top soil work well.

Thats a lot of information so I'll stop for now. make sure you read the threads at the top of the sulcata forum/ those are very good!
 

Tom

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RE: New baby sulcatta

Hello and welcome.

Your baby looks okay right now, but if he continues to get more of the same thing he has been getting he will pyramid. I can tell this by the notch between the scutes. Get him humid, warm and hydrated. Get him a humid hide box to sleep in. Soak him everyday. You can stop it if you catch it early like this.

Click the links in my signature for more info.
 

swellyjones

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What do you suggest me use as a tank cause right now I just use a 40 fallen breeder
 

sibi

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Hi and welcome. Tom has given you threads (those highlighted sites) to read. He explains what you can use as enclosures. If you don't have much money to spend on an elaborate enclosure, a plastic tub container with a smaller plastic shoe box, cut-out, will work for now. He explains how and why torts pyramid and how to prevent it. The pic of my baby in my hand looks very much like yours, only I didn't find out about this forum until he was 9 months old. By then, he had started to show more signs of pyramiding because I didn't know about how important humidity was for them. Every bit information you'll need is addressed. Please take the time to read it because your baby is worth it. Keep us posted on your baby. By the way, sex cannot be determined yet. He/she is too young still. But don't let that stop you from naming her. Perhaps you can call her by a name that can be either male or female so that when you find out for sure, you won't have to rename the tort. :)
 

mainey34

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Hello and welcome. You will enjoy your sulcata for many years to come. There is lots of good info on this site I suggest you read. Lots of knowledge able folks here also. Below my signature too there are threads that I recommend you read. Tom is quite knowledgeable on sulcatas. I trust him.
 

jtrux

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Personally the 40 breeder will be a good choice for the first few months, so that means that you will have a few months to plan and construct a larger enclosure to last another year or so. If you don't already, get a piece of acrylic or regular old plywood to seal the top of the tank so you can maintain higher humidity. Tom is a wealth of knowledge and reading his threads will give you all the tools you will need to grow a smooth, healthy Sulcata.

Some specs of your current set-up will really help everyone out. We are not here to critisize but rather help. I didn't know much before getting on here and now I like to think that I have a really good idea of what's going on. I'll warn you now though, these guys are addicting!
 
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