New Baby!

[Tropical Torts]

I recently purchased a sully hatchling, his name is spike! He is very healthy and looks wonderful! I have a large enclosure for him and I was wondering what type of substrate to use, I am currently using alfalfa hay and I was wondering if anyone else uses it and if it is ok to use. I am open to suggestions! By the way I hope to post some pics of spike in the next day or so! Thanks!!

 

[simple]

Im a noobie too, but i heard alfalfa hay is bad because it is high in proteins. Right now i am using topsoil that i water everyday to keep moist, and my sully seems to love it

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Welcome...you are going to need a substrate that you can keep moist, cypress mulch is what I use...they need a moist substrate to create humidity to help prevent pyramiding...

 

[Tropical Torts]

Thanks for the suggestion! I had no idea that you could use cypress mulch because that is what I use for my cherry head and he loves it. Thank you so much!!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Yeah! And how about those photos?

Spike and the unnamed Cherryhead deserve no less than forum-wide acclaim, after all : http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5245.html

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum.

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Simple is right, alfalfa is no, no good! Cypress mulch is good to use. Trust Maggies advice, she's one of the best!

 

[moswen]

yep. alfalfa is bad, it's higher in protein than you would like, and also it's hard to keep moist. even though sullies are from africa, baby sulcatas spend 80% of their day in humid hides under ground, so you need to keep your humidity at 60-70% on the top of your substrate to prevent pyramiding, as maggie has already said. i use coconut coir (bought in the brick form) and a layer of cypress mulch on top. i love it. some people love the coconut coir a little less than me because of the hairs, but you'll find what you love the most! lots of people use miracle gro organic garden soil, or top soil, or mix-n-match any of the substrates i have already mentioned. welcome to the forum and good luck with your little baby sulcata!! they're AWESOME!

 

[FWishbringer]

Um, be very very very careful getting anything labeled Miracle Gro.... if its got Miracle Gro in it, don't buy it. If its free of fertilizers and pine chips, then I don't see why not.

As per coir, I started with it, and scrapped it a few weeks later due to a small case of impaction from my little one eating the fibers. The two most-used are either the finely shredded cypress mulch or unadulterated, sterile topsoil. (I mention the finely shredded since the only thing I can fine around here is large-chunk cypress mulch, and I finally saw the bag Yvonne uses... which is finely shredded and labeled for playground use)

EDIT: Oh, and since they haven't been mentioned yet, some required reading...

Hatchling Failure Syndrome (PDF) Absolutely read

So you think you want a Sulcata (PDF) Good stuff in this one too

Guide for an ideas on inexpensive, indoor enclosures Lower in the thread, they redid it a bit, with later pics

Plant ID forum to help ID your weeds

What coil type compact fluorescent UVB bulbs can do