Shoef123

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Jun 12, 2018
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California
Hello everyone! I adopted a baby sulcata last night due to a friend travelling a lot and not having time for it. I have a big place and lots of land so he'll be perfect with me. I work from home so i can give him/her the attention they deserve. Just a couple quick things

1.) Please link any useful threads in the comments that you think I should read. I've been reading all the important threads but it's nice to have suggestions.

2.) Do most people grow their own sulcata food or buy from a pet store/grocery store. & of the available greens found at an organic food store (Sprouts or Whole Foods), which ones should I incorporate to have a full healthy diet. & which calcium powder brand is recommended?

3.) How deep do you make your substrate? I can use the natural soil outside here in california for partial sub but currently I am using coir. I'll most likely end up layering the substrate to mimic their natural environment.

5.) What humidity level is recommended for soil surface humidity?

6.) How important is airflow? With an open top in a glass terrarium, is this naturally enough? or should i provide extra?

7.) Lastly, I've read different soaking information on here. My tortoise is approx. 1 month old and about 3 inches long. He is healthy and has been getting a once a week soak from his previous owners. Should I soak him daily?


Just a bit more info, I have him in a large 40 gallon tank that is 3ft long, 1.5ft wide and 2ft tall (approx.). I chopped up a hollowed out log to create a natural hidey hole for him and have coir as the base inside of it with just slight dampness. He seemed to be enjoying it earlier. He's very active when hes awake, loves to eat spring mix lettuce, and sleeps like a precious baby when he's tired. He does not seem stressed in any way, has no pyramidding, and for all intents and purposes, is a happy lil beb tortoise. :)

I'm just trying to give him a perfect environment to live in. Any and all advice is welcome, but only advice from experienced sulcata owners will be put into use. Thanks!
 

Miscally

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Hello everyone! I adopted a baby sulcata last night due to a friend travelling a lot and not having time for it. I have a big place and lots of land so he'll be perfect with me. I work from home so i can give him/her the attention they deserve. Just a couple quick things

1.) Please link any useful threads in the comments that you think I should read. I've been reading all the important threads but it's nice to have suggestions.

2.) Do most people grow their own sulcata food or buy from a pet store/grocery store. & of the available greens found at an organic food store (Sprouts or Whole Foods), which ones should I incorporate to have a full healthy diet. & which calcium powder brand is recommended?

3.) How deep do you make your substrate? I can use the natural soil outside here in california for partial sub but currently I am using coir. I'll most likely end up layering the substrate to mimic their natural environment.

5.) What humidity level is recommended for soil surface humidity?

6.) How important is airflow? With an open top in a glass terrarium, is this naturally enough? or should i provide extra?

7.) Lastly, I've read different soaking information on here. My tortoise is approx. 1 month old and about 3 inches long. He is healthy and has been getting a once a week soak from his previous owners. Should I soak him daily?


Just a bit more info, I have him in a large 40 gallon tank that is 3ft long, 1.5ft wide and 2ft tall (approx.). I chopped up a hollowed out log to create a natural hidey hole for him and have coir as the base inside of it with just slight dampness. He seemed to be enjoying it earlier. He's very active when hes awake, loves to eat spring mix lettuce, and sleeps like a precious baby when he's tired. He does not seem stressed in any way, has no pyramidding, and for all intents and purposes, is a happy lil beb tortoise. :)

I'm just trying to give him a perfect environment to live in. Any and all advice is welcome, but only advice from experienced sulcata owners will be put into use. Thanks!
Do read the stickies at the top of the threads. Babies need daily soaks and a mixed diet. @Tom will be along soon with more help and information but the sticky threads say it all really [emoji4]
 

TechnoCheese

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Miscally

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As an aside, how do I link to the threads? Thank you
 

Shoef123

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Jun 12, 2018
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
California

Thank you! I read all of those ones! Just trying to pick up any info I missed. Gave the little tort a bath and just remade all his substrate up. about 2 inches of moist coir and then a half inch of the local dirt outside where I live (mountainous southern california). Mixed the top half inch up with the coir a little so its not sandy or anything, Seems good! I'll post some pics in a bit.

The temp is between 80-90 in the enclosure with it at 99 under the heat lamp. My high end humidity gauge is reading 80% when set on top of the soil. and The hidey hole temp is about 81 degrees. (All Fahrenheit)
 

Shoef123

New Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
California
UPDATE: #3, #5, #7 have been answered or found! Apparently I don't like the number 4..

Still please tag any links that you find helpful. The stickied threads from the Sulcata section i've read through and saved already. Any other ones than that are also appreciated.
 

Tom

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Hello and welcome. What part of CA are you in? Different advice for different climates. Crescent City has a very different climate than Palm Springs.

I'll take a stab at your questions:
  1. You've got the links already.
  2. I don't know what most people do, but I know what the best thing to do is: Grow your own. Then you know with 100% certainty that there is no chemicals, pesticides or anything else going on. You can also give them a tremendous amount of variety this way. The main thing they need though is grass. Grass, and later on grass hay, should be the bulk of your tortoises diet as he/she gets older. Right now a large assortment of weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents of the right type is the way to go, with some freshly sprouted, tender, young grass added in. Start planting all kinds of stuff now, and then when it all matures and takes off in a year or two, you'll be stylin'. Spineless opuntia, lavatera, mulberry trees, hibiscus if your climate will support it, grape vines, etc…
  3. Substrate should be 3-4 inches. The best substrate for these guys is fine grade orchid bark. AKA "fir bark". I buy it for a fraction of the cost in bulk at local garden centers or nurseries. You aren't likely to find it at HD or Lowes. You have to go to a nursery. No need to mix or layer anything and coir or dirt are both very messy, but not harmful.
  4. Supposed to be Number 5: Ambient humidity in the enclosure should be 80% or higher. These are not desert animals, contrary to what you might read in some places. They are a grassland or forest edge species. You need a lot of annual rainfall to sustain grasslands and forests, right? Yes it is dry above ground for 8-9 months of each year, but they are all underground in warm humid burrows during that time. Guess what time of year babies hatch? Monsoon season. Its hot, humid, rainy and there are puddles and marshes everywhere. These are the conditions that sulcata babies thrive in. Dry enclosures and weekly soaks literally kill them.
  5. See above note…
  6. Airflow is not important at all. Warm humid conditions are important. Unless the entire room is hot and humid like New Orleans in the summer circulating the air will be creating the wrong conditions in your enclosure.
  7. Soak your baby every day until it reaches about 100 grams. After that, you can start skipping a day now and then.
Please feel free to question any of this. We are all here to talk tortoises. :)
 
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