New Owner, Sulcata

cadebrandon

New Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Richardson TX
Hello Tortoise Friends
As of yesterday I'm an the new owner of a Sulcata Tortoise!
Please feel free to download all of your information to me. I did a fair amount of research before purchase, but I'd really love some advice from me experienced owners.
Yes I know how big they get
I'm really interested in your Sulcata's favorite foods are and any behaviors I should watch out for.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
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Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello Tortoise Friends
As of yesterday I'm an the new owner of a Sulcata Tortoise!
Please feel free to download all of your information to me. I did a fair amount of research before purchase, but I'd really love some advice from me experienced owners.
Yes I know how big they get
I'm really interested in your Sulcata's favorite foods are and any behaviors I should watch out for.
Hello and welcome. The first thing to learn is that almost all of the care info offer for this species is all wrong and has been wrong for decades. The same wrong info get parroted constantly and websites, vets, breeders, and pet stores, are all learning from this same wrong info and repeating the same wrong stuff. Wrong enclosures, wrong substrates, wrong foods, wrong lighting, wrong bowls, etc...

Here is the correct care info:

Questions are welcome!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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That looks like a sand soil mixture. That will literally kill your tortoise. Get him off of that ASAP. Soil is made from composted yard waste and all sorts of weird stuff that could be toxic and/or dangerous. The makers and sellers do not intend for small animals to be living on it.

Also, that food bowl is unsafe for a tortoise. You are likely to find him upside down in that.

Sand is a serious impaction risk and also a skin and eye irritant. It is a slow and insidious killer.

I'm not trying to bum you out with a bunch of bad news. I'm trying to save your tortoise's life from all the typical bad care advice out in the world.
 

cadebrandon

New Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Richardson TX
Yeah those pics were taken when I first got him home.... I have since covered the pet store substrate with cypress mulch.
Haven't gotten him new dishes yet, but that's next.
You think u should go ahead and excavate the pet store substrate?
 

Ray--Opo

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Welcome, being that you live in Texas. Grow some spineless cactus, sulcata's love cactus. The cactus pads are also easy to hand feed to them. When your sully gets bigger.
 

cadebrandon

New Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Richardson TX
Ok Great! Where is the best place to find the cactus?
Also, what do you think about the terrarium grass the pet store sells. Lucati is the brand I think.
 

Maggie3fan

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Ok Great! Where is the best place to find the cactus?
Also, what do you think about the terrarium grass the pet store sells. Lucati is the brand I think.
You live in Texas...take a road trip out of town...drive until you see big cactus's growing along side the road...break some off or dig some up.... You need to dig out all that sandy stuff and just have the cypress mulch. It looks like your uvb light is on a screen...the uvb rays can't go thru the mesh, and you cannot create 85% humidity with an open top like that. I will post a picture of a rescue that I have to show you what happens when the care sheet that Tom linked you to, .isn't followed..Seriously...read it carefully
this is Mary Knobbins, and her deformity is called pyramiding and you don't want your baby to grow up to look like that...100_2444.JPG
 

cadebrandon

New Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Richardson TX
Yeah, I'm working that problem right now. I'm definitely getting the substrate out today. Think I can find new bulb fixtures and a better top at the hardware store?

Also can you tell me your thoughts on this stuff, should I use any of it?
 

cadebrandon

New Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Richardson TX
Humidity is running pretty high now. Is over 100 humidity is that something to be concerned with?
 

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Ray--Opo

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Palm Bay Fl
Ok Great! Where is the best place to find the cactus?
Also, what do you think about the terrarium grass the pet store sells. Lucati is the brand I think.
If you can't find the spineless in the wild. You can buy at a latin produce market. If you do find in the wild. At the bottom of the pad you break off. That fresh break needs to dry out before planting. Just stick in the ground. These cactus were all started from single pads stuck in the ground.
20210413_113939.jpg
 

Warren

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Hello and welcome, just follow the information that you receive and you should have no problems. Just remember we are he to help, not to criticize. Sometimes newbies take some of the information as to personal, TFO just want's to help your Tortoise. Good luck on raising a dinosaur, they get big quick. My Sammy will be 5 yrs.old in 3 weeks.
 

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