Just rescued a small sulcata that was neglected. No warming or uvb light and probably scarce food. Just brought her home yesterday and she ate her greens voraciously but today has been very still. I know she’s terrified and I’m trying to just leave for a while until acclimated. As other new owners have posted, any advice would be great! Confused about the types of bulbs to use along with a slew of other things. I named her Willow because she peeked her head out when I asked her if that name was ok.
New owner
- Thread starter AnaKen
- Start date
Its wonderful that you've rescued this tortoise, and I would be happy to hep you!
First remove that water bowl ASAP. Those are fine for snakes and lizards, but they are a flipping/drowning hazard for hard shelled reptiles.
Next you need a MUCH larger enclosure.
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
- Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
- Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
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
Questions are welcome.
Ok thank you so much (running to remove the water feature) I’m on it.Its wonderful that you've rescued this tortoise, and I would be happy to hep you!
First remove that water bowl ASAP. Those are fine for snakes and lizards, but they are a flipping/drowning hazard for hard shelled reptiles.
Next you need a MUCH larger enclosure.
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
Here is the correct care info:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
- Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
- Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
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...
Questions are welcome.
Hi, and welcome!
One thing to consider when looking for a larger container to set up for your tortoise's enclosure - get something large enough that you can populate it with lots of 'things.' Baby tortoises are very seldom seen out in the open because they are prey. The stay hidden amongst the many bushes, tall grasses, etc. These 'sight barriers' also shield the baby from the harsh lighting and they provide a more humid environment.
Glad you've found us. Read the care sheet, and enjoy your new baby.
One thing to consider when looking for a larger container to set up for your tortoise's enclosure - get something large enough that you can populate it with lots of 'things.' Baby tortoises are very seldom seen out in the open because they are prey. The stay hidden amongst the many bushes, tall grasses, etc. These 'sight barriers' also shield the baby from the harsh lighting and they provide a more humid environment.
Glad you've found us. Read the care sheet, and enjoy your new baby.
