New sulcata owner and member, have concerns

[Kerrymetz]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site, and am a new owner of a Sulcata Tortoise named Cletus. We picked him up 5 days ago and I'm a little concerned about his behavior. We did a lot of reading about tortoise care before deciding to get him, built a 4x2 tortoise table, had it all set up, and brought him home. Since arriving, he has not eaten a thing, and is sleeping all the time. We have been told the heat may be too low, (we started with a 50w bulb) so we bumped up to a 100w ceramic. Right now the temp in the hot basking area is about 90 to 95, and in the middle of his house (where the thermometer is) it's about 75. He's actually hiding out and sleeping at the opposite end of the house where there is no light or heat. It's a covered area we built where he can hide, (the cool area). When we bring him out he goes right back in there and sleeps. I'm concerned he won't get the uvb light he needs if he's always in that area. We've been feeding him the same thing the petstore was feeding, kale, carrots, grasses, dandilions. We tried grass pellots, and we were even told to try baby food. We haven't seen him eat anything. So, is this normal behavior after moving him from his comfortable environment to a new home? What IS the proper heating? I was told to have his basking area 95+, then read to never have it over 95. How do I keep proper humidity? I've been misting his plants, which I also wonder, is it o.k. to have plastic plants? I've read yes and no. It's very hard when you read conflicting information.
He is actually my 15 year old sons Birthday gift, and he's quite attatched to him already, (as am I). We want to make sure we're doing everything we need to. Thanks for your input!

 

[Kerrymetz]

here is his table

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to our Forum!!

The habitat is ok for right now, but Cletus will soon outgrow it, so be planning/engineering the next habitat improvement.

Someone has done a very nice job of raising Cletus up from an egg to this stage in his life. His shell looks great.

You can take the info you find here on the forum to the bank. We have the most current methods of tortoise keeping. In that vein, you'll need to get a 100w Mercury Vapor Bulb. These bulbs have UVB and heat all in one bulb. If it were me, I'd get rid of that dual light fixture and get two separate ones. Leave the MVB where the fixture is now, and put the other one at the other end with a CHE in it. You want the temperatures to be 105F or so directly under the light, fading down to room temperature at the other end. Then at night, turn on the CHE so the sleeping part doesn't' cool down too much. You may have to cover or partially cover the habitat to keep it warm inside. It looks pretty hokey, but I use aluminum foil.

You'll find terrific info at the top of the Sulcata section. The first few threads at the top are what we used to call "Important Threads" or stickys. They're not ongoing conversations like so many of our threads are, but more 'how to' threads for you to learn from.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Where are you?

Here are some threads to get you started:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Kerrymetz]

We live in Seattle, WA.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[TortyTom]

Hello and welcome!

 

[mike taylor]

Hello welcome to TFO! If you read the threads Tom posted you will have a big healthy sulcata in no time . Tom's information is the best you can find anywhere .

 

[mike taylor]

Here is some pictures to prove Tom's keeping information works . The first picture is when I got him for father's day last year . The second picture is now . Less than a year of growth . They grow fast so put a bigger enclosure in your future .

 

[Kerrymetz]

Awesome information Tom, Thank you!!!!!
....and Mike, Is that REALLY how much he's grown in 1 year!!!! wow, I guess I didn't realize they grow THAT fast! My son was really excited to see that
a update, Cletus has done a complete turnaround. We've made some changes, adjusted the heating and some things in his table. I don't know if it's that he's more settled in and comfortable now, or the changes we've made, but he's alot more active, he's eating, he's not hiding out and sleeping all the time. It's pretty exciting!!

 

[Kerrymetz]

Hello and welcome. Where are you?

Here are some threads to get you started:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Helpful info! We used alot of your advice, thank you!