azaq94
New Member
Hello everyone,
Just wanted to introduce myself and my Sulcata tortoise named “Sonny”. We acquired through a breeder here in Phoenix,Arizona. Like most people I did not know how to properly care for a Sulcata and after reading hundreds of threads on here neither did the breeder. He was keeping the babies in an outside enclosure on rabbit pellets. The enclosure was extremely dry and he did not have water available for them. Luckily I found this forum with the week of receiving Sonny and was ready to put everything that I learned into creating the best habitat for Sonny to live in. I read all the threads on pyramiding and the believed causes of it. I did a YouTube search and found Tom’s great lecture on why he believes pyramiding occurs. Watching this video led me to the Tortoise Forum. I read about the importance of having high humidity and how wild hatchling Sulcatas are born during the Monsoon season in their native region. Sonny’s closed chamber enclosure is
covered using an excellent greenhouse that I bought from Amazon. (Quictent Waterproof UV... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GOO83UK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20). Sonny’s enclosure does not drop below 80% humidity and is sprayed everyday before and after work. I then learned about the types of substrates and which are better for Sulcatas. I am currently using Cypress Mulch mixed with coconut coir. I know the Cypress Mulch is not finely mulched. I plan to buy the finely ground next time but as of now I have not had any issues with this one. I then learned about the types of lighting and temperature required to raise a healthy Sulcata. The enclosure ambient temperature stays at about 85 degrees has a basking temperature of about 105. The lights are currently on 12 hour on 12 hour off period. I currently do not use a UVB fluorescent tube due to living in Arizona and being able to take Sonny outside for one to two hours everyday. Following Tom’s advice, Sonny is soaked everyday for 30min upon coming inside after letting him roam. Sonny’s outside enclosure was completed on 09/29. I know it is not the recommended 4x8 but it will do for now with Sonny being small. I planted wheat grass in the closure and gave him a hide under the shaded area. I will be making a chicken wire top for it this weekend. Sonny has two hides in his indoor enclosure(dry and humid). He also has a food dish and a water dish(will be replaced this week due to Sonny already being close to outgrowing it). I read that variety is important when feeding young hatchlings. This week Sonny was fed a mix of mustard greens, cactus pads and plantation leaves. Next week he will be getting a mix of Dandelion leaves and wheat grass that I planted two weeks ago. Sonny’s food is sprinkled once or twice a week with Calcium D3. I weighed him for the first time last week and he weighed 58 grams. This week he gained a whole 10 grams and clocked in at 68 grams. I believe he is about 2 1/2 months old. He is about 3inch long currently. He seems to be doing very well and gaining weight. His shell seems to have good smooth growth lines and he stays very active. I am very excited to have Sonny and I hope he continues to grow and be happy. Thank you to everyone on this forum for their great advice. Please feel free to comment any critiques on his enclosure or care!
Just wanted to introduce myself and my Sulcata tortoise named “Sonny”. We acquired through a breeder here in Phoenix,Arizona. Like most people I did not know how to properly care for a Sulcata and after reading hundreds of threads on here neither did the breeder. He was keeping the babies in an outside enclosure on rabbit pellets. The enclosure was extremely dry and he did not have water available for them. Luckily I found this forum with the week of receiving Sonny and was ready to put everything that I learned into creating the best habitat for Sonny to live in. I read all the threads on pyramiding and the believed causes of it. I did a YouTube search and found Tom’s great lecture on why he believes pyramiding occurs. Watching this video led me to the Tortoise Forum. I read about the importance of having high humidity and how wild hatchling Sulcatas are born during the Monsoon season in their native region. Sonny’s closed chamber enclosure is
covered using an excellent greenhouse that I bought from Amazon. (Quictent Waterproof UV... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GOO83UK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20). Sonny’s enclosure does not drop below 80% humidity and is sprayed everyday before and after work. I then learned about the types of substrates and which are better for Sulcatas. I am currently using Cypress Mulch mixed with coconut coir. I know the Cypress Mulch is not finely mulched. I plan to buy the finely ground next time but as of now I have not had any issues with this one. I then learned about the types of lighting and temperature required to raise a healthy Sulcata. The enclosure ambient temperature stays at about 85 degrees has a basking temperature of about 105. The lights are currently on 12 hour on 12 hour off period. I currently do not use a UVB fluorescent tube due to living in Arizona and being able to take Sonny outside for one to two hours everyday. Following Tom’s advice, Sonny is soaked everyday for 30min upon coming inside after letting him roam. Sonny’s outside enclosure was completed on 09/29. I know it is not the recommended 4x8 but it will do for now with Sonny being small. I planted wheat grass in the closure and gave him a hide under the shaded area. I will be making a chicken wire top for it this weekend. Sonny has two hides in his indoor enclosure(dry and humid). He also has a food dish and a water dish(will be replaced this week due to Sonny already being close to outgrowing it). I read that variety is important when feeding young hatchlings. This week Sonny was fed a mix of mustard greens, cactus pads and plantation leaves. Next week he will be getting a mix of Dandelion leaves and wheat grass that I planted two weeks ago. Sonny’s food is sprinkled once or twice a week with Calcium D3. I weighed him for the first time last week and he weighed 58 grams. This week he gained a whole 10 grams and clocked in at 68 grams. I believe he is about 2 1/2 months old. He is about 3inch long currently. He seems to be doing very well and gaining weight. His shell seems to have good smooth growth lines and he stays very active. I am very excited to have Sonny and I hope he continues to grow and be happy. Thank you to everyone on this forum for their great advice. Please feel free to comment any critiques on his enclosure or care!
