New Sulcata Owner

[RTAYLOR540]

Hello all,

I am the new owner of a very curious and active little Sulcata hatchling. Joban has been with me for about a month and seems to be thriving thanks to information I've received on this forum. Looking forward to the challenges and treats of raising this little one and watching it grow! Any initial input or tips appreciated.

Thank you,
RT

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

do you have any pictures of his enclosure? are you using a coil bulb? whats his cage humidity? how often do you soak?

 

[Jodie]

Cutie for sure. Welcome to the forum.

 

[RTAYLOR540]

The enclosure stays between 78 and 85 degrees with the basking area at 100-105. The humidity ranges from 20-30% near the heat source and in the 50's elsewhere with a humid hide and covered area around 80%. I soak him/her daily and am now aware I should be misting him/her as well. Coconut coir is the primary substrate, kept moist, and sphag moss in the humid area kept wet and sprayed throughout the day with a sponge also soaked and on the roof of his humid hide. I keep the enclosure mostly covered (large storage container with lid) and use a Repti Sun 10.0 UVB bulb and Zoo Med repti basking bulb during the day and a CHE at night to keep temps up. He/she is active and eats well. Timothy hay, mix of edible flowers and grasses, and a snack of dark leafy greens occasionally. I sprinkle a calcium supplement on food very lightly once or twice a week and he/she has cuttlebone in the enclosure that gets a nibble or two occasionally.

Some concerns I have:
He/she rubs eyes fairly often with front legs but they never appear squinty or stay shut. They are clear and not crusty or wet looking. Is this a potential light issue or just some type of minor irritation? Vet said he/she was healthy and if the eye rubbing continued to mist them and try to flush them out to see if that helps. Any other suggestions?

Also, I notice Joban opens and closes his mouth on occasion like a chewing motion even when not eating. Seems like a jaw stretching exercise.

Other than these things he acts like I would imagine a healthy tortoise would act...wander, sniff, graze, nap. Wander, sniff, graze, nap.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ . That's why RST ask for Picts its Easyer to help if we can see the enclosure . Thank you with your help !

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

RST
Your welcome

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to TFO.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[JackFrost]

Hello all,

I am the new owner of a very curious and active little Sulcata hatchling. Joban has been with me for about a month and seems to be thriving thanks to information I've received on this forum. Looking forward to the challenges and treats of raising this little one and watching it grow! Any initial input or tips appreciated.

Thank you,
RT

I have the same species also I think there sure do look alike? My Shelly's about 6 months old or so. She's definitely attached to me more than anyone else. Very curious creatures. She's loves her belly rubbed and head scratched. She also climbs up on my shoulder. Pretty smart animals.

 

[Tom]

The enclosure stays between 78 and 85 degrees with the basking area at 100-105. The humidity ranges from 20-30% near the heat source and in the 50's elsewhere with a humid hide and covered area around 80%. I soak him/her daily and am now aware I should be misting him/her as well. Coconut coir is the primary substrate, kept moist, and sphag moss in the humid area kept wet and sprayed throughout the day with a sponge also soaked and on the roof of his humid hide. I keep the enclosure mostly covered (large storage container with lid) and use a Repti Sun 10.0 UVB bulb and Zoo Med repti basking bulb during the day and a CHE at night to keep temps up. He/she is active and eats well. Timothy hay, mix of edible flowers and grasses, and a snack of dark leafy greens occasionally. I sprinkle a calcium supplement on food very lightly once or twice a week and he/she has cuttlebone in the enclosure that gets a nibble or two occasionally.

Some concerns I have:
He/she rubs eyes fairly often with front legs but they never appear squinty or stay shut. They are clear and not crusty or wet looking. Is this a potential light issue or just some type of minor irritation? Vet said he/she was healthy and if the eye rubbing continued to mist them and try to flush them out to see if that helps. Any other suggestions?

Also, I notice Joban opens and closes his mouth on occasion like a chewing motion even when not eating. Seems like a jaw stretching exercise.

Other than these things he acts like I would imagine a healthy tortoise would act...wander, sniff, graze, nap. Wander, sniff, graze, nap.

What type of 10.0 bulb? If its the cfl coil type that is likely the cause of your eye issues. I'd shut it off immediately and switch to a long tube type. Understand the tube types must be no further than 10-12" for the tortoise get benefit from it. If yours needs to be mounted higher, look into the new HO type tubes.

I don't like the ZooMed repti basking bulbs because they are spot bulbs. These concentrate all the heat in a small area which can dry out the carapace excessively and contribute to pyramiding. Flood or regular round bulbs work much better.

The mouth opening is a precursor to respiratory infection. I would bump your ambient temp up about 5-6 degrees 24/7. Shoot for never lower than 85 for a couple of weeks to fight off any possible respiratory infection, and then gradually back it down a few degrees, but keep it at 80 or higher. People tend to keep sulcata babies too cool. Soak daily to make sure the higher heat does not dehydrate your baby.

Humidity of 20-30%, or 50% is going to lead to some pyramiding, especially under your chosen basking bulb. Just be aware that if you don't deal with this now, it will be much harder to deal with after the damage is already done.

You are on the right track and your set up sounds better than 98% of the sulcata hatchling set ups "out there" in the world, but with a little tweaking it can be even better. Your first step is to walk away from the pet store with their bad info and dangerous products, and get to know your local hardware store a little better. Your tortoise AND your wallet will thank you.

Here are some tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[RTAYLOR540]

I took the advice of some of you and switched out the bulb to a mercury vapor bulb. It's been going on a month now and the eye rubbing has stopped. I also dropped the lamp lower into the enclosure to raise the temps up slightly and there have been no signs of respiratory infection. By covering the enclosure fully I have been able to get the humidity higher and keep the temperatures up better and Joban seems to be doing well.

I put him out on the open air patio in a outdoor enclosure I made for him under supervision for a couple of hours for sun when it is warm and clear out here in Naples, FL. Which is often.

Thanks to all for the help and for welcoming us!

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Welcome! My biggest suggestion would be to echo what Ton said and raise the humidity levels. Make sure he's getting soaked as well. You can see his pyramiding has already started but luckily it's not too bad so you can still turn things around for him. Good luck!

 

[Tom]

I took the advice of some of you and switched out the bulb to a mercury vapor bulb. It's been going on a month now and the eye rubbing has stopped. I also dropped the lamp lower into the enclosure to raise the temps up slightly and there have been no signs of respiratory infection. By covering the enclosure fully I have been able to get the humidity higher and keep the temperatures up better and Joban seems to be doing well.

I put him out on the open air patio in a outdoor enclosure I made for him under supervision for a couple of hours for sun when it is warm and clear out here in Naples, FL. Which is often.

Thanks to all for the help and for welcoming us!

Thank you for the update. We love success stories, and I'm so glad to hear your tortoise is doing well.