New Sulcata Owner

[MissFreshRR]

Hi all, just wanted to introduce myself. I am a new sulcata owner. Totally my husbands idea at first. I finally jumped on board and now i'm obsessed. Our baby is 8 weeks. It's in a 20 gallon long tank. I plan to upgrade in a few months when i'm out of school and have more time to dedicate a real spot in the house for it and gonna have my husband build a nice big table for it. We plan on feeding it every other day with nice yummy greens sprinkled with calcium and soaking once a day in warm but not hot water for around 15-20 minutes. The temperature in the tank is around 80's and it has a basking lamp and UVB light. Temp is around 100 on the basking side. Also has a cool side with a hiding spot and humidity is around 80-90%. I'm trying to learn as much as I can so I can continue to help this little sully thrive. Any suggestions or alterations would be great. Oh I also have a Reptitherm UTH tank heater on the side of the tank near the basking bulb. My only concern is it getting cold at night. The temperature dropped last night to around 65* in the tank with the heating pad on. Any suggestions on how to warm it up at night would be great! Thanks in advance!

 

[Melis]

Welcome!

What type of lid is on the enclosure? A screen will allow too much heat and humidity to escape. It should be a closed chamber. And glad to hear you are in the process of planning a bigger enclosure, your baby will quickly outgrow a 20 gallon!

Also, your tort should eat every day! Make sure you reference the tortoise table to provide the proper diet. Lots of weeds and grass!

We love to see pictures

 

[MissFreshRR]

Welcome!

What type of lid is on the enclosure? A screen will allow too much heat and humidity to escape. It should be a closed chamber. And glad to hear you are in the process of planning a bigger enclosure, your baby will quickly outgrow a 20 gallon!

Also, your tort should eat every day! Make sure you reference the tortoise table to provide the proper diet. Lots of weeds and grass!

We love to see pictures

it has a grill top, i have a towel on top of it because i know the heat and humidity will escape but i guess i have to find another way to keep the heat trapped in. I can't wait for my husband to be able to make a nice big enclosed table. he's pretty crafty we just don't have the time right now right now.

 

[Bambam1989]

Big welcome to the Forum!
Sulcatas are grazers and need to have food available at all times. Grasses and weeds should make up the diet. Fruits and things like carrots should be fed rarely if ever because of high sugars which are hard for them to digest. High protein foods are usually not recommended (beans and peas etc).A good feed supplement is the Mazuri original (not the LS) which I offer softened. And the Zoomed grassland Tortoise food is good too.
Calcium only needs to be added a couple times a week. Cuttlebone is a great way for them to get calcium and maintain their beak.
Some of the best advice can be found using these links
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes-commentary.45934/

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/unread

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/


https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/
Congrats on your new tort!

 

[Big Charlie]

A ceramic heat emitter will give you heat without light. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHO7C/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
Perfect for nighttime or all day if you need the extra heat. You can cover your tank with foil, wrapping it around the lights until you get something better. Or you can partially cover it with a board, and then use foil for the rest. Something like this that fits over your table and over the lights may work for you when you get your bigger enclosure: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ktaxon-O...-Flower-Garden-Greenhouse-Hot-House/802925189

 

[MissFreshRR]

Big welcome to the Forum!
Sulcatas are grazers and need to have food available at all times. Grasses and weeds should make up the diet. Fruits and things like carrots should be fed rarely if ever because of high sugars which are hard for them to digest. High protein foods are usually not recommended (beans and peas etc).A good feed supplement is the Mazuri original (not the LS) which I offer softened. And the Zoomed grassland Tortoise food is good too.
Calcium only needs to be added a couple times a week. Cuttlebone is a great way for them to get calcium and maintain their beak.
Some of the best advice can be found using these links
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes-commentary.45934/

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/unread

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/


https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/
Congrats on your new tort!

Awesome thank you for all the great info. I don't have any grass in my yards but I plan on starting to grow some for it. I'm weary about taking it from public places considering the risk for pesticides and what not.

A ceramic heat emitter will give you heat without light. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHO7C/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
Perfect for nighttime or all day if you need the extra heat. You can cover your tank with foil, wrapping it around the lights until you get something better. Or you can partially cover it with a board, and then use foil for the rest. Something like this that fits over your table and over the lights may work for you when you get your bigger enclosure: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ktaxon-O...-Flower-Garden-Greenhouse-Hot-House/802925189

Awesome! Thank u so much! Didn' even consider foil. Will definitely pick up a ceraic heater.

 

[no one]

We all know about tortoise obsessions, haha!! Strange we don't have a Tortoise AA. Or did I just miss that? Lol

Welcome to the forum!!

Oh, and a 30 minutes soak is better. Then only 15 minutes. Just make sure you keep the water warm enough.

 

[Tom]

We all know about tortoise obsessions, haha!! Strange we don't have a Tortoise AA. Or did I just miss that? Lol

AA is to help people quit.

Here at TFO we wish to fuel and accelerate the "sickness"…

 

[MissFreshRR]

Thanks for all the good feedback I appreciate it. Loving this forum already. Quick responses and so helpful.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.