New sulcata tortoise owner here

Anapakalolo

New Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2017
Messages
3
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Haiku Hi
Hi everyone! My name is Ana. I am a happy owner of a 3 month old African Sulcata tortoise that I have named Yoshi. I received him/her today. It is being raised inside until it is big enough to live outside.

1. I was wondering does my tortoise need heat/UVB at night? I live in a tropical climate here in Hawaii where there’s A good amount of humidity. A lot of people on the island do own these same tortoises though and they do great! I bought a heat lamp for the day time and plan on bringing it outside a few days a week for natural sun exposure. I have not yet bought anything for night heat tho.

2. I’ve noticed that Yoshi was roaming around and around in his new dwelling and flipped himself over a few times while trying to climb the side. The container is plenty big for it so I’m wondering if this is normal since it’s a new environment? Also, I am scared to leave in fear that it’s going to flip over and be stuck. Any advice or reassurance will help! He is now currently sleeping in his hiding spot so I can finally relax.

3. I bought calcium with D-3. It’s in pill form which I plan on smashing to sprinkle on his food. How often do I do this and how much?

4. Is there such thing as too much food? How much should I be feeding daily?

5. How long till I can tell the sex?

And lastly...

6. How many time per week do you soak your tortoise?

Thank you sooooo much for reading this post. I know that a lot of these questions have been answered in the forum already but, it can be pretty overwhelming reading all of the answers. If you can’t answer all, any advice helps. I just want my baby to have a happy healthy life.

Aloha!
 

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Bambam1989

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Joined
Aug 15, 2017
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3,112
Location (City and/or State)
East Texas
Hello and welcome to the forum. I think you will find the following links to be helpful. I did! There is alot of misleading and incorrect info out there on how to take care of sulcatas.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes-commentary.45934/

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

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

After you have read up the experts will happily answer your questions.

Here is a handy website to help you id safe plants for your tort. Sulcatas are grassland torts so the bulk of their meal should be grass.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WfQXV9BlDqA
 

Anapakalolo

New Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2017
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Haiku Hi
Hello and welcome to the forum. I think you will find the following links to be helpful. I did! There is alot of misleading and incorrect info out there on how to take care of sulcatas.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes-commentary.45934/

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

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

After you have read up the experts will happily answer your questions.

Here is a handy website to help you id safe plants for your tort. Sulcatas are grassland torts so the bulk of their meal should be grass.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WfQXV9BlDqA
Thank you so so so much
 

Bambam1989

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Messages
3,112
Location (City and/or State)
East Texas
Thank you so so so much
You are so so so very welcome! The members here on the forum are hear to help and are very passionate about all torts. We can also look at photos of your enclosure if you would like, might be able to spot any issues that could cause problems later on or get some ideas on why he has been tipping over?
 

Anapakalolo

New Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2017
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Haiku Hi
I am going to finish the enclosure tomorrow morning and I will post photos for any advice. Thank you!
 
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