New Sullys.

[October]

I picked up two Sulcata hatchlings yesterday. Had a couple questions.

1.) The breeder said they were most likely male. When I asked why he thought so he said that he had incubated them at a higher temp and that causes males. I noticed one of the hatchlings had an extra vertebral scute, so they seemed to have been incubated towards the higher end of the spectrum. My understanding is higher egg temps lean female. Which way is it?

2.) I'm not planning on using a UVB bulb, being in Arizona and all. Sunlight is free. I do have a basking lamp though and temps range from 75-80 on the cool side and 100ish on the warm. Do I leave the basking lamp on at night? They have a few hides to get away from the light, but they should have access to warmth 24/7, right?

3.) Someone please explain supplements to me. I see people who use them sparingly, people who use them often and people who don't use them at all. Current diet is salad mix, grape leaves, hibiscus, AZ weeds and prickly pear (basically the same as my Russian). I'm trying to convince my feed store to order Mazuri for me. I bought a Cuttle bone. I don't think I need D3, but should I use just in case? Do I need a calcium supplement? What is this TNT stuff I see around?


Possibly pertinent info:
Using coco coir
Trying to follow Tom's anti-pyramiding protocol
About 2 weeks old

Camera batteries are being difficult, and it's a billion flipping degrees out, but I'll have pics soon. Promise.

 

[ADVANceNA]

hey october congrats on the two new babies ! im sure there will be tons more people to chime in on your questions so enjoi the feedback !

1. i am no incubating expert, but from what i understand (thanks Tom!) is that lower temps (85-86) yield males and high temps(88-89) yield females. of course, these are only observations, i believe, amongst people who raise and incubate. but, from what i understand is that there is a high correlation between temps and what sex the hatchling might be. there is no way to tell for sure though until the sully reaches sexual maturity. i cant wait for pics ! im sure a lot or people, including myself, want to see that extra scute !

2. the basking lamp should not be left on all night. sullys need a change in temperature at night time. personally, i keep my einstein round 75 at night, and even let it drop to a 72. i provide him with a night bulb if the temps in my room get kind of cold and i want to bump up his tables temp. although there is plenty of sunshine and im sure there will be wonderful temps in arizona, there might come time when you need to keep him indoors all day. a Mercury Vapor Buld or MVB is a good choice as it provides uvA/B rays and substantial infared. the coil UV bulbs have been shown to damage and even blind some hatchlings. although they say the newer type coil bulbs are now safe, i personally wouldnt want to risk it.

3. hhmmmm there is going to be a lot of different perspectives on this one. each situation is really different, hence all the different perspectives. the cuttle bone should work fine since the little sully is getting plenty of sunshine (d3) and seems to be getting a good amount of calcium from the diet. the diet you have provided seems very good ! the TNT stuff is a supplement im guessing. personally i havent really heard of it but im sure others have on here.

once again congrats on your two new sullys ! what are their names by the way ? sullys are wonderful creatures most indeed, enjoi !

 

[jaizei]

I use a ceramic heat emitter at night if the temps drop too low. I wouldn't keep the light on at night because they need the diurnal cycle.
TNT
I supplement calcium occasionally, without D3. You only need D3 in the supplement if you're not providing access to UV.

 

[Tom]

October. Your questions are so well worded and thought out I was smiling just reading your post. It will be a pleasure to answer your questions.

1. ADVANceNA answered this one exactly as I would. Richard Fife sponsored a big study on this and what he told me is nearly word for word what NA typed above. Your breeder has it backwards, which I find a little worrisome. What temp does he think he incubated them at?

2. I would add that they need it dark at night too. I like to keep my hatchlings and babies at around 80 at night. If you are using a lot of moisture and humidity there is a greater risk of respiratory problems the lower the temps get. In my opinion you don't need any special UV bulbs if they are getting sunshine for most of the year. Mine sometimes go 2 or 3 weeks with just incandescents over winter and I have yet to experience any problems.

3. I too think your diet is great. The merits of what supplement to use and how often can be argued all day long. I generally use calcium powder twice a week, vitamin powder once a week and Mazuri twice a week. They only get plain old food twice a week, but even that I spray with water first.

One other thing that you didn't ask about... Often in pairs one will be more dominant and hog the food, good resting and basking spots and subtly intimidate the other one to the point of causing long term chronic stress. This is much less likely in trios or groups. I recommend you either get one more or just house the two separately. 40 gallon tubs from the hardware store are cheap and easy for this purpose.

Last thing: How did your breeder house the babies? What substrate? Water bowl? Etc...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Congrats!

 

[October]

Thanks for the responses, guys. You all rock, as usual.

Here is an album of them on Facebook for those of you who want to see them.

One is technically my brother's that will probably end up always staying with me, as I can't seem to get rid of the brother either.

His is Trudie, mine is Ada, an homage to Ada Lovelace. (I will award 2 free Internets to anyone who knows who Ada Lovelace is without Googling it. ) I didn't select the one with the extra scute though, he had it set aside because it was alot lighter in color than the others.

As far as gender, I do hope for two females and NOT two males, but you get what you get with these guys. He did not say exactly what temp they were temped at though. I just thought that maybe he had them backwards.

Unfortunately the brooder was covered in rabbit pellets and soggy "fruity pebbles" kinda food. I told him about TFO and that there was a ton of really good info to be found. But, they're in a good place now. Strangely, we visited his adults and they were eating and being raised perfectly. The right food, water, hides, etc. He had 2 beautiful Aldabras, as well.

My A/C is set at 81. I don't think they'll get much cooler at night than that, so I should be okay to turn off the basking light at night.

I'll stop by the pet club tomorrow after class and see what kind of supplements they have. Couldn't hurt to try them at least.

Thanks again for the responses, guys. The thought of keeping that hot light on all night as kinda freaking me out.

 

[Torty Mom]

Congrats on the new torties!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Feed as wide a variety as you can. Add Mulberry leafs, collards, kale, escarole, endive. Now is a great time for produce so you should feed as wide a variety as you can. You need to be concerned with pyramiding in hatchling Sulcata and I believe there are 4 things needed to prevent it, strong UVB (or the sun) lots of exercise, a great diet and 70% or 80% humidity. Everybody has their own opinion on that subject and that is mine. In the wild they walk for miles to eat enough. We keep them contained in small habitats. You should soak them daily to keep them from getting dehydrated, that's really important. I use a calcium supplement 3 to 4 times a week...

 

[RV's mom]

Lots of good advice here already, so I'll just chime in...

Welcome to TFO!

we love pics........

teri

 

[dmarcus]

Congrats on the new additions...