New to forum

[ccalderon]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I have a 7 month old African Spurred Sulcata Tortoise. I have owned 2 red earred slider turtles in the past; I had them for 15 years. He is my first tortoise and his/her name is leon. I am totally open to any advice or suggestions. All I want is him to be as happy and healthy as possible. I joined this forum after finding an answer to a question I had and thought it'd be a great place to find information and possibly share any information I have that could be helpful to another fellow Sulcata owner.

 

[Barista5261]

Hello and welcome!

Sulcatas rock! I've got 2 [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH][TURTLE][TURTLE]

What kind of enclosure do you have for your little one?

And we LOVE pictures here, so don't be shy and show off your baby! [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

 

[ccalderon]

My husband built this for our baby.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome nice sully, now to keep him that way, let's first get rid of that substrate ASAP. Replace it with coconut coir, cypress mulch or dirt. He needs humidity of 80%, with temps no lower then 80. If the bulb you are using is a coil type, get rid of that too ASAP, they cause eye problems. Then, read Toms threads below in my post for proper care and housing.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

You would be doing your little baby a very big favor if you would get rid of those pellets (the substrate) and use something you can moisten. Baby sulcatas will quickly start to grow bumpy shells (pyramiding) if you keep them on a dry substrate.

 

[mike taylor]

Hello and welcome! First things first go to thr sulcata section and read the top post . They will tell you how to why to .

 

[ccalderon]

Where can I get coconut coir? The bulb I am using is the zilla UVA UVB and heat.

 

[Barista5261]

Coconut coir is available at any pet supply store. I bought mine at PetSmart, it comes in compressed bricks, 3 in a pack for $8

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ

 

[ccalderon]

Okay great!!! We have a petsmart. You just break it up? I have read mixed things about moisture; like it could cause respritory infections. And that pyramiding is caused by too much protein. I soak him 3 times a week. Have a small dish of water available and feed him every other day. Any thoughts on cuttle bones? Haven't provided it but curious.

 

[Barista5261]

Coco coir directions: place the brick in a 5 gal bucket. It will tell you to add water and wait 30 min or something like that. But if you add warm water, it will absorb it faster and be ready in 5 min [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES] before you put it in the enclosure, make sure you aren't able to squeeze any water out of it. You want it to be moist, but not soaking wet.

As for cuttle bones: get one. Place it in the enclosure for your baby. See if he/she will nibble on it on their own. Some sullies (like mine) will eat it like candy, others won't touch it. You can check the cuttle bone every day for nibble marks [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

May I suggest soaking your baby every day since you have a bitty little hatchling. This will ensure your baby stays hydrated [DROPLET][TURTLE]

Pyramiding: keeping your baby in a humid, hot (between 80-100F) closed chamber will help he/she to grow smoothly. As will feeding a proper diet.



I started out doing all sorts of things wrong, and it is definitely a step by step process. The sooner you can make changes, the better, but don't feel like you must do everything overnight. Please keep asking questions, we are all here to help and give friendly advice! [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

 

[pfara]

Hydration is very important for young torts. When moisture is involved, hot and humid is perfect; cold temps and high humidity is the problem and can lead to health issues. Definitely read Tom's threads about raising supplies. The information that he provides freely will help tremendously. And yes, keep a cuttlebone in the enclosure at all times. It doesn't hurt anything to keep it in there yet it will give you peace of mind to know that your tort can self-regulate his calcium intake.

 

[ccalderon]

Thank you all for the advice, now I am rethinking his tortoise table and think I am going to replace it with something that will hold some humidity

 

[jvaldes55]

Welcome to the forum love your new baby! Hope your ready for a life long pal . I agree with everyone else though not a fan of the pellets.

 

[ccalderon]

I am about to go to petsmart to get the coir coconut. Can too dry of an environment cause him to be a little sluggish? hes eating fine and everything I just feel like hes been sleeping a little bit more than he had been.

 

[ccalderon]

Update: replaced bedding and housing . It looks like he tried nibbling on the bedding though. Its coconut coir substrate.