Oh, hello tom ^_^I am the king of nit-picking! But always with good intentions. I'm just not used to being invited to nit pick…
I'll go through your post bit by bit, but in the end, all of this is in the three threads I will link at the bottom. You are making some common errors, and Im thrilled that you are open to fixing them.
Here is that care info:
- 10 gallon is much too small. Can't make a proper thermal gradient in that. Move to the 60 ASAP. And the 60 is only going to last a month or two. This will give you time to build a large closed chamber that will last a couple of years, make your life much easier, and make the tortoises life much better.
- Coco coir is oaky, but I find it much too messy for sulcatas. Fine grade orchid bark works much better, and both of these can be found much cheaper in bulk at garden centers.
- This is a tropical species. Temps in the 60s or low 70s are too low, especially for a new baby. Keep temps in the coldest part of the enclosure 80 or higher at all times. Only temperate species need a night drop that low. During the day ambient should creep up to 90-ish and there should be a baking area that is near 100.
- This species hatches at the start of the monsoon season in the wild. They need warm humid conditions. Shoot for 80% ambient humidity and offer a humid hide with 100% humidity.
- All of mine try to eat any kind of moss I put in the enclosure. I wouldn't use it. Best to take it out before it causes a problem.
- Every food you mentioned is the wrong food. None of those are toxic, but that isn't what they should be eating. Here is the right stuff:
- https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
- Since you live in the frozen north, the items on my list won't be available in winter. This being the case, when you buy foods at the grocery store, favor endive and escarole as your staple items, but add in sprouted wheat grass (Found in large pet store chains and some grocery store and sold in little plots for a couple of bucks.), cilantro, collard, mustard and turnip greens, bok choy, chard, celery tops, carrot tops, radiccio, spring mix and many others. Add in some blended grass hay, ZooMed Grassland tortoise chow, or regular Mazuri tortoise chow to amend the grocery store greens, add fiber and balance out the nutrition. This last sentence about amending the grocery store food is important. Many people focus on the greens and give less importance to the amendments. Both are important.
- About your outside points: 1. Puppy pens are not good unless you put a visual barrier around the bottom. I will link some ideas for you below. 2. It doesn't matter when you buy them. This species is very adaptable and they are not bother all that much by moving and new enclosures. 3. You will need a secure fence around your tortoises eventual outside enclosure when the snow melts. Domestic dogs are probably the single biggest killer of small tortoises.
- I prefer to leave mine alone in their enclosure and just pull them out for soaks daily, but with sulcatas, it is usually okay to handle them more. If appetite and activity remain good and unchanged, then handle your new pet as much as you like.
- As you are seeing first hand, that non-sense you always read about glass enclosures is… well… non-sense. I, and many others have been using them for decades with 100's of babies and never and issue. They are actually good for all the reasons they falsely claim they are bad. Reduced ventilation? Good! My warm humid air will stay where I want it, INSIDE the enclosure!
- I think is intermittent appetite is due to the cold temps. This should improve with warmer temps.
- I feed hatchlings whole leaves. I find they have an easier time tearing off bite size chunks when they have the weigh and drag of the whole leaf to pull against. Other people chop it up. Either way works due to that sulcata adaptability.
- Yes! I read the whole thing!
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Enclosure ideas for sunning the baby:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...table-but-safe-outdoor-baby-enclosures.30683/
Hit me with all your questions after reading this.
Ive been working on making a list to what I need. I have a larger tank that I will move him into when I have the supplies that he needs (I'm thinking an undertank heat pad, a bark/coconut fiber mix substrate, heat lamp, etc.) I wish I would have got that stuff before getting him, but I feel UVB and 70-75 degree temps aswell as good humidity could sustain, at least until I can get my larger tank setup. I feel like if I don't have my heater it would be even harder to manage temp in the larger one.