Here are my thoughts:Below are pics of my torts enclosure. Its gotten warm in the Chicagoland are and would like input on his care when outside.
All input greatly appreciated.
-Sulcatas are NOT a desert species. They come from forest edge areas and grassland areas in the wild. It takes a lot of annual rainfall to sustain Forrests and grasslands.Thanks for the info, He comes in every night. I wiill do the plywood walls. He grazes on weeds in the yard when Im out and watching him, will not touch the grass. I have to feed him foods I buy because of the neighborhood I live in, too many chemicals applied in the summer coming up.. He gets fed Timothy hay, dandelions, wheat grass, turnip greens. Various raw vegetables and Mazuri desert tortoise pellet’s.He eats any cuttlebone I throw in there. I’ll bury a larger shallow clay pot but he's bigger than the ramp water dish, can’t flip in.
He’s a “desert tortoise” but how much heat and sunlight can he safely tolerate. Don’t want to cook him accidentally.
I have him on pine bark indoors and Cypress bedding outdoors, any issues here?
When they're young like yours Sulcata are mostly interested in eating broad leaf weeds and plants. They start eating grasses and hay when they get a bit older. And actually, sulcata don't come from the desert. You find them in a transitional eco-region of semi-arid grasslands, scrub, and savannah in northern Africa. They spend the hot part of the day deep inside a burrow, so you want nice shady areas for him to get out of the hot sun.Thanks for the info, He comes in every night. I wiill do the plywood walls. He grazes on weeds in the yard when Im out and watching him, will not touch the grass. I have to feed him foods I buy because of the neighborhood I live in, too many chemicals applied in the summer coming up.. He gets fed Timothy hay, dandelions, wheat grass, turnip greens. Various raw vegetables and Mazuri desert tortoise pellet’s.He eats any cuttlebone I throw in there. I’ll bury a larger shallow clay pot but he's bigger than the ramp water dish, can’t flip in.
He’s a “desert tortoise” but how much heat and sunlight can he safely tolerate. Don’t want to cook him accidentally.
I have him on pine bark indoors and Cypress bedding outdoors, any issues here?
I suppose this depends on the species and the show, but I don't share your observation. Even desert tortoise footage shows them among vegetation and chaparral in the shows that I have seen. The sulcata book that I have called "The Crying Tortoise" shows them walking in a seasonal marsh with vegetation on their backs.Whenever one see nature docs on torts they are in very barren surroundings.
They don't need much UV exposure to do what they need to do. A few minutes a few times a week probably gets the job done. In the wild, and in captivity too in areas that are hot like their native range, they bask at the moth of their burrows in the morning to warm up, and then retreat underground to avoid the scorching heat of the day.If he stays hidden outdoors how does one maintain a UV exposure level.
@Kapidolo Farms has a great assortment of dry foods that you can mix in and add to your greens to add fiber, nutrition and variety. I use their stuff almost daily.Is there a place I can order
edibles from?
This will change in time. Most of them don't get ravenous for grass until they surpass that 12-14 inch mark.He’ll eat wheat grass cut up and mixed with the hay, greens and clover
mix I give daily. Put him in the grass and he searches for weeds, will not touch the lawn.
Fruitless mulberry trees, rose of Sharon, grape vines, etc... Most anything will need some sort of barrier around the base to protect it until it gets large enough to stand up to the abuse of a large tortoise.What type shrubs are safe to shade a large area.
-Swap the Belgium endive for curly endive, aka chicory sometimes.My neighborhood has pristine lawns which I must emulate. So, soon he will not be able to forage on the lawn. If I must feed him only purchased food, what should I get?
Now
Mazuri LS
Wheat grass
clover or alfalfa sprouts
Organic Dandelion
Hay
turnip and mustard greens.
Belgium endive
multiple raw vegetables occasionally.
What should I dump, what should I substitute?