Please help answer my questions about my baby sulcata!!

[brian.le02]

I got him 2 days ago and I plan to soak him everyday because I’ve heard it doesn’t hurt and they need a lot of hydration but yes I have soaked him everyday and I will use my spray bottle to spray his shell and his body a few times a day and I put him in the natural sun light for about 20-30min but I’ve never seen him drink water and I do get worried but I feel he drinks when I’m not there but I’ve snuck up on him once and I found him sitting in his water bowl

And yes I have recently found that poring water into the corners of the enclosure work for a lot of people I have recently done it and my humidity went up to 88% which is great I’m still waiting to see if it will maintain or even go higher and I spray the towel I have over his enclosure which has also helped greatly

 

[brian.le02]

The humidity actually dropped back to high 70’s maybe I didn’t pour enough water? I will keep experimenting with it but how do I know when the substrate it tooo wet? It feels pretty damp and wet but I can’t squeeze any water out of it

 

[Lyn W]

The caresheets will

Sorry for the late response but I put a thin curtain with small holes over the towel and it had reached up to 88 humidity so I just need to learn how to control it, it is working great so far also the heat is so close because it is a CHE 60 watt light and it is kinda weak but I just ordered a new CHE that I will be using for night time and day time to maintain 80 degrees and above and it won’t be that close haha.

Also I am using a cypress mulch with coco coir mixed into it and I’ve heard many different things about how wet the substrate should be and if I should or should not put moss into it’s half log hiding?

Do you have a basking bulb as well as the che?

 

[brian.le02]

I use the CHE to keep a rock up to 100 degrees and also heat up apart of the enclosure and I just keep the CHE on day and night and I see him move near his rock and even lay on it and then he spends a lot of time in his little hide

 

[Ray--Opo]

I got him 2 days ago and I plan to soak him everyday because I’ve heard it doesn’t hurt and they need a lot of hydration but yes I have soaked him everyday and I will use my spray bottle to spray his shell and his body a few times a day and I put him in the natural sun light for about 20-30min but I’ve never seen him drink water and I do get worried but I feel he drinks when I’m not there but I’ve snuck up on him once and I found him sitting in his water bowl

And yes I have recently found that poring water into the corners of the enclosure work for a lot of people I have recently done it and my humidity went up to 88% which is great I’m still waiting to see if it will maintain or even go higher and I spray the towel I have over his enclosure which has also helped greatly

Dont just pour water in the corners. Pour the water everywhere. Make it moist enough without making mud or standing water on the bottom. When you soak him chances are he is drinking then. My sully while soaking will put his mouth in the water. I can see him barely open his mouth and take water in. Sometimes he will straighten his neck out and I can see him swallow. He has not figured out what the water dish is for.

 

[brian.le02]

Oh ok I will be sure to do it when I am soaking him to keep humidity


Also is this normal for his legs when he is laying down?

 

[brian.le02]

Also as long as the substrate is not soaking and dripping wet it is ok?

 

[Donna Albu]

He also makes a little squeal of noise when he is startled and quickly moves into his shell also how can I prevent a respiratory infection?

Hi Brian, Welcome! I see that you live near me - so I thought I'd speak up. In the wild, a baby sulcata has no parent lovingly teaching it how to live, so evidently they are born with really good instincts. Given the freedom to roam at will, it will know when to seek warmth and when to cool down. It will also climb into it's water bowl, and soak for as long as it feels good. Go outside and find it some spurge that you are positive has never seen a pesticide or herbicide. The safest place is your own yard, as long as you have never used either of these. He'd really like it if you take him to the spurge, and he can eat it fresh. (For those of you who live where spurge is poisonous, don't panic - ours is perfectly safe.)

I'm sure some will think I'm nuts, but we use (and have always used) native sand from our yard as substrate. As they grew, they lived in larger and larger enclosures, but always with 4 to 6 inches of sand. At one end I stuck shoots from my spider plants, and these ended up growing into a beautiful "forest" that was frequently explored and hidden in. Of course, this end of the enclosure (actually, about 2/3 of it) was watered significantly every 2 or 3 days. The "dry" end is where their hide was, and also their night time heat lamp, as the house thermostat was set to go down to 68 at night during the winter and up to 72 during the day. So they always had at least one additional heat emitter. I often fed vegetables that were high in water content along with their cut up and soaked grass. I'm sure you can guess which they preferred. They have been outside full time now for about 10 years, including the little guy we adopted from New Jersey. As we live where predators are plentiful, until they all grew to be way too big to be lifted by any of them, I kept the fencing covered with bird netting, including over the top. We will be totally refurbishing their house this summer, as the frequent running of the sprinklers year round has damaged one side of it considerably, but you are welcome to come visit any time you'd like, meet everyone and have a tour! Just message me and we'll make contact.

 

[brian.le02]

Hi Brian, Welcome! I see that you live near me - so I thought I'd speak up. In the wild, a baby sulcata has no parent lovingly teaching it how to live, so evidently they are born with really good instincts. Given the freedom to roam at will, it will know when to seek warmth and when to cool down. It will also climb into it's water bowl, and soak for as long as it feels good. Go outside and find it some spurge that you are positive has never seen a pesticide or herbicide. The safest place is your own yard, as long as you have never used either of these. He'd really like it if you take him to the spurge, and he can eat it fresh. (For those of you who live where spurge is poisonous, don't panic - ours is perfectly safe.)

I'm sure some will think I'm nuts, but we use (and have always used) native sand from our yard as substrate. As they grew, they lived in larger and larger enclosures, but always with 4 to 6 inches of sand. At one end I stuck shoots from my spider plants, and these ended up growing into a beautiful "forest" that was frequently explored and hidden in. Of course, this end of the enclosure (actually, about 2/3 of it) was watered significantly every 2 or 3 days. The "dry" end is where their hide was, and also their night time heat lamp, as the house thermostat was set to go down to 68 at night during the winter and up to 72 during the day. So they always had at least one additional heat emitter. I often fed vegetables that were high in water content along with their cut up and soaked grass. I'm sure you can guess which they preferred. They have been outside full time now for about 10 years, including the little guy we adopted from New Jersey. As we live where predators are plentiful, until they all grew to be way too big to be lifted by any of them, I kept the fencing covered with bird netting, including over the top. We will be totally refurbishing their house this summer, as the frequent running of the sprinklers year round has damaged one side of it considerably, but you are welcome to come visit any time you'd like, meet everyone and have a tour! Just message me and we'll make contact.

Wow that was beautiful I’m so glad that you are giving the tortoises a great life to grow healthy and I’d love to visit your tortoise farm and I’ll be sure to introduce him to spruce I have plenty in my yard haha also what kind of vegetables have u been feeding them? I am feeding mine some kale, collard greens, and mustard greens he is loving them but I plan to switch it up every few weeks for variety I also have pellets from zilla

Have you ran into any problems with the tortoise like pyramiding or and infections? And what as long as there was to pesticide or herbicide I can give him some from my yard?

 

[Tom]

Hi Brian, Welcome! I see that you live near me - so I thought I'd speak up. In the wild, a baby sulcata has no parent lovingly teaching it how to live, so evidently they are born with really good instincts. Given the freedom to roam at will, it will know when to seek warmth and when to cool down. It will also climb into it's water bowl, and soak for as long as it feels good. Go outside and find it some spurge that you are positive has never seen a pesticide or herbicide. The safest place is your own yard, as long as you have never used either of these. He'd really like it if you take him to the spurge, and he can eat it fresh. (For those of you who live where spurge is poisonous, don't panic - ours is perfectly safe.)

I'm sure some will think I'm nuts, but we use (and have always used) native sand from our yard as substrate. As they grew, they lived in larger and larger enclosures, but always with 4 to 6 inches of sand. At one end I stuck shoots from my spider plants, and these ended up growing into a beautiful "forest" that was frequently explored and hidden in. Of course, this end of the enclosure (actually, about 2/3 of it) was watered significantly every 2 or 3 days. The "dry" end is where their hide was, and also their night time heat lamp, as the house thermostat was set to go down to 68 at night during the winter and up to 72 during the day. So they always had at least one additional heat emitter. I often fed vegetables that were high in water content along with their cut up and soaked grass. I'm sure you can guess which they preferred. They have been outside full time now for about 10 years, including the little guy we adopted from New Jersey. As we live where predators are plentiful, until they all grew to be way too big to be lifted by any of them, I kept the fencing covered with bird netting, including over the top. We will be totally refurbishing their house this summer, as the frequent running of the sprinklers year round has damaged one side of it considerably, but you are welcome to come visit any time you'd like, meet everyone and have a tour! Just message me and we'll make contact.

Many tortoises die from sand impaction. Its like Russian roulette. Not everyone who plays is gonna die, but some people are. There are safer and better substrates to use that help to re-create the natural monsoon conditions that baby sulcatas hatch into in the wild. I'm glad you got away with it, but sand should not be recommended.

 

[Russiantortylady]

Is that Coconut shell in your enclosure?? If so where id you happen to buy it??? I went to a green house and I wasn;t sure if I should get there or not, it was organic and you wet it down and it expands..............

 

[Ray--Opo]

Oh ok I will be sure to do it when I am soaking him to keep humidity

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Also is this normal for his legs when he is laying down?

Looks like he is comfortable. If you notice when he is walking that he can't walk a good distance or can't hold his shell off the ground. Then there would be a problem.
A little tip...... when setting your tort down make sure the back legs are not extended and always set down gently. As my sully got bigger I accidentally set him down a little too hard and for about 10 steps he was favoring one of his back legs.

 

[brian.le02]

Thank you for the tip I am always gentle with him haha also that’s what I figured he was comfortable just wanted to make sure

Also no it is not a coconut haha it is a half log that I buried half into the floor he liked to sleep in it or even on top

 

[Ray--Opo]

Also as long as the substrate is not soaking and dripping wet it is ok?

Yes you dont want it to wet. I cant remember do you have a temp/ hydrometer gauge? The dial stick on kind are not accurate.
One like this is better, digital with external probes. They are not expensive online.

 

[brian.le02]

I do have a hydro meter the humidity usually ranges from mid 70’s and 80’s sometimes high 80’s after a soak I’m still trying to figure out ways to keep it up constantly

 

[Ray--Opo]

The towel you have over the enclosure does it completely cover the enclosure?

 

[brian.le02]

It covers half and after I spray it to make it damp I put a thin curtain with holes over the whole thing it’s like a big net with very small wholes

 

[brian.le02]

Also I hear the eyes are a good way to determine a tortoises health and that if they are sluggish than it could be a sign they are sick so here are his eyes and he spends a lot of time in his little hide and I see him moving around and exploring in the morning but around 6 or 7 he slows down and is usually sleeping by 8 also when I put him outside of his enclosure for some extra exercise he is very active and runs around and is quite the speeder haha is this normal behavior and does he look healthy?

Also not sure if this is important but his pee is very liquidity like straight water haha whenever I accidentally frighten him he sprays water and his poo comes out solid

 

[Ray--Opo]

It covers half and after I spray it to make it damp I put a thin curtain with holes over the whole thing it’s like a big net with very small wholes

You might want to use a shower curtain or something like that. And maybe up your temp a little. The higher the temperature will bring up the humidity.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

The towel is not going to help keep your humidity or temps up to par. You need to completely close the enclosure with plastic or a shower curtain or make a top for it. The humidity needs to stay above 80 at all times and temps to. Baby torts dehydrate very quickly. To avoid the pyramiding it has to be constant. Did you read the care sheets in the Sulcata section? It explained what you need.