Jayjayt2018
New Member
How can I tell that my tortoise is happy? How can I tell that it’s healthy? I don’t know what I’m doing anymore someone please help.
Scared (happy? healthy?)
- Thread starter Jayjayt2018
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Jayjayt2018
New Member
I have a baby Sulcata.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2017
- Messages
- 5,942
- Location (City and/or State)
- Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
First, take a deep breath.
Tell us about your baby...where did you get him? How long have you had him? How old do you think he is?
Then, start taking pictures. Take several of him, both from above and below. Take pictures of his enclosure, and his lights. Tell us what kind of bulbs you are using.
Get the temp of 1) under his basking light, 2) the coolest place in his enclosure, 3) the overnight low temp. Take the readings at his height, not at the top of his enclosure.
And finally, tell us what you think about him. Is he eating well? What do you feed him? Do you feel like he's healthy? Or what makes you think something is wrong?
Here is how you should be caring for him. Read it carefully, then come back with questions. We'll tell you the "why" of what we suggest.
tortoiseforum.org
Tell us about your baby...where did you get him? How long have you had him? How old do you think he is?
Then, start taking pictures. Take several of him, both from above and below. Take pictures of his enclosure, and his lights. Tell us what kind of bulbs you are using.
Get the temp of 1) under his basking light, 2) the coolest place in his enclosure, 3) the overnight low temp. Take the readings at his height, not at the top of his enclosure.
And finally, tell us what you think about him. Is he eating well? What do you feed him? Do you feel like he's healthy? Or what makes you think something is wrong?
Here is how you should be caring for him. Read it carefully, then come back with questions. We'll tell you the "why" of what we suggest.
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
tortoiseforum.org
Jayjayt2018
New Member
I got her from Portland and when I got her she got a respiratory infection from being with them. I had her 3 days and she had it for a week. Took her to the vet and ended up getting a refund but instead of giving her back I kept her cuz I got attached to her quickly and I would rather her be with me and taken care of instead being inside an enclosure made for a red foot tortoise and get sicker. So far I’ve had her 4 months now. When I get her they said she was a new born and was 4 months old before I got her. So I’m guessing she could be 5 months old. I would take pictures of her but she’s in her hide sleeping so I’ll take them when she wakes up.
Under the basking light the temperature is 103.6°F. The thermometer I have in the middle of the enclosure is reading 96°F and only the cooler side it reads 78.4°F. At night the temperature ranges between 78.4-80.1°F. Also since I know she likes to dig I have her enclosure floor as reptibark with a mixture of the coconut fibers.
I love her she means the world to me. I want to see her grow up. To be able to walk outside to feed her and she’s ready to eat when she sees the food in my hand. She eats very well I feed her kale, spinach and collard greens(in moderation), Roman lettuce, and pieces of cut up sweet potatoes. Her eating lamp was off but I couldn’t tell for a lil but cuz it doesn’t put off light and she ended up getting another respiratory infection but I give her the medication every three days.
As far as what I think I’m doing wrong I truly don’t even know what I’m doing right. There’s only one exotic vet near me and even she barely knows what to do and she has a fully grown sulcata.
Under the basking light the temperature is 103.6°F. The thermometer I have in the middle of the enclosure is reading 96°F and only the cooler side it reads 78.4°F. At night the temperature ranges between 78.4-80.1°F. Also since I know she likes to dig I have her enclosure floor as reptibark with a mixture of the coconut fibers.
I love her she means the world to me. I want to see her grow up. To be able to walk outside to feed her and she’s ready to eat when she sees the food in my hand. She eats very well I feed her kale, spinach and collard greens(in moderation), Roman lettuce, and pieces of cut up sweet potatoes. Her eating lamp was off but I couldn’t tell for a lil but cuz it doesn’t put off light and she ended up getting another respiratory infection but I give her the medication every three days.
As far as what I think I’m doing wrong I truly don’t even know what I’m doing right. There’s only one exotic vet near me and even she barely knows what to do and she has a fully grown sulcata.
Jayjayt2018
New Member
I meant Petland and not Portland
I think it would ease your mind quite a bit if you knew you had the correct diet and set up. To achieve that knowledge, read the care sheet with an open mind and make changes and adjustments accordingly. Karen put up the link for you to click on in her post above.
Jayjayt2018
New Member
Thank you
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2017
- Messages
- 5,942
- Location (City and/or State)
- Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
I think the care sheet will explain a lot to you.
For instance, you said her "eating lamp" doesn't put out light. Maybe you meant "heating" lamp?
Along with the care sheet I linked above, I'm going to put several more links here. They help fill in the gaps in explaining details.
How about printing a couple copies and giving them to your vet?
4 elements of heating: By Tom
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.
Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.
UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
www.tortoiseforum.org
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata:
tortoiseforum.org
For instance, you said her "eating lamp" doesn't put out light. Maybe you meant "heating" lamp?
Along with the care sheet I linked above, I'm going to put several more links here. They help fill in the gaps in explaining details.
How about printing a couple copies and giving them to your vet?
4 elements of heating: By Tom
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.
Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.
UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
Beginner Mistakes
To comment on Tom's article, go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-split-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1tG8s05M5 Over the years many of us, myself included, have made many of these mistakes, and we have certainly seen them made many times by others. With springtime upon us and many new...
www.tortoiseforum.org
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata:
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...
Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...
tortoiseforum.org
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