Soft Shell?

[JaMar219]

I was just wondering on how long it will take a sulcata to have a hard shell.. or if our little "romper stomper" should have one already.. I'm pretty new to owning tortoises.. so please help.. she is only about, i would say, at the most 4-6 months old.. thank you.

 

[Yvonne G]

They will usually have a plastron that "gives" a bit when squeezed, however this firms up during the first year of life. Just be sure you're getting calcium-rich foods into him and, of course, the sun or UVB to make the calcium work.

 

[JaMar219]

They will usually have a plastron that "gives" a bit when squeezed, however this firms up during the first year of life. Just be sure you're getting calcium-rich foods into him and, of course, the sun or UVB to make the calcium work.

Yes she gets all of that.. Thank you so much.. Was worried there for a second

 

[Tom]

JaMar. Is that your sulcata as your avatar pic? I want more pics please. She looks great. The more you can get her in the sun, the faster that shell will harden up.

 

[JaMar219]

JaMar. Is that your sulcata as your avatar pic? I want more pics please. She looks great. The more you can get her in the sun, the faster that shell will harden up.

yes, that's our little girl..

here's another picture

such a beauty!!

 

[Tom]

She looks great out in the sun eating all that healthy stuff!

Have you read all the new info about hydration, humidity and shell spraying yet? Its the way to keep that perfect shell perfect.

 

[firework]

My Greek is 5 month old now, the belly is still springy, I was really scared when I found his shell could be "pushed". I took him to the Vet a couple of weeks ago, she said it's normal, just make sure he gets enough calsium, sunlight/UVB and water. I think it will take maybe a year before the shell is completely hardened.

 

[JaMar219]

She looks great out in the sun eating all that healthy stuff!

Have you read all the new info about hydration, humidity and shell spraying yet? Its the way to keep that perfect shell perfect.

yup.. well pretty sure i have.. we soak her everyday for at least 15 minutes... we have her enclosure at like 60 percent humidity i think.. and she is outside all day... when the weather permits.. she seems alright.. she tends to stay in her hide when she is outside though.. but once she comes back in for the night she is active.. should we be concerned? when she is outside she normally comes out a little towards the evening... isnt that their schedule though? more active during dusk and dawn?

 

[Tom]

I used to leave my babies out all day too, weather permitting, but now I just give them an hour or two because its so dry here. I used to think hot and dry was good. Now I know better. I also soak them before and after sunning sessions to insure they aren't dehydrated.

Its pretty normal for little ones to hide a lot outside. Try adding some potted plants, shade, hides, and grass hay to burrow into. She's probably trying to get into a humid burrow like they would in the wild.

Their activity schedual depends a lot on the weather too. They take cover during the heat of the day, but it really depends on the temps that day.

I and others have had really good results with spraying plain water, right on the shell 3-4 times a day. I do this indoors and out.

BTW, you can't post too many pics. None of us will tire of checking them out.

 

[JaMar219]

I used to leave my babies out all day too, weather permitting, but now I just give them an hour or two because its so dry here. I used to think hot and dry was good. Now I know better. I also soak them before and after sunning sessions to insure they aren't dehydrated.

Its pretty normal for little ones to hide a lot outside. Try adding some potted plants, shade, hides, and grass hay to burrow into. She's probably trying to get into a humid burrow like they would in the wild.

Their activity schedual depends a lot on the weather too. They take cover during the heat of the day, but it really depends on the temps that day.

I and others have had really good results with spraying plain water, right on the shell 3-4 times a day. I do this indoors and out.

BTW, you can't post too many pics. None of us will tire of checking them out.

i will have to try the grass hay for her.. she gets a lot of shade where we have her.. but she has nothing to burrow into.. thank you for all the info... and the reward for being so nice..


MORE PICTURES of our beautifull tortoise

please let us know what you think of our little girl.. THANK YOU!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, the tortoise is cute, but I'm much impressed that if you click on each word in the sentence ("More pictures of our beautiful tortoise) you get a different picture! Amazing what a computer will do.