sulcata baby

[lovesulcata]

Is this a good cage or whatever u say it for sulcata?? Im using uva exoterra 25 watt, is that ok? or what uva should i use? And what substrate that are good for sulcata? im using coco husk right now And I need help to raise humidity. I always spray the coco husk with water but it didnt raise the humidity and I dont want my Sulcata pyramiding. Some of ppls said coco peat can help raising the humidity, some of them said, coco peat is too dry for sulcata.
Or i have to buy a terarrium because its an closed enclosure? Any tips? Sorry for asking too much questions!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
1. Sulcata hatchlings do better in "closed chamber" cages. I wouldn't buy a terrarium - sulcatas grow very fast and will outgrow it quickly. You can use raised garden bed, a bookcase and such to make a large enough base and cover it with a portable greenhouse top. With an open top enclosure you won't get high enough humidity.

2. Recommended substrate for sulcata hatchlings is orchid (fir) bark, like ZooMed Reptibark. However, it can be hard to get in Indonesia. You can try to use coco peat but sulcatas will make a lot of mess out of it, so you will need to cover it with a layer of orchid bark or, maybe, coco husks. Coco peat is not dry when properly used: rehydrate it, put a layer of 8-10 inches in the enclosure and pack it down with your hand to get 4-5 inches thick layer. Coco husks are not the best option because they hard for babies to walk on and burrow, also long coco fibers can be eaten or tangle tortoise limbs. To keep humidity high you will need to pour water in the substrate to keep it moist from below, spraying it don't work.

3. Another important element to prevent pyramiding is correct heating and lightning. The basking lamp you have on the photo is an Intense Basking Spot lamp (either Exo Terra or ZooMed). Such lamps have narrow beam of light and heat and too intense. Also, it's hard for a tortoise to fit in in the basking area and warm up the whole body and they tend to "over bask". Both this issues result in shell growth dryness and pyramiding. Correct type of basking lamps is an incandescent flood bulb (which has wider beam and less intense), for example Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight or Exo Terra Daylight Basking Spot.

4. The coiled bulb you use for UVB is not suitable. Arcadia or ZooMed T5 long tube lamps are recommended. But I suspect, you don't need a UVB lamp - your climate should allow to take tortoise outside for sunbathing. 15-30 minutes daily at 10-11AM (2-3 hours a week) is sufficient. Tortoise should be supervised and shade MUST be available.

5. I see two sulcatas on the photo. They should be separated in different enclosures and never kept as a pair.

This care sheet would help you to raise a healthy and smooth sulcata (if you haven't seen this already): https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/ Please, ask more questions - not everything in this care sheet is applicable to your country and climate so we'll try to find alternatives.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome! Try to follow Alex’s advice and get them separated into appropriate enclosures with correct lighting and substrate, best of luck😊