Sulcuta tortoise need help

[Antoni]

Soil that you buy in a bag at the store is made from people's yard waste that is composted at the seller's facility. There is no way to know what the soil is made of. It could be oleander clippings which are super toxic, or it could be harmless chemical free weeds from an empty lot. It could be lawn clippings treated with "weed n feed" or it could be tree leaves that dropped in the fall. The point is that you don't know. There is no way to know unless you composted the soil yourself from your own ingredients. That is why I say not to use soil. And its also messy and muddy too. It is for these reasons that I say orchid bark works best for this species. Orchid bark doesn't turn to mud, it has nothing toxic in it, it resists mold and fungus, and you can keep the lower layers damp while the upper layer that is in contact with the tortoise can stay relatively dry-ish.

If your tortoise is like mine, it will try to eat the moss. This can cause intestinal blockage and the moss is not a good food item anyway. This is why I don't use moss.

Tropical species of reptiles don't "adjust" to cooler temps. They need what they need. Some species are more adaptable than others and can survive the wrong temps and conditions, but they don't "get used to it". Adult sulcatas can tolerate a wide range of temps and conditions, but the goal should still be to provide them with optimal conditions and temps when we can. Babies, not so much. Babies have a much smaller margin of error and low tolerance for incorrect conditions.

Burrows are good for them here in SoCal in summer, but our nights are too cold for the rest of the year. I let my adults use there own self-dug burrow all summer, but I cover the hole and make them use their heated night boxes for spring, fall and winter. See it here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/
I also came up with this for smaller juvenile sulcatas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/


Something to keep in mind is that we live in a temperate climate. We have winters and cold nights. Sulcatas come from the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara desert. They have two seasons: Hot and hotter. Sulcatas can survive our temperatures, but they need some help in the form of electrically heated shelters during our cooler months. During the heat of the day and the occasional cool winter night over there, sulcatas stay in their burrows where the temperatures are warm day and night, and they humidity is at least moderate, if not high. I'm taking about adults above, and all of this is even more critical for a baby.

I think its awesome that you are here and asking questions! You will learn faster that way. I hope my info is helpful to you and your tortoise.

You're right. I just have to be diligent with him while he's a baby and provide what it needs. Thanks again for walking me through this

 

[Tom]

Keep all the questions coming. We are all here to talk tortoises!

 

[Speedy-1]

hey everyone, so i went to a reptile store to get informed and get settled by today, i bought some mazuri pellets just to try it (lemme know if that's good) and reptivite (they said for calcium) i mixed it with the grass and he was eating the grass so lemme know if i shouldnt do any of these... also i explained the situation and the owner questioned as to why i have the humidity at 80% when it's a desert turtoise. The owner then said to have it around 50-60% (please inform me more on this.) i explained to the owner that it's a desert/tropical turtle maybe thats why it would be around 80%.. they then showed me their sulcutas from baby to godzilla, they had different sizes. I mean i know adaptability and flexibility is one thing. But they should be raising them right to get to that point. Also they questioned why bathe the tortoise daily when again its a desert turtoise. I also explained that the season when sulcutas hatch are during rainy and humid season in africa.(they look at me as if im a gullable person who believes everything on the internet.)The store is owned by a husband a wife and they have various reptiles. Lemme know if theres anything else i should look into.

Mazuri pellets are a very good way of giving your tort any of the nutrients you may have missed when feeding him ! I feed Speedy Mazuri pellets twice a week . He started at I pellet per feeding , he is now up to 32 pellets a day , with a big pile of soaked Bermuda grass hay on top ! They seem to like the old style best , looks like this ;


Also , yes I did say grape and mulberry leaves ! They also love hibiscus leaves and flowers . Grape leaves and cactus are high in calcium also . Speedy always has cuttlebone available .

 

[Antoni]

Hey everyone. So this morning i think im able to stablize everything. Woke up with him being active already, i saw him near the food that i put from yesterday, so i went ahead and mixed mazuri pelet with bermuda grass clovers and grape leaves. I mixed it all together in a like warm water and added a lil bit of the calcium powder. He at about half of what i made in one sitting so it was good to see him eat. I didnt get a chance to give him a bath last night coz i got home late and would rather him sleep so i bathed him this morning. And now hes back to eating and roaming. My question for today tho is about the lighting.. i have a 100w basking light on a 150w max ceramic dome. How long can i leave that dome on? I also have a 60w ceramic heat emitter on a 75w max dome, it may not be ceramic but i tried it last night for an hour and it wasnt getting hot or anything, how long can i have those on? And if not that, i could move it to the 150w dome to be sure. (The heating element is sub for basking light heat at night.) but again the question is how long can those domes handle the work? The brand is zilla, and its the premium reflectir dome for light and heat

 

[saginawhxc]

I'm assuming that you are asking how long it will be safe to run those fixtures in their respective bases, and not how long to actually have the basking bulbs and/or CHE on. I will answer your question under that assumption.

You should be able to theoretically run the 100W bulb in the 150W rated ceramic base forever. As for the other one, I personally would not trust it. It might technically sound okay on paper, but I do not believe they are built with CHE bulbs in mind. I really only trust those plastic bases with fluorescent bulbs.

The bottom line is the better bases only cost a little more, but they are way more durable and will provide a much greater peace of mind.

 

[Tom]

Hey everyone. So this morning i think im able to stablize everything. Woke up with him being active already, i saw him near the food that i put from yesterday, so i went ahead and mixed mazuri pelet with bermuda grass clovers and grape leaves. I mixed it all together in a like warm water and added a lil bit of the calcium powder. He at about half of what i made in one sitting so it was good to see him eat. I didnt get a chance to give him a bath last night coz i got home late and would rather him sleep so i bathed him this morning. And now hes back to eating and roaming. My question for today tho is about the lighting.. i have a 100w basking light on a 150w max ceramic dome. How long can i leave that dome on? I also have a 60w ceramic heat emitter on a 75w max dome, it may not be ceramic but i tried it last night for an hour and it wasnt getting hot or anything, how long can i have those on? And if not that, i could move it to the 150w dome to be sure. (The heating element is sub for basking light heat at night.) but again the question is how long can those domes handle the work? The brand is zilla, and its the premium reflectir dome for light and heat

Your basking bulb needs to be on for at least 12 hours. It is meant to simulate the sun and give them an area to warm up in during the day. I think your ceramic based 150 watt fixture should be able to handle your 100 watt bulb just fine.

The CHE needs to be in a bigger fixture and it must have a ceramic base. The pet store stuff is often useless and a waste of money. Here are the fixtures I use and recommend:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-300-Watt-Incandescent-Brooder-Clamp-Light-HD-303PDQ/204684496
As with any clamp lamp, remove the clamp, and you don't need the little safety cage over the bulb. Hang it from over head. Those clamps always fail and people's houses have burned down because of it. These fixtures will let you run your CHE or basking bulb all day every day and not have any issues.

Your CHE should be on all the time, but set it on a thermostat. If the house is warm and the basking bulb is heating up the enclosure, the thermostat will keep the CHE off. If things get cooler, the thermostat will kick the CHE on for you automatically, day or night, and keep your temperatures up. I like both of these:
https://www.hydrofarm.com/p/MTPRTC
https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller

 

[Antoni]

I'm assuming that you are asking how long it will be safe to run those fixtures in their respective bases, and not how long to actually have the basking bulbs and/or CHE on. I will answer your question under that assumption.

You should be able to theoretically run the 100W bulb in the 150W rated ceramic base forever. As for the other one, I personally would not trust it. It might technically sound okay on paper, but I do not believe they are built with CHE bulbs in mind. I really only trust those plastic bases with fluorescent bulbs.

The bottom line is the better bases only cost a little more, but they are way more durable and will provide a much greater peace of mind.

Yes thats my is my question. Thanks for clarifying. I think i need a stronger heater tho. 60w isnt doing much for me.. ill buy a stronger one today and see if that works better.

 

[Speedy-1]

Yes thats my is my question. Thanks for clarifying. I think i need a stronger heater tho. 60w isnt doing much for me.. ill buy a stronger one today and see if that works better.

I ended up using a 60 watt in the summer and a 100 watt for winter . I also removed the dome and lowered the ceramic fixture and CHE right down into the enclosure ! Like this ;

 

[Antoni]

I ended up using a 60 watt in the summer and a 100 watt for winter . I also removed the dome and lowered the ceramic fixture and CHE right down into the enclosure ! Like this ;

View attachment 187558

Make sense. Summer just ended here maybe thats why i needed a higher one. Ill keep that in mind. Thank you

 

[Antoni]

So last night i was having an issue with the temp and humidity. A couple of days ago i had the right temp and humidity but it was really wet.. so i tried adding more substrate and last night i was struggling to get the enclosement to 80• and 80%.. the temp was around 70, and the humidity dropped to 70, then 60 then 50. I went to the store again to buy a stronger basking light. I reached the 80-85 temp with it in hopes that the humidity will go up. Any tips with humidity? Or doni just add more water?

 

[Speedy-1]

So last night i was having an issue with the temp and humidity. A couple of days ago i had the right temp and humidity but it was really wet.. so i tried adding more substrate and last night i was struggling to get the enclosement to 80• and 80%.. the temp was around 70, and the humidity dropped to 70, then 60 then 50. I went to the store again to buy a stronger basking light. I reached the 80-85 temp with it in hopes that the humidity will go up. Any tips with humidity? Or doni just add more water?

Is your enclosure completely covered ? If not you will have problems trying to maintain a constant temp. and or humidity .

 

[Antoni]

Is your enclosure completely covered ? If not you will have problems trying to maintain a constant temp. and or humidity .

Only 3/4 closed. I wasnt sure if i should completely cover it coz doesnt it require oxygen? Haha or does he get that from the moisture?

 

[Antoni]

Is your enclosure completely covered ? If not you will have problems trying to maintain a constant temp. and or humidity .

I think i have an idea of what i need to do then.

 

[Tom]

So last night i was having an issue with the temp and humidity. A couple of days ago i had the right temp and humidity but it was really wet.. so i tried adding more substrate and last night i was struggling to get the enclosement to 80• and 80%.. the temp was around 70, and the humidity dropped to 70, then 60 then 50. I went to the store again to buy a stronger basking light. I reached the 80-85 temp with it in hopes that the humidity will go up. Any tips with humidity? Or doni just add more water?

Adding more electric heat dries things out faster. When things dry faster, you get more evaporative cooling, then you need more heat. More heat dries things out more… Its a vicious cycle and all that electric heat dries out the carapace and contributes to pyramiding.

The solution is a closed chamber with the lights and heating inside. Stop letting your heat and humidity out of the enclosure and it won't be so hard to have heat and humidity. The enclosure will not be air tight and your tortoise will have plenty of fresh air to breath.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

Don't copy the heating and lighting here, just check out the enclosure:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2015-growth-experiment.119874/

Let me just be super clear on one point that needs your immediate attention, like RIGHT NOW: 70 is too cold at night for your tortoise in that damp enclosure. You are literally risking its life letting the temperature drop that low at night. This cannot wait another day. Your tortoise needs to be kept warm tonight and every night. You are right on the verge of causing a respiratory infection, and those are never easy to treat, but particularly difficult to treat in a hatchling. I'm not trying to lecture you, but I need to make sure you understand this point.

 

[Antoni]

Found my mistake... spray water not pour... all the water is at the bottom and is keeping my tank cooler too stopping me from reaching the temp and humidity.... what a silly mistake... i poured out the water and now its coming back up.

 

[Antoni]

Adding more electric heat dries things out faster. When things dry faster, you get more evaporative cooling, then you need more heat. More heat dries things out more… Its a vicious cycle and all that electric heat dries out the carapace and contributes to pyramiding.

The solution is a closed chamber with the lights and heating inside. Stop letting your heat and humidity out of the enclosure and it won't be so hard to have heat and humidity. The enclosure will not be air tight and your tortoise will have plenty of fresh air to breath.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

Don't copy the heating and lighting here, just check out the enclosure:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2015-growth-experiment.119874/

Let me just be super clear on one point that needs your immediate attention, like RIGHT NOW: 70 is too cold at night for your tortoise in that damp enclosure. You are literally risking its life letting the temperature drop that low at night. This cannot wait another day. Your tortoise needs to be kept warm tonight and every night. You are right on the verge of causing a respiratory infection, and those are never easy to treat, but particularly difficult to treat in a hatchling. I'm not trying to lecture you, but I need to make sure you understand this point.

I fixed the temperature this morning already, and am currently trying to fix the humidity. Which is slightly going up now too. I acted right away when i saw it at 70 to where i just left the basking light on and shaded the hide so i could maintain the 80• temp. But tonight i have the correct equipment to keep him warm.

 

[Antoni]

Adding more electric heat dries things out faster. When things dry faster, you get more evaporative cooling, then you need more heat. More heat dries things out more… Its a vicious cycle and all that electric heat dries out the carapace and contributes to pyramiding.

The solution is a closed chamber with the lights and heating inside. Stop letting your heat and humidity out of the enclosure and it won't be so hard to have heat and humidity. The enclosure will not be air tight and your tortoise will have plenty of fresh air to breath.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

Don't copy the heating and lighting here, just check out the enclosure:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2015-growth-experiment.119874/

Let me just be super clear on one point that needs your immediate attention, like RIGHT NOW: 70 is too cold at night for your tortoise in that damp enclosure. You are literally risking its life letting the temperature drop that low at night. This cannot wait another day. Your tortoise needs to be kept warm tonight and every night. You are right on the verge of causing a respiratory infection, and those are never easy to treat, but particularly difficult to treat in a hatchling. I'm not trying to lecture you, but I need to make sure you understand this point.

Also i understand the urgency, im not reading it as a lecture but more of information that i need to know, and a learning experience. I appreciate that u help me through this day to day and now i know what i need to do with the enclosure to have a the requirements it needs. So again. Thanks

 

[Antoni]

Woooh! Succesful night guys, temp was at 85• and humidity was 87% i think ive gotten everything i need down. Thank you all so much for walking me through this. Any further questions ill post in a new thread. Again. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Tom]

Woooh! Succesful night guys, temp was at 85• and humidity was 87% i think ive gotten everything i need down. Thank you all so much for walking me through this. Any further questions ill post in a new thread. Again. Thanks for all the help.

So glad that our info helped. I think I can speak for everyone here that our goal is for you to have a healthy tortoise and a positive tortoise keeping experience.

After the flurry of activity and changes over the last few day, believe me when I tell you it will get much easier as time goes by. Once you move him outside full time, it will be very little work and lots and lots of enjoyment here in our climate.

 

[Antoni]

So glad that our info helped. I think I can speak for everyone here that our goal is for you to have a healthy tortoise and a positive tortoise keeping experience.

After the flurry of activity and changes over the last few day, believe me when I tell you it will get much easier as time goes by. Once you move him outside full time, it will be very little work and lots and lots of enjoyment here in our climate.

Yes! And I definitely notice the change in him as well, from eating 5-6 strands of grass in day one to now eating the pile, he still doesnt eat too much of the pellets, so i decided to just put half the pellet for now. But his appetite is of a healthy sully which makes me happy. And i see him wag his tail regularly (im hoping it means its happy haha) i places a small dish of water next to the food for him to drink and a larger dish of water near the basking area for him to soak (and help with humidity) funny that he knows what each dish is for.
The setting up was a lil harder than I expected but i had fun tending to what it needs.