Temp and humidity

[Nessa]

I feel like I am a bit confused even though more experienced sulcata owners have many different opinions on the matter.

I always have made sure that my sulcatas stay above 72 degrees F. I mean right? Isn't that usually the guideline for temps? I thought it was, unless I am mistaken. And to my understanding 72F is still low. I usually have it no lower than 78F.

I have come across this article a couple times but doing my research on Sulcatas. http://www.ojaisulcataproject.org/housing.html - Figured it's time to bring this to everyones attention.

I am bringing this up because I will always go with an article that generally looks something like this: http://tortugavilla.com/CareSheets.html

Furthermore, I wanted to discuss both my sulcata's breathing issues. They do not have bubbles, foam or any signs of a respiratory infection. However, they whistle when they breath and they are breathing through their noses.

I read a tread that says it might be the humidity levels. I live in California, and I tell you, it has been very very dry. We are talking about 9% humidity. Does anyone have any insight on this or any advice?

It is crazy that I have been a sulcata owner for 6 years and these things still confuse me but I am learning new things everyday. So this was somewhat embarrassing for me to ask but I honestly I would rather have the right facts from more experienced sulcata owners. I want my sulcatas to be as healthy as possible.


Thank you everyone!!

 

[Tom]

This comes up on a regular basis. You are not alone in your confusion.

Your second link is simply the same old, out-dated, incorrect info that has been circulating for decades. Its wrong. It was wrong 30 years ago when I learned it and taught it to other people, and it is wrong now. Only in the last few years have we begun to figure out the right info, why the old info was wrong, and why the new/correct info works. Vets, "experts", breeders, and long time keepers still keep parroting this old info and some of them just willfully wish to remain ignorant and continue contributing to the death and disfigurement of countless babies every year.

Your first link was written by my friend Dave Friend. Dave's has been doing it a long time and he learned in the old days, just like all of us that have been around for decades. He grew increasingly frustrated with people telling him about these new methods with humidity and tropical warmth, and he typed up that care sheet specifically to refute the new info point by point. Since that time, experience and his peers have informed him otherwise, but his health has been failing him for that last few years and he has not revised any of that old info. So there it sits on the internet, continually confusing anyone who reads it and our info back to back.

Here is the correct info:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

This old thread will give you some idea where this is all coming from:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/
Look at the dates. When I joined this forum I began talking about this new info I had discovered and been trying out. Many people argued with me, called me names, and did their very best to undermine me. I persisted because I knew I was right. I created this thread as a way to tell my opponents to "Put up or shut up." Meaning: I'm going to publicly raise some babies my way on this thread, and I invited them to start a similar thread, or use my thread, and publicly raise some babies using the methods THEY promoted and we could compare and contrast. We could see who gets what results. All sorts of predictions ensued, but as the results came in, the proof was irrefutable. People could speculate about desert climates, respiratory infections and shell rot all they wanted, but I posted pic after pic proving otherwise. None of the naysayers put up. All of them shut up, and some left the forum. This is unfortunate because some of them were very experienced members with much to offer. They apparently just couldn't handle being wrong. I challenged their long held incorrect beliefs and they simply couldn't accept that they'd been wrong all those years. That is just how some people are. I was wrong all those years too, but I was frustrated by failure after failure even though I did everything "right" according to the "experts". I was sooooooo happy when I discovered that I/we were wrong and why, and what actually worked and why. FOr me this was a tortoise husbandry issue. Not a pride issue. I don't care about "who" is right. I care about "what" is right, and what is going to produce a healthy tortoise. Unnatural desert conditions and dehydration for a baby that would hatch at the start of the monsoon season is NOT healthy. Cold temperatures for a tropical animal that comes from year round warm temps is not healthy, even if it is sometimes survivable.

Please ask lots of questions. I'm happy to explain further.

 

[Jay Bagley]

I feel like I am a bit confused even though more experienced sulcata owners have many different opinions on the matter.

I always have made sure that my sulcatas stay above 72 degrees F. I mean right? Isn't that usually the guideline for temps? I thought it was, unless I am mistaken. And to my understanding 72F is still low. I usually have it no lower than 78F.

I have come across this article a couple times but doing my research on Sulcatas. http://www.ojaisulcataproject.org/housing.html - Figured it's time to bring this to everyones attention.

I am bringing this up because I will always go with an article that generally looks something like this: http://tortugavilla.com/CareSheets.html

Furthermore, I wanted to discuss both my sulcata's breathing issues. They do not have bubbles, foam or any signs of a respiratory infection. However, they whistle when they breath and they are breathing through their noses.

I read a tread that says it might be the humidity levels. I live in California, and I tell you, it has been very very dry. We are talking about 9% humidity. Does anyone have any insight on this or any advice?

It is crazy that I have been a sulcata owner for 6 years and these things still confuse me but I am learning new things everyday. So this was somewhat embarrassing for me to ask but I honestly I would rather have the right facts from more experienced sulcata owners. I want my sulcatas to be as healthy as possible.


Thank you everyone!!

My Sulcata started making a whistling sound also while breathing. His started shortly after our furnace started kicking on. For the time being he is in an open tortoise table, and our humidity is super low. I also wonder if that is why he whistles when he breathes?

 

[Hugo's Home]

I am not experienced whatsoever either but Hugo does the same whistling thing occasionally. I noticed once I put the humidifier in his night box his whistling has subsided. My temps stay 80-85 even though last night I didn't close his door, it got to 28 last night and his box fell to 77 but I didn't get too concerned.

 

[Nessa]

This comes up on a regular basis. You are not alone in your confusion.

Your second link is simply the same old, out-dated, incorrect info that has been circulating for decades. Its wrong. It was wrong 30 years ago when I learned it and taught it to other people, and it is wrong now. Only in the last few years have we begun to figure out the right info, why the old info was wrong, and why the new/correct info works. Vets, "experts", breeders, and long time keepers still keep parroting this old info and some of them just willfully wish to remain ignorant and continue contributing to the death and disfigurement of countless babies every year.

Your first link was written by my friend Dave Friend. Dave's has been doing it a long time and he learned in the old days, just like all of us that have been around for decades. He grew increasingly frustrated with people telling him about these new methods with humidity and tropical warmth, and he typed up that care sheet specifically to refute the new info point by point. Since that time, experience and his peers have informed him otherwise, but his health has been failing him for that last few years and he has not revised any of that old info. So there it sits on the internet, continually confusing anyone who reads it and our info back to back.

Here is the correct info:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

This old thread will give you some idea where this is all coming from:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-end-of-pyramiding.15137/
Look at the dates. When I joined this forum I began talking about this new info I had discovered and been trying out. Many people argued with me, called me names, and did their very best to undermine me. I persisted because I knew I was right. I created this thread as a way to tell my opponents to "Put up or shut up." Meaning: I'm going to publicly raise some babies my way on this thread, and I invited them to start a similar thread, or use my thread, and publicly raise some babies using the methods THEY promoted and we could compare and contrast. We could see who gets what results. All sorts of predictions ensued, but as the results came in, the proof was irrefutable. People could speculate about desert climates, respiratory infections and shell rot all they wanted, but I posted pic after pic proving otherwise. None of the naysayers put up. All of them shut up, and some left the forum. This is unfortunate because some of them were very experienced members with much to offer. They apparently just couldn't handle being wrong. I challenged their long held incorrect beliefs and they simply couldn't accept that they'd been wrong all those years. That is just how some people are. I was wrong all those years too, but I was frustrated by failure after failure even though I did everything "right" according to the "experts". I was sooooooo happy when I discovered that I/we were wrong and why, and what actually worked and why. FOr me this was a tortoise husbandry issue. Not a pride issue. I don't care about "who" is right. I care about "what" is right, and what is going to produce a healthy tortoise. Unnatural desert conditions and dehydration for a baby that would hatch at the start of the monsoon season is NOT healthy. Cold temperatures for a tropical animal that comes from year round warm temps is not healthy, even if it is sometimes survivable.

Please ask lots of questions. I'm happy to explain further.

Thank you very much for all your help Tom!