So I'm humbly realizing that I might not have been as good of a tortoise keeper as I thought I was. I've always read all the books and tried to follow all the expert advice. I've always tried to keep up on new info and incorporate what I learn into better care for all of my animals. Events of the last few months have just really demonstrated that I wasn't doing all that great of a job in the not too distant past.
I've never lost a hatchling or any adult of any species, except in the rare case where they came to me so far gone, that nothing could save them. Even then, I was able to save most of them. In 1998 the thinking was low protein, high fiber diets for sulcatas, featuring lots of grass and weeds. Relatively low amounts of food and slow growth was also advocated. I did this and the result was seemingly healthy, but small adults, now 13 years later. The question is; how do you define "healthy"? They are alive. They've never been sick. They eat, drink, poop and are very active. They copulate frequently. They bask every day and move to their heated houses every night. Healthy, right?
One measure of just how healthy an animal is, is their ability to produce viable offspring. Sulcatas are known for their virility and how prolific they are. Here's where I feel like I've failed. In Jan. 2009, Delores, my lone adult female, laid 3 infertile eggs. I figured it was her first time and she was still small, around 17", and it would be better next year. In Jan. 2010 she laid 7 eggs and three turned out to be fertile. Better, but still way below average. Many people get 15 or 20 eggs for their first clutch out of 15" little females. Often with high fertility even that first time. They also usually get repeat clutches. Often 2-5 clutches per year. Mine was looking pretty sad in comparison. I joined this forum in Jan. 2010, just before Delores laid her second small clutch. I learned a ton of stuff and really enjoyed talking with people and sharing new info. I asked several forum members for their opinions at that time and even called Richard Fife at one members suggestion. The end result was a few tweaks in my routine. I added Mazuri twice a week to their diet. I increased calcium supplementation for the adults, especially Delores. I began feeding more. Much more. Mr. Cory kindly and generously started including me in his weekly produce runs to the wholesaler. He would buy enough for mine and his and refused to take any money for it. (Thanks again Cory!) I also planted a ton of stuff and found lots of new sources for safe weeds, flowers and mulberry leaves. I began soaking much more often and provided shallow in ground water tubs full time. (Thanks for the pizza dough tubs Cory!) I built them a new and much better tortoise house to keep them much warmer on cold nights and through the winter months. I increased their roaming and grazing time for exercise outside their pens on the whole five acre ranch. Mind you, they always had grass hay available, and still do, and ate lots of it. They got watered and soaked regularly, just not as much as now. They had adequate night heat, but it was just that. Adequate.
Fast forward, after one year of the new routine and WHAM! I've already got TWO clutches of 12 out of Delores. I suspect a third is on the way. We went from 3 to 7 to 24. What a difference a year makes. I don't know if its just one factor or some combo of all of them, but its clearly a big difference and demonstrates the difference between thriving and just surviving.
I started my 3 hatchlings in May with this new routine of lots of humidity, hydration and moisture and just a moderate, normal amount of food. They are growing faster than any other tortoises, I've ever raised in the past. Normally fast growth is frowned upon. But I'm not "powerfeeding" them. I'm not feeding them any more than I've ever fed most of the tortoises I've raised. My three adults were the first and only time I tried the reduced food method. These babies are growing quickly, but still very healthy AND smooth. They are clearly thriving and not just surviving. Same for my leopard babies and my monitor lizards too.
I made mistakes of ignorance in the past. I'm sure I'm making some now and will continue to make more in the future. I share this info in the hopes of inspiring others to never stop trying to learn. I'm hoping by pointing out what I did wrong, others can avoid making the same mistakes and having to learn "the hard way" as I have.
I've never lost a hatchling or any adult of any species, except in the rare case where they came to me so far gone, that nothing could save them. Even then, I was able to save most of them. In 1998 the thinking was low protein, high fiber diets for sulcatas, featuring lots of grass and weeds. Relatively low amounts of food and slow growth was also advocated. I did this and the result was seemingly healthy, but small adults, now 13 years later. The question is; how do you define "healthy"? They are alive. They've never been sick. They eat, drink, poop and are very active. They copulate frequently. They bask every day and move to their heated houses every night. Healthy, right?
One measure of just how healthy an animal is, is their ability to produce viable offspring. Sulcatas are known for their virility and how prolific they are. Here's where I feel like I've failed. In Jan. 2009, Delores, my lone adult female, laid 3 infertile eggs. I figured it was her first time and she was still small, around 17", and it would be better next year. In Jan. 2010 she laid 7 eggs and three turned out to be fertile. Better, but still way below average. Many people get 15 or 20 eggs for their first clutch out of 15" little females. Often with high fertility even that first time. They also usually get repeat clutches. Often 2-5 clutches per year. Mine was looking pretty sad in comparison. I joined this forum in Jan. 2010, just before Delores laid her second small clutch. I learned a ton of stuff and really enjoyed talking with people and sharing new info. I asked several forum members for their opinions at that time and even called Richard Fife at one members suggestion. The end result was a few tweaks in my routine. I added Mazuri twice a week to their diet. I increased calcium supplementation for the adults, especially Delores. I began feeding more. Much more. Mr. Cory kindly and generously started including me in his weekly produce runs to the wholesaler. He would buy enough for mine and his and refused to take any money for it. (Thanks again Cory!) I also planted a ton of stuff and found lots of new sources for safe weeds, flowers and mulberry leaves. I began soaking much more often and provided shallow in ground water tubs full time. (Thanks for the pizza dough tubs Cory!) I built them a new and much better tortoise house to keep them much warmer on cold nights and through the winter months. I increased their roaming and grazing time for exercise outside their pens on the whole five acre ranch. Mind you, they always had grass hay available, and still do, and ate lots of it. They got watered and soaked regularly, just not as much as now. They had adequate night heat, but it was just that. Adequate.
Fast forward, after one year of the new routine and WHAM! I've already got TWO clutches of 12 out of Delores. I suspect a third is on the way. We went from 3 to 7 to 24. What a difference a year makes. I don't know if its just one factor or some combo of all of them, but its clearly a big difference and demonstrates the difference between thriving and just surviving.
I started my 3 hatchlings in May with this new routine of lots of humidity, hydration and moisture and just a moderate, normal amount of food. They are growing faster than any other tortoises, I've ever raised in the past. Normally fast growth is frowned upon. But I'm not "powerfeeding" them. I'm not feeding them any more than I've ever fed most of the tortoises I've raised. My three adults were the first and only time I tried the reduced food method. These babies are growing quickly, but still very healthy AND smooth. They are clearly thriving and not just surviving. Same for my leopard babies and my monitor lizards too.
I made mistakes of ignorance in the past. I'm sure I'm making some now and will continue to make more in the future. I share this info in the hopes of inspiring others to never stop trying to learn. I'm hoping by pointing out what I did wrong, others can avoid making the same mistakes and having to learn "the hard way" as I have.
