I think you might be pressing your luck with your tortoise possibly getting sick with the humidity so constantly high in the enclosure. Some where around 80% is ideal for a sulcata.
Want to see pictures of Sulcatas, any size! Pretty Please share
- Thread starter BrinnANDTorts
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dalano73 said:
He doesn't look or act sick , his eyes are really clear and bright. He eats a lot and he Is active. Sleeps then gets up and crawls around looking for food and browsing and such. His nostrils r dry, what r the signs that he could be sick ? I want to make sure that he stays healthy, I watch him very very closely so that I can act if I think he is getting sick or something is wrong. He hass a spot in his enclosure near his basking light and UVB fluorescent tube light that is not as humid but I can start leaving one of the doors I use to get into his enclosure open
He seems to like the humidity tho because every time he sleeps its always In the most humid warm spots with his face laying up against the damp sides.BrinnANDGupta said:
He doesn't ever go to the drier spots around his basking lamp
Is this normal ?
Thats good that everything is good right now. I am not an expert on this and I am just giving my opinion, and letting you know that having the humidity so high all the time may become an issue.
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dalano73 said:
Yea Im thinking I agree. I think I am going to leave the door near his basking lamp open so that it will be drier on that side and then he can have to climates so he can pick and choose, better safe this way than something to happen.
Tom did an experiment that he ended up stopping not sure if the humidity or other factors played a role but I am sure he would explain what happened. I am posting the link just in case you havent read the thread..
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Experiment-3-2011#axzz1cMfg8DL8
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Experiment-3-2011#axzz1cMfg8DL8
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This is what the enclosure looks like but with a plywood top screwed on , I use to have acrylic sheet onthe top but it warped from the heat of lights. It's not air tight , I knew It couldn't be air tight
My logic in creating that enclosure was the fact that in the wild as hatchlings they live In borrows pretty much all the time according to Tom its not until about 12 in they start coming out of borrows in the wild so I wanted to create something like a burrow. And I imagined in a burrow it would be very hot, stuffy, and humid cause in the burrow there is no where really for heat or moisture to go. And I can't imagine that its not really stuffy In there too, way under ground where not much fresh oxygen could get. Of course my logic could be totally messed up lol that's way I love this forum cause I can post how I am taking care of Gupta and real people that sell and breed tortoise with lots of experience will tell me if I'm doing anything wrong
My logic in creating that enclosure was the fact that in the wild as hatchlings they live In borrows pretty much all the time according to Tom its not until about 12 in they start coming out of borrows in the wild so I wanted to create something like a burrow. And I imagined in a burrow it would be very hot, stuffy, and humid cause in the burrow there is no where really for heat or moisture to go. And I can't imagine that its not really stuffy In there too, way under ground where not much fresh oxygen could get. Of course my logic could be totally messed up lol that's way I love this forum cause I can post how I am taking care of Gupta and real people that sell and breed tortoise with lots of experience will tell me if I'm doing anything wrong
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Tom said:
Tom
I read the string.... all 33 pages of it and I gotta admit that your test subject turned out looking great. And I'll also admit to never raising a hatchling myself, Cathie did all the early work (WalkingRock will ALWAYS be Cathies!) But when I see 2 torioses raised in the same way for the 1st 4 years with smooth shells then seperated. The one with good diet and execise stayed smooth and had good growth and the one in a small pen and bad diet has very little growth except the pyramids and it happened quite badly in just a couple years (30 months to be exact).
this pick was taken the day they where re-united. I think these results also show merit of good nutrition and execise -vs- pyramiding. Humidity may play a roll as youngsters, but Pyramiding can still take place after the 12" mark or past the 4 year mark. And Diet and exercise most definatly plays it part in pyramiding at older stages!
Growth rates can vary that much no matter what you do. I'll bet money that when the little one reaches the same size as WR, he'll be that smooth too. They all start to smooth out once they reach a certain size.
Diet and exercise IS important for a healthy tortoise, but it doesn't have a lot to do with pyramiding. Also, once they reach somewhere around 6-8" the pattern for pyramiding is pretty well set. I don't see anything in your pics to suggest otherwise. The very mild pyramiding on the little one is all at one continuous angle from the shields they have at hatching to its outermost growth rings. If a change in conditions had affected the pyramiding there would be "notchy-ness" and changes of angles in the growth lines. I have one like this. She was heavily pyramided when I got her at 3 months old. A couple of years of the swamp routine and her growth is noticeably smoother, but you can clearly see the changes in scute angulation that correspond to the changes in her living conditions. Her name is Daisy. I've posted lots of pics of her if you want to look them up.
Either way, you've done a great job with WR and he/she looks great!
What I found at the conclusion of this years experiments as well as the experiences shared by others is that high humidity and closed chambers are ideal, BUT they still need a basking spot. The whole thing works best if the fixture and lamp is INSIDE the closed chamber.
I'm not at home and can't figure out how to do a link on this darn PC. Can somebody post a link to my thread entitled "Closed Chambers". It explains all this in much more detail and shows some pics too.
Brinn, I don't have any adult leopards right now. I buy the Gpp from a breeder friend and resell them for people. My leopards that I bought from him last year are still a few years from breeding. I DO still have some of this year's Gpp babies for sale, and I usually have sulcata hatchlings for sale too.
Diet and exercise IS important for a healthy tortoise, but it doesn't have a lot to do with pyramiding. Also, once they reach somewhere around 6-8" the pattern for pyramiding is pretty well set. I don't see anything in your pics to suggest otherwise. The very mild pyramiding on the little one is all at one continuous angle from the shields they have at hatching to its outermost growth rings. If a change in conditions had affected the pyramiding there would be "notchy-ness" and changes of angles in the growth lines. I have one like this. She was heavily pyramided when I got her at 3 months old. A couple of years of the swamp routine and her growth is noticeably smoother, but you can clearly see the changes in scute angulation that correspond to the changes in her living conditions. Her name is Daisy. I've posted lots of pics of her if you want to look them up.
Either way, you've done a great job with WR and he/she looks great!
BrinnANDGupta said:
What I found at the conclusion of this years experiments as well as the experiences shared by others is that high humidity and closed chambers are ideal, BUT they still need a basking spot. The whole thing works best if the fixture and lamp is INSIDE the closed chamber.
I'm not at home and can't figure out how to do a link on this darn PC. Can somebody post a link to my thread entitled "Closed Chambers". It explains all this in much more detail and shows some pics too.
Brinn, I don't have any adult leopards right now. I buy the Gpp from a breeder friend and resell them for people. My leopards that I bought from him last year are still a few years from breeding. I DO still have some of this year's Gpp babies for sale, and I usually have sulcata hatchlings for sale too.
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Zamric said:
Lol! That is really neat
Tom
WalkingRock is deffinatly male! and as it turned out... so is Rocky. WR started flagging about a year befor Rocky, and not much later started mounting him.... thought we might have lucked out and got a mating pair! Then when Rocky started flagging, life in the yard started getting violent. When we found Rocky pressed against the wall and WR ramming into him and obvious damage to Rockys shell, we knew it was time to find the little fellow a new home. My yard ain't big enough for 2 male Sulcata!
WalkingRock is deffinatly male! and as it turned out... so is Rocky. WR started flagging about a year befor Rocky, and not much later started mounting him.... thought we might have lucked out and got a mating pair! Then when Rocky started flagging, life in the yard started getting violent. When we found Rocky pressed against the wall and WR ramming into him and obvious damage to Rockys shell, we knew it was time to find the little fellow a new home. My yard ain't big enough for 2 male Sulcata!
Here is Wilbur!
I think this is one of my favorites
I think this is one of my favorites
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Awww thanks so much for posting the pictures of Wilbur , he is SOOOOO cute. I love how cute baby Sulcatas are and also love how stunning they are when they get huge.
All these baby pics make me want one!
After caring for WalkingRock these last 6 years, I never thought about his early years. Now I want to "Start" my own!
After caring for WalkingRock these last 6 years, I never thought about his early years. Now I want to "Start" my own!
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Zamric said:
I would get me a baby leopard or two if I could afford it but building the cage , buying all the materials , all the lighting and light fixtures and not to mention the tortoises themselves are not cheap I'm having to wait. I'm gonna have all the lights they will need and winter enclosure built before o get my leopards. Gupta has taught me just how expensive it all is lol
Zamric said:
Go for it!!!
A leapord Huh? How big do those get? I dont mind the expence of setting up. Cathie would love for me to find another hobby and one that deals in Torts would suit her just fine!
I just can't have another Sulcata, Yards to small and I'm to old!
I just can't have another Sulcata, Yards to small and I'm to old!
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Zamric said:
13-15" and 30 to 50 pounds I'm pretty sure. I googled it
Red foots and cherry heads don't get that big. I don't think there as pretty though as the leopards and Sulcatas though
This is a cute little baby leopard! Love it !
Sorry for the late reply, but Kendall and Kasey are different colored than "normal." Kasey is very dark, and Kendall was born very light, almost white. I don't breed them yet, as all of mine are babies, but I hope to someday
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Kristina said:Sorry for the late reply, but Kendall and Kasey are different colored than "normal." Kasey is very dark, and Kendall was born very light, almost white. I don't breed them yet, as all of mine are babies, but I hope to someday
they are very very pretty. I would love to own some that color one day. Where did you get them? Do u mind if i ask around how much they were?
I am about to purchase a leopard tortoise from Tom. Sold my iPad so I could buy the little fella lol I am very very very excited. I am building its new enclosure this weekend
I bought them from Kevin (kbaker) who is a member here on the forum. I am not sure if he ships or not, so you would have to get a hold of him and ask. (We both live in MI and met up when I got the babies, in the middle of a wicked snowstorm lol.) I believe he usually has babies around the end of December. As far as price - I'll let you ask Kevin I don't want to step on anyone's toes, if you get my drift
I don't want to step on anyone's toes, if you get my drift - Status
