Re: Sulcata baby not eating, will die soon I'm afraid!!!!

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Posted by Marissa on January 27, 2001 at 21:27:22:

In Reply to: Sulcata baby not eating, will die soon I'm afraid!!!! posted by Kendoko on January 27, 2001 at 13:25:06:

Okay I'm not sure which post you were reading which stated that your setup was perfect, but it's not. You will need to make some adjustments for the health and safety of the sulcata. I would say he's probably active and trying to be somewhere else in the tank to escape some heat! A 10-gallon tank is a totally inappropriate enclosure and so small that there is no way to provide the proper temperature gradient. As EJ stated, you CAN do it in a 20-gallon but a fishtank type enclosure is probably last on my list of choices and IMHO only good for emergencies. Try the Rubbermaid suggestion of Terry's in her post. I can give you instruction on how to construct an indoor wooden pen. That would be the ideal way to go. As far as moss, it could possibly be harmful depending on what type you are using. There should be no "spraying" of the enclosure, this is not a humidity-loving species, it's an arid-species and therefore, a drier, warm environment is ideal. Warm but with the proper temperature gradient so the tortoise can choose from warm to cool...not just a tiny fishtank with a ton of heat on it like now...then it becomes somewhat like an oven. Good news is, these are all issues that are easily fixed if you are willing to do the fixing. Also, you stated a "small heat lamp with a ZooMed bulb in it for full-spectrum". Full-spectrum isn't important, a heat bulb is just for heat. You ALSO need a special UVB bulb which would be fluorescent, not that gives off heat. The one bulb that many people are using for BOTH heat and UVB (which is pretty much the only one that does both) is the ActiveUV bulb. I use it but it's expensive and burns hot...I don't recommend choosing that unless you plan to get a much bigger enclosure like a large Rubbermaid or a wooden pen. Then they are great. If not, ZooMed makes a good UVB bulb called the Reptisun 5.0% which you can find in many stores or online. Wood chips for bedding can be dangerous, to my knowledge only Aspen wood is okay, pine or cedar (or that green stuff Chlorophyll) is toxic to tortoises. If you have any of those, dump the tank and use papertowels until you can get safer stuff. Many people use Rabbit pellets as bedding. I personally use and like CareFresh bedding for indoor use. Also, are you soaking? Please read my caresheet and visit the Sulcata Station which were linked for you in posts by Terry and Heather. if you have questions, feel free to email me.

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: Okay I'm not sure which post you were reading which stated that your setup was perfect, but it's not. You will need to make some adjustments for the health and safety of the sulcata. I would say he's probably active and trying to be somewhere else in the tank to escape some heat! A 10-gallon tank is a totally inappropriate enclosure and so small that there is no way to provide the proper temperature gradient. As EJ stated, you CAN do it in a 20-gallon but a fishtank type enclosure is probably last on my list of choices and IMHO only good for emergencies. Try the Rubbermaid suggestion of Terry's in her post. I can give you instruction on how to construct an indoor wooden pen. That would be the ideal way to go. As far as moss, it could possibly be harmful depending on what type you are using. There should be no "spraying" of the enclosure, this is not a humidity-loving species, it's an arid-species and therefore, a drier, warm environment is ideal. Warm but with the proper temperature gradient so the tortoise can choose from warm to cool...not just a tiny fishtank with a ton of heat on it like now...then it becomes somewhat like an oven. Good news is, these are all issues that are easily fixed if you are willing to do the fixing. Also, you stated a "small heat lamp with a ZooMed bulb in it for full-spectrum". Full-spectrum isn't important, a heat bulb is just for heat. You ALSO need a special UVB bulb which would be fluorescent, not that gives off heat. The one bulb that many people are using for BOTH heat and UVB (which is pretty much the only one that does both) is the ActiveUV bulb. I use it but it's expensive and burns hot...I don't recommend choosing that unless you plan to get a much bigger enclosure like a large Rubbermaid or a wooden pen. Then they are great. If not, ZooMed makes a good UVB bulb called the Reptisun 5.0% which you can find in many stores or online. Wood chips for bedding can be dangerous, to my knowledge only Aspen wood is okay, pine or cedar (or that green stuff Chlorophyll) is toxic to tortoises. If you have any of those, dump the tank and use papertowels until you can get safer stuff. Many people use Rabbit pellets as bedding. I personally use and like CareFresh bedding for indoor use. Also, are you soaking? Please read my caresheet and visit the Sulcata Station which were linked for you in posts by Terry and Heather. if you have questions, feel free to email me.

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