Re: Fairly new owner of a Sulcatta

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Posted by Giovanni on November 12, 2001 at 11:22:02:

In Reply to: Fairly new owner of a Sulcatta posted by Wendy on November 12, 2001 at 10:38:58:

: Hello :) I just read thru as many posts as I could regarding the Sulcatta, and all has been extremely helpful.

Hey good for you, go here

http://www.turtlehomes.org/sulcatacaresheet.htm

And read this care sheet. It will fillin alot of questions that you have.

Go here also:

http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/sulcata.html

For some history and fasinating background information.

>Doozer lives in a 20gal long tank for now, >since he's pretty small (3-4inches) and I >provide him with light, heat and a soaking >dish.

Being that is such a tiny tort, make sure the dish is very shallow and the water does not come up over the chin (just enough to cover the plastron). You may want to do the soaking yourself at least a few times per week to get it used to defecating in the water. Try and do your soaks 1st things in the morning because they generally will heat up in the morning, defecate, then eat. 20 gallon tank will last you about 3 months, the sulcata is a very active tortoise and it is very important you give it somewhere to roam.

>I feed him the same things I feed our >Iguanna: >greens, zucchini, bok choy, with a bit >of >broccoli & cauliflower. He hasn't been >interested in any fruit.

Grass, weeds, dark leafy greens with a high calcuim low phosphorous ratio. Check out this chart by A.C. Highfeld, it has been a very good resource for me in determining good greens to feed my tortoise's.

http://home.earthlink.net/~rednine/nutrient.htm

These tortoises are from the nearest form of hell on earth..the Sahel, a sub saharan region of Africa and have evolved living on anything they can as well as dirt. They aren't big on fruits and in some cases won't even be interested in them. You should steer away from feeding them fruit because it is a foreign diet product for them. My sulcata's don't even drink water, and the only fruit I give them is prickely pear cactus and melon once in a blue blue moon. Water melon once a year..thats it..and on a very hot day.

>After reading the posts, I'm off to the pet >store to buy the calcium supplements, too. Now, >we tend to keep our house around 68 deg F in the >winter months (Wisconsin).

I would plug in a lamp somewhere for additional heat, in a corner of the tank that can boost the heat in that corner to between 90 to 100 degrees.
My overall house heat is 70 to 75 and only one of mine is in a tank, and the tank is a arid one, which is what you need but I will leave that to someone else to answer. I'm trying to visualize if a flood lamp on a 20 gallon tank is a bad thing..lol.

At night I have Lane pig blankets for some belly heat.

>What about live potted plants to munch on?

Get some of that mix from the turtlecafe, you can make some dish gardens and they love them. Little trays of grass go over big too.

Go to www.turtlehomes.org for lots of other info and links.

Good luck:)

Ciao'

Giovanni

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: : Hello :) I just read thru as many posts as I could regarding the Sulcatta, and all has been extremely helpful. : Hey good for you, go here : http://www.turtlehomes.org/sulcatacaresheet.htm : And read this care sheet. It will fillin alot of questions that you have. : Go here also: : http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/sulcata.html : For some history and fasinating background information. : >Doozer lives in a 20gal long tank for now, >since he's pretty small (3-4inches) and I >provide him with light, heat and a soaking >dish. : Being that is such a tiny tort, make sure the dish is very shallow and the water does not come up over the chin (just enough to cover the plastron). You may want to do the soaking yourself at least a few times per week to get it used to defecating in the water. Try and do your soaks 1st things in the morning because they generally will heat up in the morning, defecate, then eat. 20 gallon tank will last you about 3 months, the sulcata is a very active tortoise and it is very important you give it somewhere to roam. : >I feed him the same things I feed our >Iguanna: >greens, zucchini, bok choy, with a bit >of >broccoli & cauliflower. He hasn't been >interested in any fruit. : Grass, weeds, dark leafy greens with a high calcuim low phosphorous ratio. Check out this chart by A.C. Highfeld, it has been a very good resource for me in determining good greens to feed my tortoise's. : http://home.earthlink.net/~rednine/nutrient.htm : These tortoises are from the nearest form of hell on earth..the Sahel, a sub saharan region of Africa and have evolved living on anything they can as well as dirt. They aren't big on fruits and in some cases won't even be interested in them. You should steer away from feeding them fruit because it is a foreign diet product for them. My sulcata's don't even drink water, and the only fruit I give them is prickely pear cactus and melon once in a blue blue moon. Water melon once a year..thats it..and on a very hot day. : : >After reading the posts, I'm off to the pet >store to buy the calcium supplements, too. Now, >we tend to keep our house around 68 deg F in the >winter months (Wisconsin). : I would plug in a lamp somewhere for additional heat, in a corner of the tank that can boost the heat in that corner to between 90 to 100 degrees. : My overall house heat is 70 to 75 and only one of mine is in a tank, and the tank is a arid one, which is what you need but I will leave that to someone else to answer. I'm trying to visualize if a flood lamp on a 20 gallon tank is a bad thing..lol. : At night I have Lane pig blankets for some belly heat. : >What about live potted plants to munch on? : Get some of that mix from the turtlecafe, you can make some dish gardens and they love them. Little trays of grass go over big too. : Go to www.turtlehomes.org for lots of other info and links. : Good luck:) : Ciao' : Giovanni : :

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