Re: Consider buying a Sulcata, help with habitat choice....

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Posted by Jake on December 22, 2001 at 10:42:20:

In Reply to: Re: Consider buying a Sulcata, help with habitat choice.... posted by K on December 22, 2001 at 09:57:12:

: K: The pen will be indoor. I live in Midwest and the place that I might move to next year will also be in midwest so I will have to commit and accept that the tortoise will be an indoor one in colder months.
: K: I have a parrot and yound children but they are well taught to not to bother our pets. They are very gentle.
: K: Yes, the winter will be cold. We now live in a duplex but should be moving to a house so room is not a problem. Even now we have enough room for the baby to roam.
: Too bad Aldabra is too expensive or I would have gotten one.....perhaps in the future. One more questions, is it OK to NOT let the sulcatas dig? Even if I move it outside in the summer, I don't want it to dig the yard. Is it OK to make the outdoor pen with concrete floor?

: Thank you!
: K

Parrots, young children, and babies . . . all pose potential risks to baby torts of any kind. Torts are extremely easy to care for if they are not smothered in "love". Torts do best when not handled and left to grow in a good environment. They can be handled occationally by responsible people that MOVE SLOWLY. Sudden or just normal movements disturbs torts. 1) Take care to protect your tort from misguided abuse or harm.

There are a few things you need to know about your baby sulcata. Inside environments such as a human dwelling in the winter tend to have a very low humidity. 2) This factor as well as the fact that all baby torts need higher amounts of water and humidity than do the adults means that you must provide additional H2O to your baby tort by daily soaks (when it is less than 2 months) or soaks every other day when it is less than a year. 3) The food should also be semi-moist. The type of food you give is also extremely important as well as complicated. In general, think CALCIUM and plant based. Again, refer to the many web based and published info sources on the subject. Use these as guidelines, not as rules. Be very leary of anyone that thinks they know it all!

The kiddie pool inside is a good idea. 4) You should use a calcium based sand for the substrate. 5) You should build a simple "A" frame structure overhead as a place to securely hang a heat lamp (approx 75 watts should do) and placed to one side of the pool to allow the tort to wander to a cooler place if if so desires. Do not place the lamp too close (will cook the baby) or too far (will not do any good). Sulcatas, more than most other torts, have an extremely good instinct to seek the right temperatures. Soon you will find your tort developing a routine that you can set your watch by.

Jake

Follow Ups:

Calcium based sand why??... Niki and Ted 12/22/01 (1)
- Re: Calcium based sand why??... Jake 12/22/01 (0)

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: : K: The pen will be indoor. I live in Midwest and the place that I might move to next year will also be in midwest so I will have to commit and accept that the tortoise will be an indoor one in colder months. : : K: I have a parrot and yound children but they are well taught to not to bother our pets. They are very gentle. : : K: Yes, the winter will be cold. We now live in a duplex but should be moving to a house so room is not a problem. Even now we have enough room for the baby to roam. : : Too bad Aldabra is too expensive or I would have gotten one.....perhaps in the future. One more questions, is it OK to NOT let the sulcatas dig? Even if I move it outside in the summer, I don't want it to dig the yard. Is it OK to make the outdoor pen with concrete floor? : : Thank you! : : K : K, : Parrots, young children, and babies . . . all pose potential risks to baby torts of any kind. Torts are extremely easy to care for if they are not smothered in "love". Torts do best when not handled and left to grow in a good environment. They can be handled occationally by responsible people that MOVE SLOWLY. Sudden or just normal movements disturbs torts. 1) Take care to protect your tort from misguided abuse or harm. : There are a few things you need to know about your baby sulcata. Inside environments such as a human dwelling in the winter tend to have a very low humidity. 2) This factor as well as the fact that all baby torts need higher amounts of water and humidity than do the adults means that you must provide additional H2O to your baby tort by daily soaks (when it is less than 2 months) or soaks every other day when it is less than a year. 3) The food should also be semi-moist. The type of food you give is also extremely important as well as complicated. In general, think CALCIUM and plant based. Again, refer to the many web based and published info sources on the subject. Use these as guidelines, not as rules. Be very leary of anyone that thinks they know it all! : The kiddie pool inside is a good idea. 4) You should use a calcium based sand for the substrate. 5) You should build a simple "A" frame structure overhead as a place to securely hang a heat lamp (approx 75 watts should do) and placed to one side of the pool to allow the tort to wander to a cooler place if if so desires. Do not place the lamp too close (will cook the baby) or too far (will not do any good). Sulcatas, more than most other torts, have an extremely good instinct to seek the right temperatures. Soon you will find your tort developing a routine that you can set your watch by. : Jake

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