dumb question

cyrus888 · 03-17-04, 01:31 AM

my friend newly aquired an african spurred tortoise. he/she is about 2" in size but not too sure about the age. my question is, is it normal for them to be hiding in its shell most of the time and my friend said its not moving that much and its sleeping alot. im not too sure if its eating or not koz she's at work most of the day. her enclosure is a plastic tuperware about 2'x2' of space. the substrate is a mix of top soil and sand. she has a 100 watts heat lamp(red) on 24/7.

latazyo · 03-17-04, 05:24 AM

it's not going to move around much (that you notice), but if it's just sitting in the open inside it's shell, then that's bizzare

does it have plenty of shelters and places to dig burrows...I think sulcattas are burrowers

cyrus888 · 03-17-04, 06:09 AM

there is not that deep of a substrate on the enclosure. something about and inch deep of sand and top soil mix. shelter wise, there is no of what so ever.

Linds · 03-17-04, 10:11 AM

The only stupid question, is a question not asked.

Tortoises definitely need some place to hide out for security, especially wee little babies like that. I'm not sure about the best possible substrate for Sulcatas (we keep the one at work on coconut husk and it seems to work ok), but I tend to avoid sand with tortoises, since everything ends up in their mouths. The tortoise also needs the correct lighting. If it has a red light on him all the time, he may very well be sleeping an abnormal amount of time. These are diurnal species that require UV light to function and grow properly, and white light for a photoperiod. I house my diurnal reptiles outside during the warmer months, and choose to forego artificial UV lighting during the cooler months when housed indoors, and just use regular incandescent bulbs during the day. Here is an article that may be of use... http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/lighting.html
Please have your friend do a lot of research on his new little friend, already the most basic aspects of caring for a tortoise haven't been met. Any more questions, feel free to ask here. tortoisetrust.org is a wonderful resource for tortoise information as well

lostwithin · 03-17-04, 10:49 AM

Hey, I spent almost a year researching on theses tortoises and decided against getting one due too the fact they get too large too be housed indoors and I live in a cold climate. But I do know them and most tortoises do not respond well too being in cages such as rubber made or aquariums, you’ll have too design a "tortoise table" with sides just high enough that it cant get over them with an open top. Try searching for GEOCHELONE SULCATA on google.com you’ll find lots of information, what have you been feeding it?? Good luck with the little guy, hope everything works out, but you should really do allot more research too know how too care for it,
Devon

P.s., try this site http://home.earthlink.net/~rednine/sulcatacare.html
It’s the first page that came up on google search
.,

Linds · 03-17-04, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lostwithin
But I do know them and most tortoises do not respond well too being in cages such as rubber made or aquariums

Glass tanks such, true indeed, but large rubbermaids can work well, depending on the setup, especially for hatchlings. Tortoise tables are good, but aren't for all situations. If someone has cats, dogs, or small children this can be a disaster waiting to happen, so they shouldn't be recommended as the only method. The most important thing whatever enclosure is chosen, that it has at least 3 solid side, transparent sides don't leave much for security.

latazyo · 03-17-04, 02:48 PM

yeah, a large rubbermade is equally secure as a table, but the rubbermades should only be for babies...even the 55g are relatively "small"

I would recommend adding 2-3 more inches of substrate
my russian's substrate is a mixture of part sand and mostly coconut bedding

cyrus888 · 03-17-04, 04:21 PM

the rubber maid she got is almost like a kitty litter box. not that hing, just enough for the tort not to got out. she's been feeding it grass from the garden and some dandelions

thanx for all your help. really appreciate it.

Bartman · 03-17-04, 06:21 PM

....

(deleted the post, my bad)

johnnym1972 · 03-17-04, 09:06 PM

Hey Adam, I hate to contradict you, but you are way off on this one. Grass makes up more than 90% of the Sulcata's diet in the wild, so that is obviously what they need to be fed in captivity. I feed mine at least 90% grass from my acreage, and the rest is clover, Dandelion, Collard's, and Romaine among other things. I'm sorry Adam, but you shouldn't give advice if you don't know what you are talking about.
Take care, Johnny.

Pet with a tail · 03-18-04, 01:08 AM

1) you can grow your own grass 2) buy it from a rural king shop you can buy peticide free grass even probably wal-mart stores thats if your worried about pesticidesor you might be able to wash the grass, i dont know much about thisspecies but im just giving places or thoughtsof where to get grass......sorry if i offended anyone

Toirtis · 03-18-04, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by johnnym1972
Hey Adam, I hate to contradict you, but you are way off on this one. Grass makes up more than 90% of the Sulcata's diet in the wild, so that is obviously what they need to be fed in captivity. I feed mine at least 90% grass from my acreage, and the rest is clover, Dandelion, Collard's, and Romaine among other things. I'm sorry Adam, but you shouldn't give advice if you don't know what you are talking about.
Take care, Johnny.

Dead on, Johnny. My G. sulcata eat mainly a mix of orchard grass, and a timothy/brome mixture, with some dandelion, clover, and romaine/escarole tossed in. G. sulcata need to be able to graze almost constantly on grasses...( grocery-store greens/produce are simply too high in nutrients to be a main diet item). Add to this appropriate temperatures, additional calcium, lots of UV, and ready access to water (mainly for soaking), and you will grow a very healthy tortoise.

cyrus888 · 03-18-04, 03:52 AM

on my sulcata, i do feed him/her home grown grass. i bought the seeds from home depot then planted it in her enclosure which made a good steady diet for my sulcata. i dont know about my friends sulcata tho. all i know she gets it off her garden. i just gave her some grass seeds today and told her to plant it in her enclosure. hopefully her tort feels better. she told me it was moving around this morning. im guessing she just miss out on the times her tort is active since she leaves for work early in the morning then gets back home at night.

elfomatic · 03-18-04, 07:29 AM

i wouldn't take any chances...get him to a herp vet. if she noticed a difference, than why risk it?