The Best Ways To Maintain A Sulcata Tortoise’s Health

If you are unfamiliar with sulcatas, also known as African-spurred tortoises, I advise you to begin by reading this article on their native habitat. This can help you determine whether you can replicate your home setting, which is crucial for their well-being. If you have conducted research and still want a sulcata, continue reading. They are wonderful pets for the proper individuals and will remain with them forever.

Core Diet

Sulcata tortoises consume solely plants and nothing else. Feeding your sulcata around 95% grass and weeds would be beneficial. They must consume a diet heavy in fiber and low in nutrients to develop slowly and gradually.

Provide your tortoise with as much variety as possible within these parameters to ensure it receives all the necessary nutrients. Be mindful that a sulcata will not eat excessively. Always provide hay to prevent him from being hungry after consuming fresh grass and other things.

Indoor Enclosures

The health and happiness of your turtle must provide a habitat similar to its native habitat. Sulcatas thrive in dry, warm environments where they may be housed in outdoor enclosures. If you reside in a cold and damp environment, you should not get a sulcata tortoise. It is simple to provide a suitable environment within your home for a baby tortoise or young adult tortoise.

However, remember that the larger, the better! Baby tortoises thrive in huge plastic containers or on custom-made tables. Glass is incomprehensible to tortoises; placing them in glass cages is not a smart idea. They will continue to attempt to go through it, causing them to worry. Additionally, water left in a glass tank can increase the humidity, which may cause illness and cause shells to decay.

Substratum with Embellishments

Sulcatas build burrows and inhabit them. The ideal substrate for their enclosure would be a mixture of clean soil and sand. If sand gets on their food, they will consume it, which might be dangerous. You must provide them with a wet location to hide using sphagnum moss. Spray it with liquid every so often.

For infants, you may invert a flower pot and bury it halfway. Adults will want a larger container, such as a plastic box or tub with an opening for easy access. It would be beneficial if you avoided artificial plants if the turtle could get them. Natural vegetation is cool.

The optimal method is to cultivate the different plant and grain mixtures outside the enclosure and then cycle them in and out of the enclosure. Each container should be elevated above the substrate. This prevents the tortoise from consuming or trampling the whole plant, allowing it to regrow. Utilize soil that is devoid of perlite, vermiculite, and pesticide residue. Natural manure compost is OK.

Temperature

For a comfortable basking spot for your tortoise, put an incandescent light bulb atop the tank. A temperature of 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit should be maintained while the light is on. Change the bulb’s wattage if it doesn’t. To ensure the temperature is at least 10-15 degrees lower than the side where your sulcata is sunbathing, place a second thermometer at the aquarium’s opposite end.

This will prevent your sulcata from being overheated. A thermostat must be connected to the heat lamp in order to regulate the temperature. The days and nights of your tortoise will remain synchronized if you use a black light bulb instead of an ordinary one at night.

UV Radiation

When maintained in captivity, tortoises need UVB for calcium metabolism. Without it, tortoises get ill with abnormal shell development, metabolic bone disease, and other catastrophic illnesses. In pens with open tops, position the UV light across the top and the heat lamp on one side, or on top if there is a screen.

Watering and feeding inside the enclosure

The sulcata, like all other tortoises, requires a lot of water despite living in a desert. Some individuals mistakenly believe they can survive without water for an extended period of time. Kidney failure and stones may be fatal if you don’t drink enough water.

A very little dish of water should be available for infants. Ensure that the infant cannot drown if he falls into the dish or flips over. A flower pot’s bottom may serve as an adult’s water bowl. Ensure once again that the tortoise cannot drown in any manner.

A couple of tortoises like crawling into their water dish to soak. Place pebbles around the dish’s inner rim so that animals may enter and exit without toppling over. Placing pebbles on the dish’s outside will keep the water cleaner. As a result, dirt has a harder time entering.

In its cage, feeding a sulcata is rather simple. Simply place the food on the ground. If the ground is moist, place the food in a shallow dish. You should discard any remaining food leftovers at the end of the day to prevent the spreading of disease and insects.

Soaking Your Sulcata

It would be best to soak your sulcata whether you keep it inside, outdoors, or both. This will assist keep it clean, hydrated, and able to pass waste. Three times each week, an outdoor tortoise should be bathed for 30 minutes. During the warmer months, he may need more frequent soaking. Inside-dwelling tortoises should be alright with twice-weekly baths.

Soaking Tips

• Use a large container for the turtle to spin around but not large enough for it to climb out. You may use the bathtub, but you must thoroughly clean it afterward to protect yourself from bacteria.
• For a healthy tortoise, use warm water; if not, use slightly warmer water.
• To prevent them from drowning, the water should never reach higher than their noses while submerging their head.
• Please do not leave your turtle in the bathtub while it is being filled. It is simple to forget what you are doing, resulting in their drowning. Please do not leave them when the shower is running in the tub. This might lead them to defecate, clogging the drain and causing the tub to flood.
•  You may leave your giant tortoise alone in shallow, safe water, but you shouldn’t leave infants alone and should often check on adults.
• Do not be startled if your tortoise repeatedly submerges its head in the water. He isn’t depressed; he’s simply drinking. If you observe his throat, you will see that he is swallowing.
• If a tortoise is unclean, its legs and shell may be scrubbed with an old, soft toothbrush. Avoid using soap. Use just water.