Pamela,
1. I don’t post all that much in here as there are too many people who have been keeping tortoises for less time than we have who know so much more than we do. It is just not worth the hassle to participate just to get told that we don’t know what we are talking about. I am posting in an effort to provide you with some information which has worked for us.
2. We bought our first sulcata in 1997 and our second in 1998. We were told that all they needed was a large aquarium, rabbit pellet substrate, grocery greens and full spectrum UV lighting. Obviously not what is normally recommended these days.
3. After several years of little to no growth, we sought out some breeders and searched the internet for more information. Three things remained pretty constant throughout all the recommendations – Sunshine, Graze and Mazuri.
4. You may remember when I posted about building our outdoor enclosure. Our 3 and 4 year-old sulcatas were still “palm-sized but had good weight and were still healthy. We keep them outside at all temperatures above 60F and provide them plenty of shady areas to escape direct sun should they so desire. We supplement their grazing with Mazuri, which has been soaked in water, every other day. Soaking the Mazuri ensures that they are getting hydrated and they gobble it up too fast for ants to be much of a problem. It certainly is never there long enough for mold to grow. We offer “debacked” cuttlebone all the time. We have seen them drink directly from terra cotta plant saucers (through several fillings on occasion). They graze daily on normal Georgia yard grass and get occasional treats of other plants and once in a while – various grocery greens. There are roses, figs, hibiscus and several other plants in their enclosure. When they feel like it, they bulldoze down a branch of the hibiscus and eat all the leaves and then let it spring back up to grow some more. Everything else we pick the leaves and/or flowers to give them.
5. Our sulcatas are no longer palm-sized. They are not overly pyramided. They are alert and active. I am attaching a picture that will graphically show the growth over the past few years. As you can see, The Boss can no longer pick them both up at the same time for photos. Next year, they (together) will be too much for me.
6. If your sulcata has MBD, you must have caught it very early. I would even recommend getting a second opinion (if possible). It looks healthy to me but then I have never claimed to be an expert. Just trying to share what has worked for us.
7. My email is Buzztail1(at)hotmail(dot)com if you have any questions that I might be able to help with.
Karl H. Betz & The Boss
