Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For a short time until we get the stuff to build something better would it be okay to get a kind of tall but not to tall plastic bin that is long that way they will have room to walk and put reptile Desert Blend sand in the bottom and since we are getting 2 have something in the middle to part them. We got a light that puts out both UVA and UVB. And a shallow water dish. Keep in mind that this will just be for a little while and they will only be in it for nights and bad weather days.

A large plastic bin such as a sweater box or rubbermaid tub would work fine. The larger the better. Can't think of any reason you would need to separate the torts at this stage. Later if two males this may be more relevant but you won't be able to assess gender for a few years. Don't recommend the sand mix even though seems logical enough. The concern about any substrate is accidental ingestion. Sand and other materials are not readily digestible. Some sources suggest a sand-soil mix though even this seems more appropriate for older torts with bigger digestive tracts. I use a product called Carefresh. It is a wood pulp product with good absorbtion and has yet to cause digestion problems. I'd probably be just as happy with a newspaper and orchard grass substrate. All these products are readily available at you full line pet store often where they sell products for rabbits (but don't go with alphlph b/c of protein content). If your bulb is at least a 100 watt mecury vapor UVA/UVB bulb then you should do well in terms of the heat and UVB requirements for calcium synthesis (though sun and low humidity always a better choice). In my temporary rubbermaid setup I have one end that is about 85 degrees in general but as hot as 100 degrees directly under the focused part of the bulb. The other end receives only moderate light and remains a more constant 75-80 degrees round the clock. I was initially afraid the tort wouldn't be smart enough do deal with the temp gradient. Foolish me. Never second guess mother nature. My tort moves from end to end as interested with no concerns of being overheated. I use a commertial half-log burrow loosely filled with substrate and hay and occasional misting to increase humidity in the burrow. All in all you can do well with this early set up. You sound like you have a nice potental for a tort garden as they grow. Focus on the basic husbandry concerns of diet and light/heat and they will be big enough before you know it. Best of luck, Eric.

np

My little sulcata, was kept on sand before i acquired him, his his front and back nails were worn down to the nubs.
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Adam - 0.0 African Sidenecked, 0.1 Redfoot, 0.1 Sulcatta, 1.0 Western Hognose, 1.0 Crested Gecko

Its not really sand its says that it is better than sand. Also we got it some ZOOMED food. Is that a good thing to feed them?

np

Regarding diet...the standard is to recommend a diet that is relatively low in protein and high in fiber. I don't know the exact product that you are referring to but a common problem with commercial food is a high protein content. Info at Sulcata Station.com is very helpful. Folks that have torts with nice rounded shells usually have animals that are grass grazers and with a smaller degree (may 20-25% total intake) of supplemental greens that you can grow. I personally use a combination of fresh fescues along with dried orchard and timmothy grasses. I supplement with a very small amount of lettuce (which is shake-n-baked with calcium & vitamins)and landscape plants such as daylilly flowers and geranium leaves. My torts favorite is dandelion. I've collected seed and will grow organically over the winter to provide supplement. I also bought a product called Ecotherm Cactus Fruities. Basically it is cactus material that has been blened with some other supplements and formed into a small half-dollar sized mold. The tort loves it and I can't detect any effect on digestion. All in all, try to go as natural as possible. The torts natural tendency to wander and graze on grasses. If you can achieve this and supplement the calcium and vitamins you should have healthy animals.