Reptile & Amphibian Forums

our sulcatas never drink from a water bowl.they eat well and defacate well.do they usually drink from water bowls or do they get most of their moisture from their diet.there is always fresh water available for them.do we need to supplement with calcium?they are being offered greens and hay.any info is greatly appreciated.they are adults.
thanks in advance,john and nancy

hello
russ gurley has a good book out on the husbandry of sulcatas
or www.chelonia.org
i offer cuttlebone to all my tortoises in their enclosures this is a great source of calcium i break the pieces up and spread them around the enclosures
they are grazers
seed mixes can be ordered from turtlecafe.com
my adults graze on a half acre and i supplement with carrots ,mazuri,tortoise chow,dark leafy weeds and greens, opuntia cactus, and a wide variety of hays
i feed them on top of a fresh hay pile and kind of mix it together
when i see their eyes running i let the hose run in the enclosure or turn the sprinklers on
my biggest male likes to sit right next to the sprinkler like a dog and drink
if these tortoises are not allowed a natural burrow they can become dehydrated
so you have to make sure water is available by sprinklers , a running hose or what ever you can get them to go for is the bottom line
with a good complete diet these tortoises are very hardy
remeber in the wild the get almost all the water intake from plant matter but they maintain this by sleeping in burrows
we often forget this when we set them up in igloo huts or wood shelters with heat bulbs
so you have to offer them water in my opinion to balance this out
by either offering them a micro climate or by giving them access to water
hope this was a little bit of help
thanks
jeff
planet reptiles