Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My sulcata is 8yrs of age and, has some minor pyrimiding. I keep Him in a 8x8 squre gage outside during the day. What I would like to know is how much light they should get each year and the proper diet to help prevent pyrimiding? What vitimens would do the most of help?

the biggest thing you can do is to keep their diet as close to what they naturally eat as you can. That means grasses and weeds. Try not to supplement too much, if at all.

Dose that also include all the sun they can get, and What about lack of calcium. How do you know if he's getting enough?

In the wild, how do they get calcium? They get it from the plants, the small amount of dirt they eat with the plants, and the small bugs that might be on the plants when they eat them. Just give a variety of grasses, weeds, keep them on a good mix of soil/sand and supplement every now and then with some flowers, cactus, or some such and they should be fine. And yes, let them get plenty of sun. These are desert animals after all. If you want to dust something every now and then with the calcium supplements out there, that is fine too, but just don't go over board. Try and set their habitats up as close as possible to nature and will be good to go.

If you get a chance, go to some zoos that have large torts and speak with the keepers about their care. I was in San Diego a while back and I did that the animal park. They were very glad to share their knowledge.

In the wild, these beasts also obtain calcium from the consumption of dried snail shells, bleached bones, and limestone particulate. Sunlight is also a crucial source of D3, which is converted to useable calcium through a process initiated by thermal radiation, another energy source from the sun. The sun is, therefore, the most immediately important source of calcium. Without sunlight or an adequate substitute light source, sulcatas simply do not thrive.

T.G.

T.G.-I have seen mine biting at the limestone pebbles that are so common in the soil here in south florida. I figured it could smell the calcium.
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-Jake

0.1 juvie L.t. annulata
1.1 adult/subadult L.g. californiae
0.2 adult Pseudemys nelsoni
1.0 sub adult Geochelone sulcata
0.1 mexican double yellowheaded amazon parrot