FULL SPECTRUM EXOTICS SULCATA / LEOPARD TORTOISE CARE SHEET African sulcata tortoises are the 3rd largest land tortoise. They can reach 36" in length and weigh up to 200 pounds. Leopard tortoises are slightly smaller reaching 24" in length and up to 100 pounds. Both species require large living spaces as adults. An average sized back yard is plenty of room for 2-3 adult tortoises. HATCHLING CARE... Hatchling sulcatas should be soaked in 1/2" warm water for 20 minutes every other day. This allows them to drink their fill and usually causes them to relieve themselves in the bath water. This has 3 distinct benefits. It allows all tortoises to get fresh unsoiled water, it keeps the substrate in the enclosure cleaner longer and it makes it unnecessary to keep water in the enclosure which inevitably gets spilled leading to more frequent substrate changes. I strongly recommend using a rubbermaid under bed storage box as their enclosure.They're big enough (18" x 36") to use for the first 2-3 yrs, they disapate heat better than an aquarium, and they are easy to clean. If you're displaying the torts in your living room, just build a decorative wooden frame around the rubbermaid box to make it look nice. The substrate I recommend (and use myself) is a 1" base layer of a 50/50 mix of peat moss and play sand topped off with a 1" layer of bermuda grass hay.The hay can be eaten as food and gives essential traction for flipping themselves back over. Baby tortoises have a knack for getting themselves flipped on their backs. If they can't get flipped back over they will suffocate and die. The grass layer prevents this and is a MUST. The temperatures in the enclosure should be upper 70's to low 80's on the cool end and 95 degrees on the warm end. This allows the tortoise to thermo regulate themselves. The heat can be provided by a porcelain socket clamp lamp with a heat emitter or an incandescent bulb. The strength of heat emitter or bulb will be determined by the distance it is from the basking spot. A night time temperature drop to upper 60's - lower 70's is beneficial. They should also be provided a 10.0 UVA/UVB light on a timer to simulate the length of day. In the summer the UV light should be on 14 hrs. a day. In the winter turn it down to 10 hrs. a day. This readies them for the lighting conditions when they get moved outside. I feed each hatchling a clump of chopped greens (mustard, turnip, or collard) every morning at 7am. The portion size is equal to the size of the tortoise. I dust the greens every other day with a calcium/D3 powder. They can eat the grass hay substrate all day long. Change the grass every other week or so. Daily maintenance can stretch the change time significantly. Whenever weather permits hatchlings should be allowed time outside in the sun. It is necessary to protect them from predators when they are outside. I've built portable "playpens" that work very well. I constructed a 4' square frame of 2x12's and stretched chicken wire over the top. I can move it anywhere I want to in the yard and its heavy enough to keep cats or dogs out. The chicken wire keeps out birds of prey and land predators as well. Be sure to place it where they get sunlight and shade. When kept outside they should have water available at all times. This is easily done using small ceramic or glazed terra cotta drip trays from potted plants. Here are a few very informative websites I highly recommend you check out. These offer a wealth of information and can answer almost any questions you may have. They are www.tortoisetrust.com. www.africantortoise.com. and www.worldcheloniantrust.com. We appreciate your business and are always here to answer your questions. We believe our customer service BEGINS with the sale. We hope you and your new tortoise have a long, happy life together. Please keep us in mind for your future tortoise purchases. Thanks Lynn, Full Spectrum Exotics email: sales@fullspectrumexotics.com