• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Help.. Found Sulcata Tortoise

A

ara35

New member
So we found a sulcata tortoise. We correctly identified him and he is in relatively good shape. hard shell, not too much pyramiding, but some running eyes. we were told to keep an eye on them and take him to the vet if he gets worse.

Currently the tortoise is about 13" long (front of shell to back of shell). We live in an apt and are willing to make this work till we get a house. most likely, this will be in less than a year and we can get a legit enclosure.

for now, i am thinking of building something on the smaller side. maybe 4x4, or a kiddie pool filled with dirt and spagnum moss. we have done our homework and realize what is required. looking for some additional advice and maybe some hands-on experience.

I will post pictures soon. Thanks!
 
Did you try to find his owners?

Tortoises don't do well inside, so you'll have to be VERY careful in terms of appropriate lighting. Obviously, they are good at escaping, and sulcatas need a very strong enclosure. Good luck. There's a member here, Dead Mouse, who has a sulcata. You have to REALLY love that animal in order to keep one into adulthood.

I think Kathy Love has them, too??? But she lives in AZ and they can live outside. Oh- so will you be moving south? DO IT, for the tortoise! ;-)
 
That post from Troy is amazing. Just read it for the first time. I am now extremely glad that I never got a sulcata when I was in high school. They are one of my favorite tortoise's and I will get one, one day. But that day is not today. Because I have no room for something like that right now.
 
i did read the post and that is very informative on what to expect. i am prepared for the responsibility.

the tortoise was found in an area far away from houses. we will still look around but it was found at a construction site. with the surrounding area, i'd assume someone dropped it off because they no longer wanted it and didnt realize what would happen when the cold weather came.

for now, we built an enclosure that is about 3'x4'. it is a temporary solution until we get a house. we also made a door so he could go in and out when we are home. we currently have a box turtle, a cornsnake and a ball python so we are familiar with the specific enviromental requirements and feeding habits that need to be researched. eventually we will plan to build an outdoor and indoor enclosure once a house is purchased (6-9 months max). i know its not ideal but giving him to a sanctuary or rescue doesn't seem right if we can provide for him.
 
We have kept sulcatas for years, but only outside in SW Florida or Az. I have never tried to keep them indoors, except for babies for a couple of months. But I know that some people do keep them up north. They usually invest quite a bit in heat lights and UV lights, and construct a big pen in the basement for winter, and a larger outdoor pen for summer.

They can take pretty chilly temps if they have a burrow or night house. So you could probably put them outside in the spring when the nights are still pretty chilly, and leave them out in the fall. We had winter temps in Florida that occasionally got to freezing, but warmed up nicely during the day. They had a deep burrow, so it never got that cold in the burrow. It also stayed cooler in the burrow in mid summer. If you can't have a burrow, then a piglet heat pad in the night house will work, too.

I think the main thing will be to leave them outside for as much of the year as safely possible once you get your house next spring. And to invest in really good heat and lighting this fall and winter. It takes a lot of commitment to keep adults up north, but it can be done if you can invest in the time, space, and money to do it right.

Good luck!
 
I just read Troy's post. Very interesting, and very relevant for people who do not live in a stable place where the tortoises can live outdoors all year. Although we did not have those kinds of problems because we lived on acreage in a good climate for them, we did have some escapes. Not many, but at least one tortoise was lost for good after it escaped. Now we have a much better fence.

But I would like to post the site that I found most helpful for sulcata info when I first got into them. It covers all kinds of stuff you need to know. Take a look here: http://www.sulcata-station.org/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top