redearslider.com

Me and Michael have been talking about getting a tortoise 'someday', assuming that they would be too big and needy to keep while we're both still in apartments. Today though, we went into Petland and found adorable baby sulcatas. We're wondering how fast they grow, because depending on what they need, if they stay smallish for a year or two, we'd probably be okay! Can anyone recommend good websites about sulcatas? We want to make sure we know what we're getting into! Anyway, here's some pictures of the guy we fell in love with.








The rest were napping


Thank you for your help and advice!

There are some links in the sticky above: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2147

I'd also check out Sulcata Station

I would also sign up for the tortoise trust group list @ http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/tortoisetrust/

If there is ever a question about tortoises, thats the place to ask.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but those look a LOT like Red footed tortoises

umm look out they get big.

"The sulcata is the largest of the African mainland tortoise, with specimens easily reaching 24-30 inches (60-75 cm) in carapace length and 80-110 pounds (36-50 kg)."

They also get very strong.

Ok never mind, the carapace markings got me confused...lol

Yeah, we know they'll get huge, we're just wondering how long before they become unmanageable indoors. We might have to wait

http://africantortoise.com/sulcata.htm

this link has some great info. I still haven't found anything that will tell me 1yr =... 2yr = ....

I looked around a bit and couldn't find anything like that either, but i'm pretty sure i heard/read somewhere before that they grow pretty fast, my boyfriend had a similar thought when we saw some adorable baby sulcatas at That Pet Place, they must've been just hatched. They were unbearably cute. They're like a turtle and a dog combined into one awesome animal! Maybe someday i will have one... I hope you guys are able to get one when the time is right!

Oh man you live near That Pet Place? You're so lucky! Their store looks awesome and huge. That's one pet store I've always wanted to visit since I was a kid. They've been around for a long time.

Anyway, yea, the baby sulcattas are incredibly cute. It's amazing that such small things can get so big. I've been told by someone who breeds them in the southwest that it would be too hard on the animal to live this far north (I'm in New Hampshire) since they really need to be outdoors all the time and to keep them inside for the long winters would be cruel. If you live in an area where you only need to bring them indoors for a month or two during the cold season, that's okay. But any longer than that is not supposed to be good. I was very bummed out about that cause I would really love to have one. However...I saw someone on craigslist here in NH trying to rehome their two adult sulcattas. She posted that she had both indoor and outdoor pens for them and that she was only going to rehome them to someone with a lot of knowledge about them. I still didn't want to do it 'cause of what the breeder said, but like anything else...it has been done and that person seemed to care about her tortoises so if it were really that cruel, I would hope she would be able to notice it, but since she didn't seem to think so... All I know is I got my hands full so Sulcattas are not in my near future.

Yeah, I think I'm going to have to talk Michael out of it for now, I did manage to read somewhere that within 3 years they can get up to 12 inches, and it's just too risky, if something happens and we're not settled by then I don't want the tortoise to suffer. Now I'm wondering a bit about smaller tortoises and box turtles. We'll have to do some research and find out if there are any that would be good for us. It makes me sad to think that those sulcatas will probably go to people who don't know what they're doing though... I guess that's the way it goes with all turtles though, just not enough knowledge out there.

I have a year old sulcata. Tucker is so awesome has such a great personality. Tucker turned a year old in december. He was tiny when we got him and now is about 6 inches. He currently lives in a 55 gal living space and that is still pretty good for him. However come summer I will be building him a box, about 4' x 4' Im guessing. The other nice thing is cleaning up after them is pretty easy. I take Tucker out for walks about 30 min at least a day in the summer time just because its nice to sit out side and he loves the sun. I would totally recomend getting one, weather you wait to be in a house is totally up to you. I will be posting some pictures of Tucker in the photo section later today, so make sure you check them out. But my wife and I have enjoyed him so much along with our other family members we are looking into possibly getting him a friend. Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions. Good Luck!

Unless you live somewhere it stays warm year round, i wouldn't suggest getting a sulcata.

jozzep wrote:Unless you live somewhere it stays warm year round, i wouldn't suggest getting a sulcata.

Jozzep is right. I looked up the possibility of keeping one in the Philly area. Unfortunately, medium cold winters are too much for those desert tortoises. They don't agree with humidity, and would require a large heated enclosure to spend the winter.

It is possible, but not easy.

I can see why you fell in love with the little guy--he's adorable! But I think you made the right decision to wait. I always feel terrible seeing so many people buying Sulcata hatchlings for their kids at reptile expos, knowing full well that the vast majority of them won't have the facilities to care for them as they get bigger.

You may have come across this in your reading as well, but even if/when you live in a place where you can keep Sulcatas outside, just keep in mind that many love to dig, and they are INSANE diggers. I have a picture in one of our reptile books of a Sulcata that dug itself a nice shady den to nap in one afternoon, and it well and truly looks like a bulldozer did it.

If you're looking for a smaller tortoise that will do well at least part of the year in the northeast, check out Russian tortoises. They are very personable and cute, and they stay small. A couple of caveats: not a good idea to house males or a male and single female together (see the other thread on Russians for explanation), and pleeeeaaase look into a rescue or a captive-bred specimen if you decide to get one. They're being extirpated in their natural habitat for the pet trade, and the wild-caught ones are often sickly. Kingsnake.com and Fauna Classifieds would be good places to find a captive-bred Russian.

Enjoy, whatever you decide!

Why not go for some sort of aquatic turtle that dont get HUGE but still grow to a good size? I Myself think Tortoises are boring and dangerous. They take for ever to get big, they eat ALOT at once, and if they dont want you to mess with them and end up getting your Finger...say good bye to that finger lol...and they don't move much at all...

My uncle had a huge sulc. and they can get pretty mean and hiss at you and everything. It would eat like 2 full things of cabbage or lettuce, which compaired to a aquatic turtle, u feed them like 3 pellets lol plus its fun watching them chase stuff around the tank.