any sulcata keepers?

[preston897]

i have taken an interest in these guys. and i have heard alot of awsome things about them. i hear they grow pretty fast in captivity. about how fast is pretty fast for a turtle? could they live in a 20L and any point of their life? these are just a few questions ive got that are not super clear when reading care sheets. you get all sorts of answers.

 

[kaa]

I am also very interested in them. They are very cool. I bought one, but it ended up dieing, I have been kinda hesitant about getting another one. I will eventually. I think they could be kept in a 20 at a baby.

 

[Jefroka]

I was with one yesterday, it was pretty big! Only 5 and a half yrs old and about 70-80 lbs worth of huge tortoise. He was just walking around on the sidewalk, chillin'.

He was wayyyy cool!


...Jefroka

 

[preston897]

wow. that is a huge turtle! its crazy that they get bigger. do you know why he died kaa?

 

[kaa]

Idk, He was my first tortoise, He was the last one they had at the show, So I jumped on it. His eyes never opened up, he wouldn't eat or drink. He barely moved. Then one morning, he just died. My girlfriend surprised me with a red foot back in february. I love the little guy. Maybe I will try another sulcata at the next show I go to. We'll see.

 

[preston897]

yea i have never kept a tort either. but from what i have beet reading they dont seem difficult to take care of. pretty much give em food and a good spray daily to keep their shell moist. and of course the all wonderful UVB. i am looking into one. you can get them pretty cheap at shows. and i figure i could put a shed in the back yard for it to sleep in and let it live outside when its an adult. and do somthing around the fence so it can dig out. i hear they like to do that

 

[kaa]

They are cheap, but make sure you take your time looking, there are alot of venders that sell sick animals.

 

[preston897]

oh yea i know that. i have bought several animals from those shows. i have also been looking into aldabra turtles. you have any experience with these? other then the fact that they are expensive it is hard to find info on them.

 

[DaveDragon]

i have also been looking into aldabra turtles. you have any experience with these? other then the fact that they are expensive it is hard to find info on them.

I think they grow to about 4 feet long!!! We saw a pair at Southwick's Zoo last weekend. They are HUGE!! I wouldn't recommend them unless you have a huge pen to keep them in.

 

[cornking4]

Just be ready to deal with a 125 lb sexually aggressive tortoise that can and will dig a burrow under your house foundation. I feed about 100 of them at Phoenix Herpetological and they're quite a handful... You just really need to be ready to feed someone that large and pay for a lot of mobile vet visits!

 

[preston897]

i understand the digging and feeding part. once he moves outside i plan on planting my yard full of grasses that he can eat. how bad are they once they get into their sexually agressive state? mean towards everyone? and i know they aldabras get huge. they have a few at the fort worth zoo and i fell in love with them. i sat and watched them for about 30 minutes. very active animals actually. and very funny

 

[cornking4]

They are hilarious, aren't they? Group feeding is especially fun to watch... They really have their own personalities. Sexual aggression isn't typically too nasty, but its never fun to be in the way of a tenacious, excited reptile that can weigh as much as you do. They usually try to rape anything that's, well, rapeable, which includes dirt mounds, statues, rocks, your leg, and even the family dog (dogs shouldn't be near them anyway because of the potential for injury to both parties). The worst they do is headbutt other males, which can be loud and scary..

 

[preston897]

yea they are pretty awsome. im really thinking about getting one.

 

[cornking4]

If you do, adopt from a herp society or rescue organization. Way too many sulacatas are bred and many of them are surrendered to game and fish by the truckload... Plus, they're usually cheaper that way (depending on the adoption fee).

 

[preston897]

ok. i will look into one around my area

 

[reptastic]

i came very close to getting a hatchling, but i backed out because i didnt think i was ready at the time, i have considered getting one, but im even more facinated with the leopards both are awesome torts, i will look into it if i buy a house only though!

 

[preston897]

i am looking into getting one now. i will be getting a house within the next year once im out of school.

 

[cornking4]

Nice! I'd talk to an experienced keeper about burrow construction; it's way more complicated than one would think (drainage, angle of the sun compared to angle of burrow, depth and humidity, etc. etc. etc.)

 

[preston897]

yea there is actually a breeder of them near me. i have spoken to him and he is going to allow me and my girlfriend to go out there and see all of his sulcatas. and educate us a bit more

 

[argus333]

i had a 80 lb male for 10 yrs i built a pen in my back yard that was a 6ft fence buried 3 ft in the ground it was 18 ft x22ft and id lived on a field and 3 times a week i would just let him roam he loved it. great pet great friend he now lives as a breeder on a farm in Pennsylvania.