What goes into having a Sulcata?

[ryan57]

I get it. This is the reason we sometimes have arguments on this forum. We see something bad and we need to say something. Then the person making the original statement that is wrong, dangerous, or potentially harmful takes offense and tries to defend their actions. I know darn well that a guy like Len knows what he is doing, but then someone with less experience, or possibly less vigilance, or possibly less time on their hands to sit and watch their tortoises and fine tune things as he expertly does comes along and thinks they can do the same thing as him and get the same result. Often they learn too late about some detail of Len's care routine or knowledge. Someone reading our forum sees his pictures and makes the incorrect assumption that its fine to let tortoises walk around in the snow. I don't think it is good for Len to do it either, but if that someone reading and looking at the pictures doesn't have Len's exceptional knowledge, experience and ability, or if they just aren't as attentive as Len always is, there could easily be a frozen tortoise, frostbite damage, or even just harm done to the critical intestinal flora and fauna in the gut due to low temperatures.

Ever notice how a lot of tortoises, perhaps the majority, raised in areas with frozen winters are grossly undersized for their age? 10 year old sulcatas that are 10 or 20 pounds? Certainly not all of them, but definitely a lot of them. Len's tortoises are above average in size for their age, because he knows the fine points of making that happen, but the vast majority of people looking at Len's pictures don't have the knowledge or ability that he has. It sets a bad, potentially dangerous, example.

I recognize that you are an experienced professional and expert and I also agree that Len does a fantastic job and his success could be a tragic end for a tortoise that someone is not supervising or doesn't completely understand what Len does.

On the other hand, keeping a sulcata as a pet is NOT rocket science in any regard. I have one main rule: Carapace temp even outside does not ever drop below 75deg, limbs never below 65deg and is always followed up by a soak at 109 deg or so. Could experienced participants on this forum ever collect enough data to agree on parameters?

Have folks on this forum ever thought of the inverse temperature extreme? Why do many articles on this species describe the "harsh" environment they come from without examining what parameters make it harsh? You would have to be an idiot to believe that a tortoise would choose something harsh or akin to its native habitat if it is truly "harsh". How about with regard to water? You have gone to great lengths, like your presentation on YouTube, to show that they need to stay hydrated and humid and even though they CAN survive with less water is it not ideal to their growth.