A quick question from a concerned animal lover

[k.liening]

There is a man in my neighborhood who is breeding and selling tortoises and recently he got a notice from our HOA about the number of pets he has so he is willing to let them go at a VERY reduced price. There are a few that, in my opinion, are a lot worse for wear. I took a quick picture of the two of them and I was wondering if this much pyramiding is able to be helped (or at least with made healthy) with the right environment, diet, and lighting.

I will admit that I have never owned a tortoise before but as an active animal lover and other exotic animal owner I have a VERY DEEP want to save these two. I have been reading up on them a little and I feel that maybe with some TLC I can at least nurse them back to a decent health and maybe find them a suitable home if it ends up that I can't provide one.
I called out local animal foundation and they said that they would just 'humanely euthanize' a tortoise in the shape I was describing. Our local tortoise group hasn't returned my calls in over a week so I'm a little hesitant about that.

Sorry for the long post I was just wondering if I could get some advise or help with this situation.

Below is the picture I snapped.
Thank you so much for any advise that you can or would be able to give. I'm just trying to these poor little tortoises. He probably has about 25 but I honestly doubt I can take that many. A good chunk of they are 'hatchlings' and he is unwilling to give up his 'breeding pair'. These are the next largest ones and some of the ones that look the worst.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi K.:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Yes, the smaller one has pyramiding, however, its NOT life threatening or even bad. What you are seeing is purely cosmetic. If there were any metabolic bone disease the tortoise would be showing it in its shape, and I'm not seeing that.

I applaud you for wanting to "save" these tortoises, however, in my opinion, if you don't think you will be able to provide the tortoises with a forever home, I don't think you should get them. Sulcatas seem to be able to adjust to new surroundings easier than some other types of tortoise, but I don't think they should have to. They are territorial. They get stressed out when they are moved to a new habitat and it takes them a while to adjust to it. I know that you have good intentions, but if you don't think you can keep them, don't get them.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[k.liening]

Thank you very much for your quick responses emysemys and dmarcus.

Would you recommend anything that I can tell the current owner to help this from getting worse like the 'breeding pair' he has? Or anything I can tell him about the hatchlings that can keep them from starting to pyramid? He is currently feeding them a few leaves of iceberg lettuce a day and I have already let him know about spinless cactus pads and even bought a dozen for him to give to his torts along with some 'reptocal' that I give my dragons.

How hard is it to take care of a sulcata? I've never had one but am not apposed to getting one and keeping it for as long as nature allows.

 

[l0velesly]

Thank you very much for your quick responses emysemys and dmarcus.

Would you recommend anything that I can tell the current owner to help this from getting worse like the 'breeding pair' he has? Or anything I can tell him about the hatchlings that can keep them from starting to pyramid? He is currently feeding them a few leaves of iceberg lettuce a day and I have already let him know about spinless cactus pads and even bought a dozen for him to give to his torts along with some 'reptocal' that I give my dragons.

How hard is it to take care of a sulcata? I've never had one but am not apposed to getting one and keeping it for as long as nature allows.

It makes me sad to hear that he's only feeding them iceberg lettuce which has very little nutritional value. You should try to recommend him to give them a better diet such as dark leafy greens.

Sulcatas require A LOT of room when they get big. Most sulcatas can't be kept together due to aggression. They also need UVA/UVB when they're inside and during winter when the sun's not out. The food should be no problem if you plant your own greens; otherwise, you might have to buy a bag of greens a day when they become adults.

 

[Yvonne G]

If the tortoises are outside and there is a lot of growing grasses and plants, then they are eating that. The iceburg lettuce you see is merely a treat.

Baby tortoises pyramid mainly because they are kept too dry. Tell him that in the wild the babies stay hidden all the time during their first year. And where they hide is usually a bit more humid and moist than out in the open. The humidity helps them to grow smoothly during their first year.

But let me caution you: Folks who think they are successful at their back yard breeding operation don't take kindly to some "young upstart" offering them advice. You'll have to be pretty humble and choose your words carefully.

 

[reticguy76]

Also, what I would do, is offer to take the ones that dont look so good for free. If the neighbor truly has to just "move them out or get rid of them quickly" and they arent in great shape, the neighbor should care more about getting the tortoises to happy healthy homes, over money.
I do agree that the backyard breeders (of all breeders) look down upon and turn away any advice from what they consider to be non-experienced keepers/owners. Go in and educate the neighbor with confidence and good sources with proper care and keeping/breeding.

 

[Laura]

those two don't look big enough to be a breeding pair.. but its hard to tell. The larger one looks pretty good. the smaller one.. not great.. but Iv'e seen much worse.
What kind of yard are they in? Is there grass for grazing?
I would think the reason you ahve not heard from rescues, is because they are busy and its not easy to house a bunch of Sulcatas, and the place that said they would euth.. Don't call them back.. these are NOT in such bad shape they need to be put down. IF you caall them back and they can HELP, you can tell them, that they are not as bad as you first thought.
Or send the owner here.. and maybe there are people here who would love to give them new homes. Where are they? City State?

 

[Tom]

If you click the links in my signature below there is all sorts of info on how to care for them.

We have a forum member in Vegas who also runs a tortoise business. He is a good guy and might be able to take some of them. His name is Tyler and his company is tortoisesupply.com. His username on the forum is TylerStewart.

The hatchlings and adults have some monetary value, but the pyramided juveniles will need to be given away most likely. If you decide you can house and care for one, I would only get one. Pairs seldom work out. Having lots of them really gets a bit more serious once they all start getting big. It gets much more involved than just having a simple pet tortoise. If you are up for that sort of challenge, then I will be the first to welcome you to the ranks of the rest of us insane people...