I have not seen or read of any sulcatas that weigh nearly 100 lbs at just 4 years old!!! I'm beginning to think my sullies are obese and may pose a health problem. I would appreciate any insight. Here are some pics of my sullies.
ARE MY SULCATAS OBESE???
- Thread starter sibi
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Your sullies look beautiful. What straight carapace length are they?
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- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
I'd say that you are just doing a great job.
My back is hurting just looking at the photos.
My back is hurting just looking at the photos.
They are beautiful, I love there color. Mine is about 6 and around 70lbs. I think where you live has a ton to do with it and how readily they eat year round. Can you post pics of there outside pen and shelter? I love to see how others are keeping these big guys. They are beautiful
TheSulcata
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I think they look fine.
saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
Holy crap. 100 pounds at four years old! I know my two rescues were under weight at 10 pounds in five years, but this blows my mind.
I definitely wouldn't say obese. Probably a combination of being raised right and having the proper environment for them.
Good job!
I definitely wouldn't say obese. Probably a combination of being raised right and having the proper environment for them.
Good job!
Big, but not obese. They are fed correctly and living in ideal conditions in your climate.
Have you had them on a scale?
Have you had them on a scale?
I took one of them to the Vet back in March cause he was lethargic, had diarrhea, and not wanting to leave his enclosure to roam outside as he does everyday. I needed my husband to help me load him up. At the office, he weighed in at 87 lbs. That was 7 months ago. He had been averaging around 2 lbs growth a month. So, yeah, he's close, if not over, 100 lbs. Btw, it turned out that he had a stomach issue. He never did stop eating even when he was sick. Go figure.
I'll try to get his measurement.
Well fed, for sure! Looking at the pictures where you can see the soft tissue at the top of their legs, there's a lot of fat there.
I appreciate everyone's comments. I would still like to know if there's anyone out there that has, or knows of, a sully that's this big at 4 years old. Is their weight potentially harmful to their health? They will stop or slow down eventuality, won't he? What about heart disease? Does anyone know? Yvonne, there's a lot of fat on the soft tissue, like you rightly noticed. Should that be a concern?
It may be an exercise issue. Do they have plenty of room to walk around? Take a look at my sulcata yard. It's an old picture, but Dudley's doorway to the shelter NOW (not in the picture) is right next to where he sits in the picture. Dudley comes out of his shelter and has to walk towards the camera to get around that sight barrier fence. His waterer is on the other side of the fence. Then he has to walk all the way to the back of the yard to sit in the sun or under his favorite bush. That fence down the middle of his yard makes it so he has to walk much more and get a whole lot more exercise than he would if the fence weren't there.
Tell us more about what you are feeding them?
There growth is unprecedented, so I don't think you will find anyone to match yours, but there is not necessarily anything wrong with that. And yes, they will eventually slow down. Unless they are of Sudanese origin, they are not likely to top 120-130 pounds. If they do have Sudanese genetics, they might keep browning until 250 pounds, and I've seen a few that were even larger than that. Time will tell.
There growth is unprecedented, so I don't think you will find anyone to match yours, but there is not necessarily anything wrong with that. And yes, they will eventually slow down. Unless they are of Sudanese origin, they are not likely to top 120-130 pounds. If they do have Sudanese genetics, they might keep browning until 250 pounds, and I've seen a few that were even larger than that. Time will tell.
Their yard is 48' by 50' if I recall correctly. When they became a year old, I had yhe shed insulated and had cement blocks put around the perimeter of the yard. I posted pics of the huge yard a while back. I'll see if I can find them and repost it. So, they really do have a lot of room to roam, and they do. Would I like them to take a mile hike each day? Yeah, but they certainly have run of the place.
Tom, they eat everything! One thing I have done, though, is to feed them a small amount of Mazuri daily (about 1/3 cup now). I've done that since they were about a year old (about 12 pellets then.) This is just one part of their daily diet. They have endive, alfalfa sprouts, kale from time to time, cactus and it's fruit when in season, escarole, hibiscus flower and leaves, grass, weeds, Timothy hay, romaine, carrots, and anything I know they can eat. I'm sure I overfeed them, but they eat everything and some. I have been trying to limit their intake of Mazuri cause they really don't need it, but my heart breaks when they look for me to give them their favorite food
Tom, they eat everything! One thing I have done, though, is to feed them a small amount of Mazuri daily (about 1/3 cup now). I've done that since they were about a year old (about 12 pellets then.) This is just one part of their daily diet. They have endive, alfalfa sprouts, kale from time to time, cactus and it's fruit when in season, escarole, hibiscus flower and leaves, grass, weeds, Timothy hay, romaine, carrots, and anything I know they can eat. I'm sure I overfeed them, but they eat everything and some. I have been trying to limit their intake of Mazuri cause they really don't need it, but my heart breaks when they look for me to give them their favorite food
The daily Mazuri certainly offers some explanation.
Approximately what percentage of their diet does the grass hay, grass, and weeds make up?
They graze all day long; so, it hard to guess. But, I would say that grass, hay, and weeds make up at least 50% of they diet. Other veggies make up about another 25%, and then there's the mazuri. Oh, and I mix about 1/4 cup of grassland into the mazuri, which is then divided in half for each of the sullies.
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saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
I actually feed little amounts of Mazuri and grassland everyday too. Just as a supplement to everything else he is eating.
I'm probably about 75% grass and weeds, 20% store bought greens, and the rest is a mix of Mazuri, zoo med, and tortoise hay.
I'm probably about 75% grass and weeds, 20% store bought greens, and the rest is a mix of Mazuri, zoo med, and tortoise hay.
I'm trying to wean them off mazuri by adding more and more hay/grass. There's only so much green grass especially during winter months. That's when I go to the feed store and get bales of hay. I put down rye grass seeds during winter months cause, in Florida, it doesn't do well in heat, but grows wonderfully in the winter. The boys just love it too.
saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
See here in Michigan starting soon the only thing I will be able to feed from the yard is snow. We had our first half an inch of snow yesterday.
