Hello from Nebraska

[Headhunter]

I am new to Tortoises but not to turtles!

We just upgraded "Rocket the flying turtle" to a 125 gallon tank and my wife and I got to talking about our next addition to our family! We talked about another turtle, we talked about a lizard, and then my wife brought up she had always liked Russian Tortoises. That lead to some research and book reading, but then I saw and read about sulcatas. I have no idea why but I fell in love with them.

So long story short, we are looking to adopt one.

We live in Nebraska, so we will have an indoor area, an outdoor pen and the ability to transistion inbetwen pretty easy.

So first thought, know he will be inddor or outdoor durign the summer, any issues with being in Nebraska? When indoor, he will have his own room/pen area.

Any thoughts so far? or better yet any sage advice? I will take all I can get!

I look forward to chatting with all of you in future.

 

[jeffbens0n]

Well i'm sure you know that Sulcatas can get pretty big, they can also get pretty destructive and even a large indoor pen might not be suitable for a 150 pound tortoise. What are your winters like in nebraska? I would say if you cant keep it outside for most of the year, then you should reconsider a smaller tort like the russians.

 

[Paige Lewis]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[dmmj]

Welcome to the forum, It can be tough keeping a sulcata in the colder states talk to some of the people on the forum who own a sulcata in colder states. I personally love russians.

 

[coreyc]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Headhunter]

My thoughts on the space vs size issues would be, as he is younger, he would have a 10x14 bathroom that we woould be all his. Depending on the size, we would start with a walled off area, smaller then evolving it to where he would own that room.

Once he gets bigger 100lbs plus I am planning on a 10x 15 shed converted into a Turtle house. Heater and heating lamps would be in plenty.

Winters in Nebraska are brutal, so for at least 3-4 months he would be inside 100% of the time. I am up on UVB lamps. Again, I have no problem choosing a different turtle if the consensus is that Nebraska is not the place for a Sulcata.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Headhunter:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know your name?

 

[bikerchicspain]

Hello and welcome,
Could we have your name? Rather than call you headhunter.
We had a sulfate at work and it roamed free around the shop (petshop) and he was for ever breaking things or knocking things down, but he was adorable,
I won't tell you how he died, not nice,
I want to get another but my boss ( idiot) won't let me order one...

I have a Russian I think, I very rarely see her,she buries comes out first thing 8am sharp for breakfast then buries herself again until it's tea time when they get a little extra food,as mini scoffs it all, although midget that is about 4 cm eats like an elefant...

 

[Jacob]

Welcome to the forum, and yes i fell in love with my baby sulcata right away
There so adorable,

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

It is physically possible to keep any species anywhere in the world. The question is how practical is it? With enough time, effort and money a suitable enclosure could be made for a sulcata in Nebraska. But do you really want to keep an intelligent, tropical, large animal that would like to roam miles a day locked in a shed for all those months every year?

There are people here on the forum, who I like very much, that successfully keep sulcatas in cold areas, but they sometimes grapple with the very question that I asked you.

 

[Headhunter]

Sorry, I am very used to Headhunter or HH on my other forums. I am big in to Motorcycles and my biker name is headhunter, so I forget some times!

My Real name is Jayce and you may see my wife April posting now and again as well.

Personal stuff.....

37 years old
Live in Omaha, Nebraska
Happily Married - April
2 kids, 9 year old girl, 6 year old boy
1 cat - taurus or T-man
1 Western painted - Rocket the flying turtle or Rocky
and hopefully 1 Sulcata sooner than later!

I am pretty laid back and enjoy life.
Besides family, animals included, I enjoy Motorcycles, Photography, Help run a men's Ministry (http://bandofbrothersusa.net/) and enjoy woodworking. I can be pretty active on forums, but can disappear for weeks at a time, base on workload.

Anything else you would like to know? I am an open book.

 

[TortieLuver]

Welcome to the forum. Sulcatas have great personalities and are wonderful pets in my opinion. They do need lots of space, but none of mine dig or are destructive. I believe it's because of their setup and have lots of shade, sunlight, and hiding areas, heated house in the winter, their own mud pool when it's warm. They have access to grass grazing year-round, but I guess they are lucky to be in Arizona

 

[Tom]

Sorry, I am very used to Headhunter or HH on my other forums. I am big in to Motorcycles and my biker name is headhunter, so I forget some times!

My Real name is Jayce and you may see my wife April posting now and again as well.

Personal stuff.....

37 years old
Live in Omaha, Nebraska
Happily Married - April
2 kids, 9 year old girl, 6 year old boy
1 cat - taurus or T-man
1 Western painted - Rocket the flying turtle or Rocky
and hopefully 1 Sulcata sooner than later!

I am pretty laid back and enjoy life.
Besides family, animals included, I enjoy Motorcycles, Photography, Help run a men's Ministry (http://bandofbrothersusa.net/) and enjoy woodworking. I can be pretty active on forums, but can disappear for weeks at a time, base on workload.

Anything else you would like to know? I am an open book.

You didn't mention shoe size... why so secretive??? haha

 

[Headhunter]

Sorry, I am very used to Headhunter or HH on my other forums. I am big in to Motorcycles and my biker name is headhunter, so I forget some times!

My Real name is Jayce and you may see my wife April posting now and again as well.

Personal stuff.....

37 years old
Live in Omaha, Nebraska
Happily Married - April
2 kids, 9 year old girl, 6 year old boy
1 cat - taurus or T-man
1 Western painted - Rocket the flying turtle or Rocky
and hopefully 1 Sulcata sooner than later!

I am pretty laid back and enjoy life.
Besides family, animals included, I enjoy Motorcycles, Photography, Help run a men's Ministry (http://bandofbrothersusa.net/) and enjoy woodworking. I can be pretty active on forums, but can disappear for weeks at a time, base on workload.

Anything else you would like to know? I am an open book.

You didn't mention shoe size... why so secretive??? haha

12 wide. Also I have 10 toes. 5 on each foot.

 

[Jacqui]

Hi Jayce and welcome! Nice to see another Nebraskan here! I won't be telling you not to get a sulcata, that would be wrong since I have a couple of them. I spent years debating, if I should get one and if it would be fair to both the tortoise and myself. None of mine are beyond the 40 lbs or so teenager size, so how it will work out remains to be seen. I will tell you they are amazing creatures and so far, well worth the extra work to keep them. Even tho I am sitting here typing this with a back that is killing me from cutting weeds to get ready to seed an area to soon become the sulcata zone. Have you taken the sulcata challenge? Might also be wise to go back and check out some of the Bob stories that Maggie has written about her never dull life with Bob the sulcata.

 

[Robert]

12 wide. Also I have 10 toes. 5 on each foot.

Welcome and Good Luck.

For anyone interested, I only have 9.5 toes. 5 on right, 4.5 on left!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome, like you username!

 

[Madkins007]

Omaha? Never heard of it, even though I've lived here 52 years so far!

Hi, neighbor! (I'm not too far from Benson High School)

My own personal take is that I would never try to keep a tortoise species in Omaha that I cannot keep inside pretty much all year. Just last year, the summer was cool and wet enough that my Red-foots were only outside a relatively few weeks, and most of that was late in the summer. Besides, I only have a typical sized urban yard- much too small for a living bulldozer.

Most of the guys on the forum with Sulcata already have them outdoors, we are still about a month away from safe, all day outside stuff, and we'd have to pull back in sometimes as early as early September.


On another note- going to the local breeders expo this month?
Spring 2011 Reptile Breeders Expo Date
Date: Sunday, April 17th
Time: 10am-4pm
Location: Omaha Executive Inn and Suites (formerly Howard Johnson Hotel), 72nd and Grover (I-80 Exit 449 North), Omaha, Nebraska
(http://www.nebherp.org/expo/index.html)

You may find a nice tortoise there amidst all the snakes and arachnids!

 

[bikerchicspain]

Sorry, I am very used to Headhunter or HH on my other forums. I am big in to Motorcycles and my biker name is headhunter, so I forget some times!

My Real name is Jayce and you may see my wife April posting now and again as well.

Personal stuff.....

37 years old
Live in Omaha, Nebraska
Happily Married - April
2 kids, 9 year old girl, 6 year old boy
1 cat - taurus or T-man
1 Western painted - Rocket the flying turtle or Rocky
and hopefully 1 Sulcata sooner than later!

I am pretty laid back and enjoy life.
Besides family, animals included, I enjoy Motorcycles, Photography, Help run a men's Ministry (http://bandofbrothersusa.net/) and enjoy woodworking. I can be pretty active on forums, but can disappear for weeks at a time, base on workload.

Anything else you would like to know? I am an open book.

cool another motorbike fan.
What bike do you have?

 

[pdrobber]

welcome