Sulcatas are aggressive and everyone should stop breeding????

[Maiasmom]

Ok don't jump down my throat for the subject line! I was quoting something I recently read that was posted by a rescue organization. I never knew Sulcatas were overly aggressive and lay 100 eggs a year... Maybe it's because I'm new to all this but the overly aggressive part really had my scratching my head I've been around adults males and females and they never seemed aggressive towards people, I can see that being said during mating to another male competing but this was pointed towards people.
"sulcatas are the third largest species of tortoise in the world weighing up to 200 pounds or more, attaining this size in a very short period of time. Adult female sulcatas can easily produce 50 -100 eggs a year" "destructive non-housebroken animal of this size. A fully-grown sulcata is strong and aggressive"
I'm assuming in this one they are talking about wild caught ones? "These include infecting native wildlife with parasites and foreign diseases"

Can anyone else shed some light on this please

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

“And they have huge teeth!"

 

[mike taylor]

They are bulldozers for sure. If they want it moved they will move it . If they can't move it they try to dig under it or climb over it. They will ram people if they fill threatened. But for the most part I have never heard of one eating a person. But they do lay a lot of eggs . They are baby makers . I do think we should try to rescue the ones that need homes not buy them from breeders . Don't hit me I know a lot of you guys breed them . Thats why we live in the USA we have the freedom to do what we please . But someone sounds like they got rammed by a big sulcata at a overwhelmed rescue facility.

 

[Tom]

This is propaganda from a rescue organization. There are a few individuals and rescues that like to shout out how the sky is falling and there is a horrible sulcata overpopulation problem. They have a lot of sulcatas at some of these rescues because:
a. They usually charge a very high "adoption fee" of several hundred dollars.
b. They have to come to your house and decide if you and your yard are fit to adopt one of their tortoises.
c. You have to sign a ridiculous contract with all sorts of provisions like "they can repossess the tortoise at any time for any reason", or " the tortoise can only be given back to them and never to a friend or family member", and "you can NEVER" breed the tortoise.

By contrast, if a sulcata somehow ends up at a local shelter here it is adopted within minutes of becoming available. Of course the adoption fee is small, and there is no contract, and no one has to inspect your home, and no one tells you what you can or can't do with your own tortoise. I know of a rescue that does NOT do a, b, or c above and they adopt out their incoming sulcatas within hours or days. I personally have helped about 2 dozen large sulcatas find new homes over the years and never had any problem doing so, because I did not make people pay money, submit to inspection, or agree to absurd terms.


Agressive? Sure they are. Big males will try to kill each other. I have heard of a person tripping on one, or getting an ankle rammed, but that is not common. They will also bite a finger if you leave out there a little too long while hand feeding.

50-100 eggs per year? Yep. That's about right. Per female. There is a big demand for them and they are a great species. Like any other species they have needs that are specific to them. They grow large, eat a lot, dig big holes, and will generally wreck a back yard. Those are some negative attributes to be sure. Here are some positives: They grow big, they eat a lot, they dig cool burrows, they are super friendly and outgoing most of the time, they are beautiful majestic looking animals (depending on the eye of the beholder), and they make lots of babies to sell to help pay for all their expenses, and let other people get the same enjoyment that you get from them by raising and caring for their OWN sulcata, as you are doing now. I, for one, think it is fantastic that another sulcata will NEVER have to be taken from the wild to meet the demands of the pet trade.

This is a hot topic. Opinions and emotions run high on both sides of this argument.

 

[Jacqui]

They are bulldozers for sure. If they want it moved they will move it . If they can't move it they try to dig under it or climb over it. They will ram people if they fill threatened. But for the most part I have never heard of one eating a person. But they do lay a lot of eggs . They are baby makers . I do think we should try to rescue the ones that need homes not buy them from breeders . Don't hit me I know a lot of you guys breed them . Thats why we live in the USA we have the freedom to do what we please . But someone sounds like they got rammed by a big sulcata at a overwhelmed rescue facility.

Hey, I think you made some great points and nobody should be hitting you.

I think a big sulcata, certainly a large male, could inflict a lot of damage to a small child and a lesser amount to an adult who is not paying attention. Of course, I have saw some pretty nice bites coming from a tiny mudturtle too. When around any animal, you have to be aware of what they are doing and where they are because they can harm you and not always meaning to do so.

I do wonder/worry about what will happen like 20 years from now, when all these babies have become adults in full breeding mode and also outgrowing so many of their homes.

 

[Tom]

I do wonder/worry about what will happen like 20 years from now, when all these babies have become adults in full breeding mode and also outgrowing so many of their homes.

I wonder about this too.

I also remember lots of other people wondering this in the early 90's when so many hatchlings started hitting the market and the price started dropping.

As a point of reference, many of my neighbors, friends and family have sulcatas, and none of them are breeding.

 

[wellington]

We will all be running for our lives as they all go on the attack. Okay, I guess we don't really have to run. We will all be crawling for our lives as they all go on the attack. . Okay, sorry, seriously. I do always wonder where all those babies go. Are there really that many people that wants a giant tort that could uproot their home? What about those adds wanting to buy whole clutches of them? Who are they and who buys all those babies? My opinion, breed them if you can house them, if you can't sell them. I'm not into culling any animal. If I couldn't sell a puppy for whatever reason, it had a forever home with me.

 

[Jacqui]

We will all be running for our lives as they all go on the attack. Okay, I guess we don't really have to run. We will all be crawling for our lives as they all go on the attack. .

!! I just am so sitting on the fence on this topic. I honestly think if I had a female and she laid eggs, I would be hatching them. I know how hard it is for me to ignore, when the red eared slider females happen to have eggs (just for the record, I only keep females) and with how adorable hatchling sulcatas are, I just don't think I am strong enough to not try to keep those eggs viable.

Along with the vast numbers being hatched each year and the ever growing numbers becoming mature, topped off with more knowledge on how to care for them I just see a higher and higher number of them thriving to adulthood. Are we going to be kicking ourselves for not stopping or atleast trying to slow that flood some day in the future? I am really scared the answer will be yes. Of course, who knows some mystery disease may come along and wipe the populations down. When do we say enough is enough? Such hard questions with so many sides to weigh.

 

[RuthJanice]

I am new to the tortoise arena but not to the saving of animals. I adopted a young male sulcata and educated myself thanks to this forum and the wonderful people willing to share. I have no intention of acquiring a female or breeding for all of the reasons everyone listed above. I am middle aged and have the ability to provide a nice life for my adopted sulcata but worry that once he outlives me and then my adult children what will become of him. It does surprise me how many young people choose this species of tortoise given how much time, money, space and care they require. I can only hope they have a future plan or will take the laboring ore in finding a suitable home once their home no longer qualifies and do not just simply release them like many people do with dogs, cats, etc. You know what they say.... the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 

[wellington]

I hear ya. As much as I would love to hatch at least one tortoise, I don't know if I could, if I were to get a couple female leopards. Even though there isn't an over abundance of leopards yet, I would not have the room to keep all that I may get stuck with and there are so many tortoises in general needing a home.
Okay, I don't want to start an argument here. So, just remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I believe we will regret it in the near future. Because, in my opinion, man ruins everything, mostly because of greed. Then, and only then, not before it happens, it's always after the fact, man will try to fix it.
I'm not sure anyone is considering the long term.
Think about it. Dogs, the longest life span is 13-15 or so years. There are hundreds or thousands killed every day at shelters, yet there is still an over abundance of homeless dogs. Can you imagine tortoises, whose shortest longevity is what 25-30 years, but the Sullies, over 100 years. Yes, I think the time sadly will come where owning and/or breeding will be outlawed.
Breeders should consider this and hold off for a few years. Then start up again down the road. Maybe, if they self regulated, they could stop what I think will be inevitable, outlawing
Now that said, I would love too know how many actual "breeders" there are. You know, ones that breeds all the time. Not the few smaller ones that has like one sully and it has a clutch a year.

 

[RuthJanice]

Well said Barb.

 

[TommyZ]

I say, humans are aggressive and everyone should stop breeding them...

 

[mike taylor]

I'm not downing no one you want to breed them by all means breed them . I have no problem with it . Why not breed the ones that need help to stay on the earth for our children. If it takes breeding sulcatad to pay for it Why not . I never thought of it the way Tom said it . When Kelly found Harry I said I would like to have him . Kelly was going to drive to Houston to give him to me no questions asked . I could not let Kelly spend his time and money when he is giving me a awesome tortoise for free. Plus I got to see how he keeps his torts and I learned something. So if there is people like Kelly and his cool mother there will always be help for homeless tortoises . Almost forgotten about Yvonne she's a tortoise rescue too. I would love to be a rescue but I know I don't have much more room . So I'll have to be choose wisely . But keep rockin If it wasn't for Tom we would have a lot of sulcatas dieing due too dehydration and miss information.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Sorry but they haven't outlawed breeding cats or dogs why would they
Outlaw breeding turtles and torts
They haven't Evan outlawed breeding
Res yet and they are a problem
But don't worry I don't have a skully
Not Evan one

 

[wellington]

I say, humans are aggressive and everyone should stop breeding them...

LOL, I'm for this one

 

[TommyZ]

See.... lol

 

[wellington]

Sorry but they haven't outlawed breeding cats or dogs why would they
Outlaw breeding turtles and torts
They haven't Evan outlawed breeding
Res yet and they are a problem
But don't worry I don't have a skully
Not Evan one

I just want to clarify, so there is no misunderstanding. I don't want them to outlaw and I don't have a problem with people breeding for whatever reason. I just feel that if it does continue, it may be a bad day down the road.
As for why would they, because reptiles, period, are not as popular as cats and dogs and they are always after one type of reptile.

---

See.... lol

LMFAO

 

[diamondbp]

I think if the economy keeps going in the tanker like it is currently then where all these tortoises go will be the least of our worries.

I just hope that in America, the country somehow stays healthy enough for people to provide happy healthy homes for their tortoises. But if things go even further south economically I could see a larger problem arising with rehoming tortoises.

But as states earlier, we've had that issue with cats/dogs for decades.

I believe as long as we personally do what we can and try our best to provide what's best for OUR TORTOISES then we should sleep easy at night. What others do with THEIR tortoises is on them and their conscience

 

[wellington]

I think if the economy keeps going in the tanker like it is currently then where all these tortoises go will be the least of our worries.

I just hope that in America, the country somehow stays healthy enough for people to provide happy healthy homes for their tortoises. But if things go even further south economically I could see a larger problem arising with rehoming tortoises.

But as states earlier, we've had that issue with cats/dogs for decades.

I believe as long as we personally do what we can and try our best to provide what's best for OUR TORTOISES then we should sleep easy at night. What others do with THEIR tortoises is on them and their conscience

I know someone that likes having lots of leopards. If times get tuff, I'm shipping Tatum to, umm, you

 

[stinax182]

sooner or later the government is going to involve themselves and then no one may be able to breed them. but honestly, i believe there should be a permit issued or something to breed anything that large and destructive to it's environment. you have to get a permit to build onto your existing property why not a 50lb animal that could dig up pipes, power lines, and break fences. that being said, in my mind the permit wouldn't be hard to get for most people.....in a climate the animal is comfortable with and not in a 2nd floor apartment, preferably.