African Sulcata Tortoise 2 years and possible addition

[megganwalker]

I have a friend who wants to give me her baby Sulcata that she found but I am unsure if it is wise with my Sulcata being 2 years old and I still don’t know the breed. Is it safe? Is it wise? If not is there anyone wanting a baby Sulcata here in Phoenix?

 

[zovick]

I have a friend who wants to give me her baby Sulcata that she found but I am unsure if it is wise with my Sulcata being 2 years old and I still don’t know the breed. Is it safe? Is it wise? If not is there anyone wanting a baby Sulcata here in Phoenix?

Are you sure the found baby is truly a sulcata and not a baby Desert Tortoise? They look quite similar to beginners.

Either way, you would not want to keep the two tortoises together. You would need to create a totally separate enclosure for the new addition.

 

[wellington]

I second Zovicks post. Post a pic of it and we can confirm it's species.
It would always have to live in its own enclosure, never as a pair. Do you have the room to do that?

 

[SinLA]

Very odd to "find" a sulcata in Arizona, you sure that is what it is?

Either way, they should not live in pairs

 

[wellington]

Very odd to "find" a sulcata in Arizona, you sure that is what it is?

Either way, they should not live in pairs

Actually I can believe it. So many are being let loose. However, being a small one, more likely it's not.

 

[TammyJ]

Please post some pictures, thank you!

 

[Tom]

Very odd to "find" a sulcata in Arizona, you sure that is what it is?

Either way, they should not live in pairs

Its actually quite common. Many people have them as backyard pets. The lay eggs, the eggs will ground hatch there, and babies can fit through holes and gaps in fences and walls that the adults cannot.

 

[megganwalker]

This is my tortoise to the left and hers to the right.

 

[megganwalker]

Its actually quite common. Many people have them as backyard pets. The lay eggs, the eggs will ground hatch there, and babies can fit through holes and gaps in fences and walls that the adults cannot.

My is to left and hers is to the right

 

[megganwalker]

It’s actually quite common. Many people have them as backyard pets. The lay eggs, the eggs will ground hatch there, and babies can fit through holes and gaps in fences and walls that the adults cannot.

Please see photos posted below.

 

[megganwalker]

My is to left and hers is to the right

I have a friend who wants to give me her baby Sulcata that she found but I am unsure if it is wise with my Sulcata being 2 years old and I still don’t know the breed. Is it safe? Is it wise? If not is there anyone wanting a baby Sulcata here in Phoenix?

 

[megganwalker]

Are you sure the found baby is truly a sulcata and not a baby Desert Tortoise? They look quite similar to beginners.

Either way, you would not want to keep the two tortoises together. You would need to create a totally separate enclosure for the new addition.

Did you see my photos? I truly believe they are Sulcata. We have an over abundance of them here in Arizona. I need to help this little girl find it a home.

 

[zovick]

It does appear to be a sulcata. I can't be totally positive because I can't see the area just above the neck on your friend's tortoise very well due to the angle of the photo and the lower resolution.

If there is a small scute in the midline directly above the neck, the tortoise would be Desert Tortoise. Sulcatas do not have that scute (which is called a nuchal scute). In the sulcatas, the two scutes just to ether side of the midline meet in the middle. Desert Tortoises have the separate nuchal scute right above the neck in between the two just to either side of the midline.

Hope that is clear enough to explain what I am trying to describe.

 

[wellington]

From what I can see, it does look like a sulcata.

 

[megganwalker]

It does appear to be a sulcata. I can't be totally positive because I can't see the area just above the neck on your friend's tortoise very well due to the angle of the photo and the lower resolution.

If there is a small scute in the midline directly above the neck, the tortoise would be Desert Tortoise. Sulcatas do not have that scute (which is called a nuchal scute). In the sulcatas, the two scutes just to ether side of the midline meet in the middle. Desert Tortoises have the separate nuchal scute right above the neck in between the two just to either side of the midline.

Hope that is clear enough to explain what I am trying to describe.

Yes. I just feel sad but I cannot take the tortoise and I need to find a home for this baby and little girl here in Phoenix. I don’t even know where to look. There is an over abundance of them here already.

 

[Maggie3fan]

You can research a bit and find a Sulcata rescue in Phoenix...

Arizona Tortoise Rescue​

They can help....

 

[zovick]

Yes. I just feel sad but I cannot take the tortoise and I need to find a home for this baby and little girl here in Phoenix. I don’t even know where to look. There is an over abundance of them here already.

Yes, that is a real problem with sulcatas today. They very numerous and prolific, so are are virtually "a dime a dozen" as babies. Therefore lots of people buy them simply because they are inexpensive, never understanding what behemoths and eating machines they will become in just a few years (if they are lucky enough to keep them alive that long).

 

[Maggie3fan]

It does appear to be a sulcata. I can't be totally positive because I can't see the area just above the neck on your friend's tortoise very well due to the angle of the photo and the lower resolution.

If there is a small scute in the midline directly above the neck, the tortoise would be Desert Tortoise. Sulcatas do not have that scute (which is called a nuchal scute). In the sulcatas, the two scutes just to ether side of the midline meet in the middle. Desert Tortoises have the separate nuchal scute right above the neck in between the two just to either side of the midline.

Hope that is clear enough to explain what I am trying to describe.

Back in the day I used to head start the clutches of Sulcata and Gopherus agassizii (California desert tortoises) for my sister who operated a large turtle and tortoise rescue and people would dump these babies on her. So she'd dump them on me and I would raise them for a period of time. I mean clutches of Sulcata eggs...10 or so...I may well anyway lots of...my point would be that to this day I am more likely to mistake one for the other and just never get it right...lol

 

[Tom]

I have a friend who wants to give me her baby Sulcata that she found but I am unsure if it is wise with my Sulcata being 2 years old and I still don’t know the breed. Is it safe? Is it wise? If not is there anyone wanting a baby Sulcata here in Phoenix?

All the pictures are of sulcatas.

It is not safe to mix them. There are some terrible diseases going around, so quarantine and biosecurity should be at their maximum.

Is it wise? There is no way for us to answer that. You can keep as many as you want. They should never be in pairs, any new additions need to be quarantined and tested for several months, and when they start reaching maturity, males will need to be separated out into their own enclosures. Other than that, have fun and enjoy as many tortoises as you want.