Hello!

[TashaR]

Hi Everyone!

I'm Tasha am new here and slightly new to Sulcatas. I used to work at a pet store, and we had a Sulcata as our in store pet. She was beautiful and huge and I just loved her to pieces.

I've been wanting a sulcata of my own for several years now but wasn't in a good place time wise to take on any new pets, especially ones who have the needs a sulcata does. However, I feel like now might be a time that I could bring a baby sulcata into my home and care for it as it grows.

I have been looking at set ups and talking to a few people, but I'm getting very mixed messages and I really only want the best for any pet I own. I have aquatic turtles but no tortoises at this point. The woman at the pet store (I know information from pet stores can be false) suggested a 30 or 40 gallon breeder aquarium for a baby sulcata, at least for the first couple years. In fact, an aquarium would be the easiest in my apartment. Is that something that is a possibility for a baby tortoise, up until it gets to be 6 or 8 inches?

A tortoise table is not really feasible given that I rent and also that I own a very nosy cat. She likes to lay on top of my turtles' tank and watch them and I can only assume she'd share the same interest with a tortoise.

Basically, I'm wondering what will suit a sulcata's needs, still fit in my apartment and be closed off enough that my cat won't decide to try to visit with my tortoise. Is there something that is more appropriate, or do I need to just wait until I own my own home to begin looking at owning a sulcata?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[Marty333]

Hi Welcome to the Forum
I think it would be best that you wait until you have your own home with a yard to own a sulcata tortoise but there are many other types of tortoises that would fit perfectly in your apartment!!!

 

[Kenny]

Hi Tasha,welcome aboard.
IMO if you don't have a backyard, you shouldn't have a sulcata. They grow fast and an aquarium wont last long. If you could build an 8'x4' (minimum) enclosure that could work for a while, but it wouldn't be ideal. And that to would be outgrown before u know it
There are alot of other torts that will do fine in an apt. I live in an apt, and have a 10" red foot, and a hingeback.

 

[coreyc]

Welcome to the forum do you have any planes on buying a house in the near future I think there are some people who use aquariums somebody will chime in on that but what are you going to do when he gets big do you have a spare room ?

 

[TashaR]

Wow, thanks for the welcome and the advice.

I'm really only planning on staying in my apartment another year, two at the most, and then I plan to buy a home. (I cannot stand paying rent on a building I don't even get to keep!)

I'm not set on an aquarium, I saw that some people used rubbermaid tubs or other types of enclosures. I just want something that both looks nice, and is appropriate for a tortoise. I did look at tortoises that stay smaller, like a Russian, but they aren't the same and I don't love their little faces like I love Sulcatas' cute little faces and stumpy legs, LOL.

I have two baby yellow belly sliders at this time, and I know they get big too...I don't know why I have to like the animals that require larger spaces, LOL. I also have chinchillas and a cat, so we have a pretty animal oriented apartment here.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tasha:

Welcome to the forum!!

I really don't think you should get a sulcata until you have the yard for it. One cannot see into the future, and even though you don't plan on renting very long, you really don't know if you'll be able to buy a house in a year or two.

I have a little rescued sulcata here now that is only about 2 years old, and he's big enough to go outside already. In fact, he's too big to keep in an aquarium or in a plastic tub. Because the weather is too cold for him to be outside, I have him in a cinderblock house that measures about 4'x4' and it isn't too big for him.

My point is, I really don't think this little sulcata, at 2 years of age, would do well in an apartment with no yard.

 

[Torty Mom]

Welcome to TFO!!!! Mary Anne

 

[Happy]

Hello Guys ........Welcome to all.Glad to meet you all.Have a Good Day !
(spam link removed by moderator)

 

[pongpagong]

Hi and Welcome..please wait until you get a home of your own before getting a sulcata..you cannot keep sulcata in your apartment..you need a big yard and during winter if you have cold weather you need indoor enclosure at least 5x10 feet..you can keep a sulcata in smaller enclosure when the tort is still a baby, but after a year or two you need a really big one for your tort..

 

[spikethebest]

Welcome!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the group! I personally think that it would be wrong to get a Sulcata living in an apartment...there are no guarantees that it will have a yard later on. So many Sulcatas are given up each year because their owners were told they do fine in apartments, and then they get huge and the owners can't handle them (they will outgrow an aquarium in way less than 2 years!). If you want to get into tortoises now, there are a few breeds that would do fine in an apartment (although every tort will thrive with time outdoors--even if taken out in a plastic tub for some sun--you don't want to set your tort on apartment grass due to the chemicals they use). Russians, Hermanns, and Greeks all stay small, ie. an enclosure size under 10 sq ft is ok for their adult size. Redfoots thrive indoors since they need high humidity and low light, but they do get quite a bit large, and would need an enclosure the size of a small room. With a cat, if you do get a mostly indoor tortoise, you will need to have a very secure enclosure such as having hardware cloth over it so the tort is kept safe. Sure, lots of people keep large torts indoors, but that doesn't mean its the right thing to do. Sadly, many pet stores and breeders don't give enough advice to their customers about how fast Sulcatas grow, how destructive they are, etc. http://turtlerescues.com/sulcata_challenge.htm

I believe in waiting until you have a stable environment and money stream to get a large tort, or any tort really...ie. own a home (not rent), the means to house and heat a large tort, and the money to buy the supplies long term. People's situations can change very quickly, and torts are more than a life long commitment (mine is in our will and we have a savings account for emergency vet bills and to go with him to a new home if we die). I too am having a long wait to get a Sulcata. I currently rent a townhouse and struggled with the decision to get a Russian. I feel bad he doesn't get outside much, so I do my best to make sure he has a lot of space and a good UVB bulb and such. Maybe someday in the future we'll own a house with a large yard in a warm climate, but until then, our little Russian provides us a lot of joy.

Our shell baby has a ton of personality built into his little body! We got him captive bred and were pleased to not be supporting the wild caught trade (Petco and such sell wild caught Russians). Torts over a year old are much less fragile than hatchlings. Here's a great site about Russians http://www.russiantortoise.org. They are popular because they have a lot of personality, stay small, and are more easily available than some other breeds. Any tort however is a very long term commitment, so if you really want a Sulcata and nothing else, I would personally recommend you wait until you have the ideal conditions to ensure you don't get in over your head. Once you are ready, it would be wonderful if you could take in an adult Sulcata who needs a home...there are so many of these. I wouldn't support the breeding of Sulcatas, but thats another personal decision of mine.

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum Tasha

Danny

 

[TashaR]

Thanks for the welcome everyone

I'm holding off on owning a sulcata at this time, but my baby Marginated tortoise is coming home on Sunday