How long do sulcatas live?

[mikey meyer]

I'm just curious, how long do sulcatas live?

 

[wellington]

Over 100

 

[mikey meyer]

Ok and my sulcata is 140 pounds. Is he full grown?

 

[mainey34]

Some live over 100 years. Depends on the husbandry...

 

[Tom]

No one knows the answer to this. No one will know it for several hundred years. They have only been commonly kept here in the US since about 1990.

Most reptile grow to adult size relatively quickly and then slow down a lot. I have read that they continue growing, albeit very slowly, for the rest of their lives.

 

[DeanS]

I was under the impression that the oldest on record was (is?) about 56 years old!

 

[mikey meyer]

Wow. Well I hope mine has still got a lot of years left!!

 

[jtrux]

140 is the biggest ive heard of personally for the non-sudanese variety however im certain they get bigger. Pics!

 

[mikey meyer]

My profile pic is him. I also have a 15 pound sulcata. I will post pics of them tomorrow and maybe you guys can tell me if they look healthy? Thanks!!

 

[jtrux]

Hes smooth, did you get him as a hatchling?

 

[Tom]

Mikey, unless something goes terribly wrong, I can guarantee that your tortoise has A LOT of years left.

 

[mikey meyer]

No I got him a year ago and ok cool!

 

[Baoh]

Pretty much "forever" (not really forever, but an exceedingly long time). With certain types of animals, many tortoises seemingly among them, it is not the age itself and associated cellular degradation that appears to do them in, but an external factor like a pathogenic microorganism, a parasite load that is too high, an environmental quirk, or a predator. A combination of these things often exacerbates matters and will act in concert to result in an untimely tortoise demise more quickly than it might occur otherwise. In pet tortoises, I would bet human keepers are the number one root cause of tortoise death. Do you ever wonder why those of us who breed can produce legions of babies and still have a strong demand for more babies? It is because most babies in captivity likely die. Hatchling fragility is one thing, and some do simply fail to thrive, but it usually seems to be a keeper mistake that offs them.