Large Adult African sulcate owner would like to connect with other Adult sulcate owners

[motogirl]

have lots of questions about proper care of inherited tortoise, but I can only seem to find stuff about caring for
babies.
Having a 150lb adult And making sure I am doing everything I can for her actually keeps me up at night. And with winter around the corner I am worried about how to keep her Happy and healthy. Would really like to connect with other owners of larger tortoises.

 

[vladimir]

Hi, you've come to the right place!

You've probably seen these two topics already, but just in case:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

This one covers diet:

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

I realize those threads are targeted toward smaller tortoises, but there is good information in there.

What sorts of questions did you have in particular?

Can you post pictures of your tortoise and their enclosure?

welcome to the forum!!

 

[wellington]

Post pic of the tort and where you have him living now. Where are you located, state?

 

[Yvonne G]

Your tortoise needs a large, well planted yard and a heated, insulated shed. I'm not sure about Tehachapi's winter weather, but the tortoise needs to be kept warm year round. Here are a few pictures of where my sulcata, Dudley, lives. He's about 110lbs:

 

[Tom]

have lots of questions about proper care of inherited tortoise, but I can only seem to find stuff about caring for
babies.
Having a 150lb adult And making sure I am doing everything I can for her actually keeps me up at night. And with winter around the corner I am worried about how to keep her Happy and healthy. Would really like to connect with other owners of larger tortoises.

That is what we are all here for!

You need to build a large heated night box with insulation and a thermostat. You should have one now. Like this:

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Here is the 4x8 rendering of Tom's Night Box. With Exploded view.

This is a rendering I did based off of @Tom 's heated night box enclosure. Its probably not a 100% accurate. Door is offset to one side for my personal needs but can easily be moved. Let me know if you see any issues with it. Feed back appreciated. High res renderings can be downloaded here...

tortoiseforum.org

What You'll Need to Build A Night Box

I just typed up a list of the needed supplies to build a night box and thought I'd copy paste it here: For sulcatas, I make the doors 26x16". This will fit all but the largest of large males for their entire life. If you end up with one of the giants, you will eventually have to make another...

tortoiseforum.org

The diet can be mostly orchard grass hay with, grass, leaves, weeds, flowers and spineless opuntia pads thrown in when convenient.

You'll need at least one or two large shallow water tubs for soaking and drinking. Lots of shade for summer, sun for winter.

Your questions are welcome. Ask them all. You've found the right group of people to help you.

 

[Maggie3fan]

What are you looking to find out? Here is my tort shed...

This is Mary Knobbins...she's a rescue...she's not a large Sulcata, she's just barely 30 pounds.
Here she's napping in the sprinkler


My Sulcata pens are planted with Rose of Sharon bushes...they love the leafs and blossoms...

Do you have any specific questions?

 

[Robertchrisroph]

have lots of questions about proper care of inherited tortoise, but I can only seem to find stuff about caring for
babies.
Having a 150lb adult And making sure I am doing everything I can for her actually keeps me up at night. And with winter around the corner I am worried about how to keep her Happy and healthy. Would really like to connect with other owners of larger tortoises.

 

[Robertchrisroph]

Yesterday when he got away lol. Game Warden was called lol. Get the thickest fence.