Mom to a LARGE Sulcata!

[Tank'sMom]

Hi! I'm new to the forum. I've kept tortoises off and on for over 20 years. I had a Sulcata about 10 years ago that was stolen. She was a hatchling when I got her, had her about 5-6 years. I was devastated.
A few months ago I adopted a 17 year old Sulcata named Tank. He is at least 100lbs and has proven to be quite the specimen!!! I adore him.
Taking care of such a large tortoise is very different than any I've had before. I would like advice from others where this is concerned.
He has a 20'x20' pen in our backyard but as much as we can he roams freely in our 1/2 acre backyard. I would leave him out more, but we have a pool.
So, any advice would be appreciated!!!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Get a fence around the pool a turn that big boy loose. Welcome to the forum, we are happy to have you. My 3 50lbers are in an area about 48'x 72'. The more safe space you can provide the better for Tank. Make sure, I'm sure you know, to have plenty of items for your Tank to destroy and tear up. LOL.

 

[Tank'sMom]

I've considered a fence around the pool, but there are other "dangers throughout the yard including the back of my husbands mechanic shop (oil, shrapnel, general dirty bad things). He needs supervision. I intend to make his pen much larger.
What do you recommend for him to "tear up and destroy"??? I'm all for suggestions, including his diet. He eats ALOT. Mostly grass clippings, Timothy hay and "the yard", occasionally a squash, cactus pad or watermelon.

 

[JoesMum]

Mature Sulcatas do eat, and poop, a lot. They have huge appetites and need as much space as you can give them. Just make sure any fences are strong... it is a bit like sharing a yard with a bulldozer; they go where they want.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, Tank'sMom, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO fromAZ


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[bouaboua]

You may want to take a look of this thread. And welcome to the forum.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/bob-the-jerk.90783/

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Len B]

Hello and welcome, I have a sulcata that is about the same size as yours. He is 18 years old, and from past experiences with him when you set up a barricade of any type, see thru, solid barrier,wood, metal or block, make it work the first time. If they can get through it once or move something, it is much harder to keep them out of an area or contained in a certain area, and moving things you don't want moved. Sometimes they may have no quit in them Some day you will be amazed by what he will come up with to put you to the test. Have Fun with your Tank.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the forum. Keeping a large sulcata can, at times, be a challenge. I would definitely build him an pen. It's only a matter of time before you find him in an area that you don't want him to be in. Make it as big as you can. Most of us have built heated night boxes or shed's (depending on where we live) to house our sulcata during cold nights and winter days.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

20x20' is much too small for your large adult. You can make an easy barrier if you get 8' sections of pressure treat 2x4, cut it in half and then stick 2' in the ground and 2' above ground. Then you cut plywood in half length-wise so that you get two 24" x 8' long strips. Plant your 2x4s on 8' centers and screw the plywood sections to the uprights. This will hold an adult no problem. Make the enclosure as large as you can, and incorporate trees, bushes, walls of structures etc. Make it large and meandering and have lots of "furniture" in there like boulders and dead tree trunks laying on their sides. Do you best to irrigate and keep lots and lots of grass growing for him all over the pen.

For comparison: My 8" juvenile have a pen that is 30x35', and I intend to enlarge it soon to about 45x35'. My small adults have an enclosure that wraps around a large building in sort of an "L" shape. One run is 214' in a straight line and total area is about 7000 sq. ft. Here are threads on these two enclosures:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/
Hmm. It won't let me search for the other one right now. Its called "Enclosure Expansion" and it shows my adult's enclosure. Be aware that the stacked, offset blocks work great for smaller tortoises, and tortoises that have grown up learning they can't be challenged, but they probably won't hold a large adult that does not know he can't push them over.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

No everyone has the room Tom has, (said with love), give him as much room as YOU can and keep him contained. The more you let him roam around the harder he will be to contain. Your first priority is to keep him safe. I have Bob who is 150 pounds. He is totally contained now, but he escaped a lot and got into a lot of trouble and caused a lot of damage. He can, and does, stand on his back legs and looks over a 3 1/2 foot solid cedar fence. He lives in a heated, insulated 20'x12' shed, with a sleeping box that he loves and a pig blanket inside that. He has free feeding from a pile of locally grown grass hay. He has a 250 watt basking light and a doggie door I open every morning. I live in Oregon, so he has rain and snow to deal with. It is his choice to go out or not. A local market supplies me with dark leafy greens for his breakfast, (and my other torts) then later I cut long grass with scissors for him. I grow grape vines for the leafs for him, I grow Rose of Sharon for the blooms, pumpkin plants or squash, for the blooms, and I roam the neighborhood for dandelions. I am growing, kale, head lettuce, raddicchio, zucchini, he loves rose petals, watermelon, soaking in the sprinkler and crowds. I used to take him around to events and he is such a show off. I am continually having strangers come up to me in the store, or tire shop, even the Doctor's office and asking "how's Bob? Haven't seen him lately". They never ask how I am...you can do a search on Bob, but I don't have much luck in finding the stories I've written about him, but Yvonne G does, maybe she'll post some for you.
Welcome to Sulcataland...where do you live? oh, get him a soccer or volley ball, or a 5 gallon metal bucket for him to wreck. Bob likes to bump the ball and chase it, some large Sulcata hump it so be prepared for that one...lol

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You may want to take a look of this thread. And welcome to the forum.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/bob-the-jerk.90783/

Oh Lordy, may as well break her in right...lol

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I think I've got the Space Tom has. I'm just luckier because I've got grass and weeds growing on my place! I, have one of those large green horse balls in with my bigger kids. And I use those 5 gallon thin plastic planters nurserymen use for small trees as objects for them to beat up on. I like the softer, less rigid planters figuring the tortoises get more satisfaction with smashing something successfully.

 

[Tank'sMom]

Thanks for all the advice!!!
The "pen" he's in now is temporary. As I said, I have a 1/2 acre backyard. I received the call to come to get him the day before I actually picked him up. My husband and I hurried to make a temporary pen, and that is what he is still in now. He does get out for frequent exercise. I fully intend to make it bigger, but I'm researching ways to do that without rushing, I wanna make it great… do some research.
Does anyone have any experience with pools and Sulcata's? That is my biggest concern, is that we have a pool. If not I'd block off certain areas and let him roam free. I've looked into fencing the pool, but I'd get better results with fencing off a larger part of the yard. I fear that he could fall in, but has never gone near it. Of course I don't intend to leave him unsupervised!
As he gets used to us, he is really "coming out of his shell", lol. I took him to friends son's birthday party on Sunday and he had a great time!
I am confused, as there is a lot of conflicting information out there, about his diet.
He LOVES lettuce of any kind, but how much is safe? And what veggies and/or fruits are safe, in moderation? And how often? I try to keep the majority of his diet grass, weeds and hay. His stool is full of "grassy bits" and looks like the pictures I've seen of proper stool.
And I bought a bulk box of cuttlebone, I've been giving those one every week or so. Is that too much, too little?
As far as toys, he has a ball. I left a plastic bowl in there for awhile because I noticed he like pushing it around. I have some flimsy plastic containers left from the hibiscus and cactus I planted (outside the pen, but just within reach), are those safe for him to tear up???
And we plan to build him a shelter around his already favorite sleeping/digging corner.
We live in South Texas, so it's perfect weather for right now…
Sorry for the long post and thank you!!!!

 

[JoesMum]

One sniff of the hibiscus you have just planted and he will be out. They love hibiscus and can probably eat the entire bush. I will let others recommend the proportions on diet.

 

[Tank'sMom]

Oh Lordy, may as well break her in right...lol

WoW!!! I saw that damage. Wonder what Tank would do if put in that situation!?

 

[tortadise]

Welcome.

 

[Tank'sMom]

Hello and welcome.

20x20' is much too small for your large adult. You can make an easy barrier if you get 8' sections of pressure treat 2x4, cut it in half and then stick 2' in the ground and 2' above ground. Then you cut plywood in half length-wise so that you get two 24" x 8' long strips. Plant your 2x4s on 8' centers and screw the plywood sections to the uprights. This will hold an adult no problem. Make the enclosure as large as you can, and incorporate trees, bushes, walls of structures etc. Make it large and meandering and have lots of "furniture" in there like boulders and dead tree trunks laying on their sides. Do you best to irrigate and keep lots and lots of grass growing for him all over the pen.

For comparison: My 8" juvenile have a pen that is 30x35', and I intend to enlarge it soon to about 45x35'. My small adults have an enclosure that wraps around a large building in sort of an "L" shape. One run is 214' in a straight line and total area is about 7000 sq. ft. Here are threads on these two enclosures:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/
Hmm. It won't let me search for the other one right now. Its called "Enclosure Expansion" and it shows my adult's enclosure. Be aware that the stacked, offset blocks work great for smaller tortoises, and tortoises that have grown up learning they can't be challenged, but they probably won't hold a large adult that does not know he can't push them over.

I currently have a STURDY iron fence on 2 sides of the enclosure, and the 2 existing sides are our yards privacy fence. So far, he cannot get through it. He does climb it, or try anyway. He knows where the gate is, which has 3 strong chains on it, and that's his favorite place to "push". He beds down in the same corner every night (the corner of the 2 wooden fences) and I'm planning to build a shelter over that area.
(At his previous home he had dug a 6 ft burrow under his shelter). I plan to expand the enclosure out another 20' at least. We also have a 30'x40' garden that will get fenced in and used as a second pen for him after harvesting. Of course I intend to let him "clean it out" as well.
I saw your "cinder block wall", is that what that is? I can't imagine him not powering through that!

 

[Tank'sMom]

I think I've got the Space Tom has. I'm just luckier because I've got grass and weeds growing on my place! I, have one of those large green horse balls in with my bigger kids. And I use those 5 gallon thin plastic planters nurserymen use for small trees as objects for them to beat up on. I like the softer, less rigid planters figuring the tortoises get more satisfaction with smashing something successfully.

"Large Green Horse Balls"??? I have lots of space and weeds too (I'm in South Texas). I'm wondering what that is? Some kind of pen??