Need advice on proper care for my Sulcata.

[Chuck C]

I am trying to determine if I am taking proper care of our tortoise. Sheldon is 5 years old, 19 inches long, 12 inches wide, 8 inches high, and weighs 38 pounds. I feed him Romaine, Timothy hay, and pellet food. He gets bathed every other week or so depending on how messy he gets. I have always used a heat lamp and a UVB lamp. A variety of bedding materials. Now that he is bigger I do not cover the entire bottom of his pen. The pen is over 5 feet long and 4 feet wide. I see where other Sulcatas his age are much smaller. So not sure which size is correct. Just would like to know what I can improve or look out for. Also he has a scrape on his leg from his shell. He gets cut when he tries to climb the wall and slides back down.





Thank you.

Chuck

 

[Eduardo Hernandez]

I'm not a Sulcata owner, however that is way too small for your tort. I don't know exactly how big it should be, but I've heard 150+ square feet is a minimum size for them. Diet also needs some work, but again I'll leave that to the experts, @Tom and @Yvonne G . They should be able to help you out with specifics.

 

[Jay Bagley]

I am trying to determine if I am taking proper care of our tortoise. Sheldon is 5 years old, 19 inches long, 12 inches wide, 8 inches high, and weighs 38 pounds. I feed him Romaine, Timothy hay, and pellet food. He gets bathed every other week or so depending on how messy he gets. I have always used a heat lamp and a UVB lamp. A variety of bedding materials. Now that he is bigger I do not cover the entire bottom of his pen. The pen is over 5 feet long and 4 feet wide. I see where other Sulcatas his age are much smaller. So not sure which size is correct. Just would like to know what I can improve or look out for. Also he has a scrape on his leg from his shell. He gets cut when he tries to climb the wall and slides back down.



Thank you.

Chuck

I mean you no disrespect, but the enclosure looks way too small. Because of the size of the enclosure, that might also explain why he is climbing the walls trying to get out and injuring his leg. Do you feed any fresh grass in the summer, or weeds? I don't think Romaine has a whole lot of nutrition to it, but I may be mistaken. Endive or escarole would be a much better choice, and they also like Cactus quite a bit. I don't know if you have a Meijer by you it's kind of like a Walmart store but I get cactus there all diced up and is pretty cheap. What I have been learning from this forum, is a varied diet is the way to go. I am definitely not one of the experts, but I'm sure you will get some great tips from them as they have been doing this a long time.

 

[Bambam1989]

Hello and welcome to the forum!
The enclosure is definitely too small. Once they reach this size it is to hard to provide a indoor enclosure of a suitable size. If you have a yard we can give advice on how you may be able to keep him outside all year.
While sulcatas do eat a lot of grasses, it's always beneficial to give a variety of foods. Here is a nice list to help give you some ideas
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/
Your tort looks very handsome. Though he may be smaller than some his age, it is clear that your tort means a lot to you. We want to help you keep him healthy.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Yes, that enclosure is much too small. Your tort should really be outside full time with a heated night box. You have gotten some great advice so far.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[peggy davis]

I am still learning about my Sulcata, so I'm not the one to answer your questions, but one thing I know for sure...your beautiful little guy needs MUCH more room. Your enclosure is way too small. He is old enough to be taking over your entire back yard by now. It sounds like you are a very caring tortoise owner and mean the best for him. Very nice to see. It also sounds like he/she is going to be very large. Sulcata's have been known to dig under the foundatiions of houses, so make sure your enclosure sides go several feet below the surface of your yard.

 

[Tom]

Hi Chuck. Welcome to the forum.

As the other posters mentioned. Your tortoises needs a much larger enclosure. This is never what people want to hear, but that is just how it works when you buy a giant tortoise. They need a giant enclosure. An entire room is still too small, but give the tortoise as much room as you can.

That little heat lamp and UV bulb was fine when your tortoise was a baby, but a giant tortoise needs a giant basking area. You'll need a bank of lights like that. Plus those cfl V bulbs are not effective UV sources and they can sometimes burn tortoise eyes. Get a T5 HO UV bulb. They are effective at greater distances.

38 pounds is pretty normal for a 5 year old. There is no "correct" size. They all grow at different rates.

Romaine isn't a great food. If you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole as staples, but use lots of variety. I find timothy hay to be too stemmy. Orchard grass hay or bermuda is much better. Here are some more food ideas: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

The tortoise need some substrate under its feet. You can use regular yard dirt if your's is of suitable composition, but fine grade orchid bark will also work. Keep it damp to keep the dust down an to add some much needed humidity to your tortoise's enclosure or room.

Where is the night heat? Do you keep the whole room at 80? A Kane heat mat and a radiant heat pad will work well if you put them in a box of some sort to simulate a "burrow" for him.

Give these a read through:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Chuck C]

Hello there. Thank you for the information. My house is always at 74. I have not used a heat lamp for night time. I thought since he was from the desert, cooler nights were normal. I live in NE Ohio. I have over a foot of snow and single digit temperatures. I don't think an outdoor enclosure is possible. I plan on having him outside more this summer. He does go outside a lot with me. Trying to teach him to mow the grass. He goes to my daughter's softball practice all the time. I'm not sure who gets more exercise. I am making plans for an outdoor enclosure. Not sure about leaving him out all night. There are many different nocturnal threats. I will be giving him a more varied diet. Once again I do appreciate the advice.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Sulcata tortoises don’t come from the desert, they come from African grasslands where they live at the edge of forests. Tortoises will gladly go outside in the snow, as long as they have a heated night box to retreat to. You can also lock them in at night, and open them up in the morning. If you still want to keep him indoors, I suggest that you dedicate a whole room to him, because that tiny enclosure is too small for even an 8 inch sulcata, let alone one as big as yours. It is cruel to keep him in such a small enclosure all winter.
If you ever need help with heated night boxes or indoor enclosures, the forum definitely has enough threads to help you

 

[Musa Nathan]

Sulcata tortoises don’t come from the desert, they come from African grasslands where they live at the edge of forests. Tortoises will gladly go outside in the snow, as long as they have a heated night box to retreat to. You can also lock them in at night, and open them up in the morning. If you still want to keep him indoors, I suggest that you dedicate a whole room to him, because that tiny enclosure is too small for even an 8 inch sulcata, let alone one as big as yours. It is cruel to keep him in such a small enclosure all winter.
If you ever need help with heated night boxes or indoor enclosures, the forum definitely has enough threads to help you

Sorry you are wrong they come from dessert...

 

[Musa Nathan]

Sulcatas are difficult to keep in doors they spend a lot of time in burrows...in you live in old climates then you can only keep them indoor during winter...

People don’t get enough advice...Sulcatas are handful...& should kept outside on a very big area space...there are other Tortoises for indoors...

 

[Jay Bagley]

Sorry you are wrong they come from dessert...

Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they considered a tropical species?

 

[Musa Nathan]

Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they considered a tropical species?

No...or thou some confirm from Sudan...this is a desert animal...please go to Kamp Kenan on YouTube he has a lot of stuff on Sulcats...they are the most difficult tortoise to keep...

 

[TechnoCheese]

No...or thou some confirm from Sudan...this is a desert animal...please go to Kamp Kenan on YouTube he has a lot of stuff on Sulcats...they are the most difficult tortoise to keep...

No, they come from Africa during monsoon season, which is why we have to keep them humid. @Tom , am I correct?

 

[SULCY]

They come from the Sahel region of Africa dessert grassland. It is hot all year, When the eggs hatch it is in their monsoon season so a lot of puddles and most things are wet and hot. They are not difficult to keep they just need a lot of space and food when they are older. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet go to Sulcata section of this forum and you will be given all the info you need. Check out all the post's by Tom and that will get you going with all the correct info. There are also people on here like me who keep them in a cold climate and you can look up pictures of them going out in the snow.

 

[Bee62]

Hello there. Thank you for the information. My house is always at 74. I have not used a heat lamp for night time. I thought since he was from the desert, cooler nights were normal. I live in NE Ohio. I have over a foot of snow and single digit temperatures. I don't think an outdoor enclosure is possible. I plan on having him outside more this summer. He does go outside a lot with me. Trying to teach him to mow the grass. He goes to my daughter's softball practice all the time. I'm not sure who gets more exercise. I am making plans for an outdoor enclosure. Not sure about leaving him out all night. There are many different nocturnal threats. I will be giving him a more varied diet. Once again I do appreciate the advice.
View attachment 227820

You should give your tortoise a room in your house or space in a heated barn or a big heatet glasshouse or something else. The enclosure you showed us is way too small for a 5 year sulcata like yours.

 

[Musa Nathan]

Guys let’s advice us properly...the first thing anyone should know or understand is that whatever tortoise you are keeping One should understand it’s origin & wildlife environment.

Most tortoise adapt to new environment with a lot of adjusting from keeper.

Sulcatas are desert tortoise end of story.

You can get away keeping one if your place is small & moving indoors in winter. Wherever, whatever all Sulcatas burrow...very important. They cannot do without burrowing or you shorten life expectancy. Their favorite food in captivity is pumpkins.

We can tell that this Sulcata is not happy with its environment because it is showing signs of escaping...I hope that floor is not concrete...

You should never Never keep Sulcatas indoors 24/7...

 

[Musa Nathan]

No, they come from Africa during monsoon season, which is why we have to keep them humid. @Tom , am I correct?

I don’t know if you are in States..

But professional breeders in the States are only in Nevada...because that is the most suitable place in America...you can keep some in Florida or Southern California but in small numbers but with a big shade for cold days...

 

[Bee62]

Guys let’s advice us properly...the first thing anyone should know or understand is that whatever tortoise you are keeping One should understand it’s origin & wildlife environment.

Most tortoise adapt to new environment with a lot of adjusting from keeper.

Sulcatas are desert tortoise end of story.

You can get away keeping one if your place is small & moving indoors in winter. Wherever, whatever all Sulcatas burrow...very important. They cannot do without burrowing or you shorten life expectancy. Their favorite food in captivity is pumpkins.

We can tell that this Sulcata is not happy with its environment because it is showing signs of escaping...I hope that floor is not concrete...

You should never Never keep Sulcatas indoors 24/7...

The Sahel Zone is no real desert and all the other habitats where Sulcatas live are no real deserts. That`s a fact !

 

[TechnoCheese]

Guys let’s advice us properly...the first thing anyone should know or understand is that whatever tortoise you are keeping One should understand it’s origin & wildlife environment.

Most tortoise adapt to new environment with a lot of adjusting from keeper.

Sulcatas are desert tortoise end of story.

You can get away keeping one if your place is small & moving indoors in winter. Wherever, whatever all Sulcatas burrow...very important. They cannot do without burrowing or you shorten life expectancy. Their favorite food in captivity is pumpkins.

We can tell that this Sulcata is not happy with its environment because it is showing signs of escaping...I hope that floor is not concrete...

You should never Never keep Sulcatas indoors 24/7...

I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt because you’re new here.
These are the decade old myths that the tfo has tried correcting for years. You are not helping by spreading them further.
Sulcatas are not a desert species. They are a tropical species that lives in the grasslands of Africa. They are grazers, and spend much of their time in warm, humid burrows. The enclosure that tortoise is in is the right size for a hatchling, but not for one that big, even during the winter.
I suggest that you research on this forum for a bit longer.