Questions re: adopting

[bmwmed19]

Hi everyone,

I am considering adopting a sulcata for my husband, who is obsessed with tortoises and has wanted one for forever (and I've grown to love them, myself!) I have a bunch of questions I'm hoping you can help me out with- I want to make sure we are prepared to provide for the tortoise and give him the right kind of environment.

First off, we want to start off with a young sulcata. I saw one the other day around our home for $225. He was very active and healthy looking. Is that a reasonable price? I'd love to adopt an older one but you'll see why we want to start with a younger one...

Currently we live in Maryland, so, it's not that hot when it's not summer! We'd start with a small one (the one we saw was probably 2", so tiny). I want to make sure that it would be okay to keep him indoors in a tank/enclosed area while he is still so small. How fast do they grow? In about a year and a half we will be moving to a larger place with a nice backyard, where we will create a safe outside space. Eventually we plan on moving to Texas, so the tortoise would have plenty of heat mostly year-round and again would be able to live outside most of the time. I am thinking then that this would be ok to keep the tortoise inside while he is still small and by the time he is too big for the tank we will have moved to a warmer place where he can be outside.

Does this sound like a good plan for the tortoise? Is it ok for him to grow up for a year or two mostly indoors?

Also, we have been reading up on the type of environment needed indoors and outdoors. We have the means and are prepared to create the right and safe environment for a sulcata.

Thanks for your help! Any advice you can give very appreciated!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings from another Marylander, and Welcome to the Forum!

We started off with a hatchling as well and have enjoyed watching him grow and get bigger and stronger day by day. He's now just 2.5 years old and already over 30 pounds, so they don't stay small for very long.

That price seems VERY high for a hatchling. There are many breeders here on the forum, including @Lancecham who can get you started with a nice sully, that will have been started off correctly. Do lots of reading up, research and get in touch with Lance too. If i were you, id probably wait for spring/early summer to start off. Lots more grass, greens, dandelions n weeds in spring and summer.

If you have any questions about raising a Sully in MD, give a shout!

Good luck n Welcome.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome

 

[bmwmed19]

Thank you Maro2Bear! Wow I did not know they grew that fast. What do you do, then, in the colder months when your tortoise can't go outside but is too small for an enclosure inside? Do you ever let him walk around inside your home? Silly question, but won't he go to the bathroom on the floor? Not like they can be trained like a dog, I'd assume.

Thanks for your help and the adoption suggestion! I will check it out!

 

[Gillian M]

Hi @bmwmed19 and a very warm welcome to the forum.

 

[JoesMum]

Thank you Maro2Bear! Wow I did not know they grew that fast. What do you do, then, in the colder months when your tortoise can't go outside but is too small for an enclosure inside? Do you ever let him walk around inside your home? Silly question, but won't he go to the bathroom on the floor? Not like they can be trained like a dog, I'd assume.

Thanks for your help and the adoption suggestion! I will check it out!

Roaming your home is not recommended for many reasons. The first is that a Sulcata is a bulldozer on legs. They go where they please and will simply use their strength to barge through obstructions.

The floor of your home isn't at the required temperature or humidity for a tortoise to be healthy and it will be away from its UVB source. Smaller torts are at risk of being stepped on - you only have to be distracted for a moment. There's also the risk that your tort will eat something that will harm it or cause gut blockages such as hair or dust bunnies.

These animals hit 100lb pretty quickly. Some get much bigger.

When it gets bigger, you will need a large outdoor enclosure with strong walls and a heated nightbox to accommodate your tort at night.

 

[JoesMum]

Have you seen the TFO guides to Sulcata care? They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[dmmj]

@Tom can get you a well started hatchling 4 less than 250 which is a very high price for a baby. my main concern is that they grow very fast when in the right conditions do you have a plan for it, if it gets bigger than what you can handle and you have not moved to Texas yet?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The "well started" baby part is actually very important.
A Sulcata that was not, will likely not thrive and either die, or cost a lot more money to make well.
I would not make the initial cost be my limiting factor.
Quality over economy.
I had a $200 tortoise cost me over $2,500 to make well.

 

[HI Tortoise Rescue]

In all honesty, you might want to choose a tortoise that will stay smaller, or maybe even a box turtle. Sulcatas are not meant to stay inside! I call them bulldozers with brains, & I have seen them knock down walls in houses! We get many of our rescues for just that reason.

Ken

 

[waretrop]

So what they say about these beings ability to claw a hole in your wall to escape is something to pay attention to. Alice did this in a few short months. I didn't care and she wouldn't have escaped but she did hit the outside brick wall. BUT! Proof is in the pudding..know what you are getting into. Learn as much as you can before you get one of these big babies.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Take a look at how the members that have adult Sulcatas keep them...The size/space needed
The time and dedication that will be required to keep one.
It's sobering!

 

[waretrop]

I think It's cool. Better to go into this knowing what you are going to have to do rather than not know anything....

I love my Little Alice to death.....

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I think It's cool. Better to go into this knowing what you are going to have to do rather than not know anything....

I love my Little Alice to death.....

It's very, very smart!!
Most of us had no clue what we were doing when we first got a tortoise!

 

[Stuart S.]

Welcome! You've come to the right place to do your homework! I feel like my wife and I were where y'all are at just last week! These folks know what they're talking about from lots of experience! I send you some info on some stuff we discovered along the way ourselves! Good luck! Tortoises are the best!

 

[bmwmed19]

Thanks so much everyone! I really do appreciate the info- and warnings! Of course we really want one now but maybe waiting until we already have the right environment would be the best thing to do...so hard to wait!

Just to clarify, then, but I will definitely look more into it- no one should have a sulcata who lives in an area where it will have to live inside at times, correct? Seems like it would be near impossible to create a large enough space for it indoors once it grows.

 

[Kaliman1962]

I live in Illinois, had a baby sulcata, I loved him, but realized the winter problems. So i re-homed him, & now have an Ibera Greek,
not nearly as big, & still a totally cool tort

 

[bmwmed19]

Oh, I just looked them up and that is a great idea!! Smaller tortoise, so we can just have a large space for him inside until we can have a permanent spot for him outside. Thanks Kaliman!

 

[bmwmed19]

Where did you buy your Ibera Greek?

 

[Kaliman1962]

i will get you his name, he is a breeder on this site, his name is gary, i'll post a pick. she is awesome, 4 months old, she will only get about 10-11in,
so totally managable