Sulcata Investment

[Yvonne G]

My comment is that if fences are being broken down by tortoises, it needs to be interpreted as a husbandry correction issue not a tortoise behavior issue.

Dudley weighs 110lbs. There's not a redwood/nail fence in the world that can withstand bumping and pushing from an pile-driver that size. It doesn't happen easily...he works and works at it until he has beaten the fence down. He sometimes just pops the nails off the posts, but more often than not, he actually breaks the corral boards. Until you've seen first hand what a large sulcata can do, you just won't believe it. My fences are secure, but not against that bulldozer.

 

[JLSchmittou]

Sorry, but did you just say SIX HUNDRED POUNDS ? Those couldn't have been sulcatas ....

hahaha that made my eyes go big

Right?!? They were not sulcatas... He said that you see them in zoo's. I asked no questions.. And they were in their pen, so I didn't see them... I did tell him If he was going to have 1200 lbs of turtles running around, he should consider a larger yard.

 

[Tony the tank]

I can only imagine what they can do at 110lbs...Tinys like 65lbs and he decided he wanted to walk under a wrought iron park bench(easily weighs 100+lbs) ..He didnt quite fit so ended up dragging it across the yard..and the funny thing about it..he didn't seem bothered..Grazing while he dragged it along..

 

[Tom]

Hahahaaha... they do the same thing with tables, chairs, BBQs, hose rollers, dog houses, water tubs, etc...

 

[bfmorris]

Dudley weighs 110lbs. There's not a redwood/nail fence in the world that can withstand bumping and pushing from an pile-driver that size. It doesn't happen easily...he works and works at it until he has beaten the fence down. He sometimes just pops the nails off the posts, but more often than not, he actually breaks the corral boards. Until you've seen first hand what a large sulcata can do, you just won't believe it. My fences are secure, but not against that bulldozer.

Thanks, however,
I stand by my comments. And I'm 100 percent correct.

Here is a question for the forum. Put your thinking caps on. Why do tortoises seem to be at the center of these kinds of misplaced sentiments more than any other animal? I've never read horse people telling of the kiddie gate corral their pet broke through, or a zoo rolling its eyes about the drywall damage in their rhino exhibit's sleeping shed. Nor have I seen a burro rescue put a burro in a living room then photograph the screen door for propaganda purposes after the animal breaks it. But I saw Susan Tellem of Malibu do exactly that, years ago, with a tortoise. What is it about the lowly tortoise?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Seems to me he already has a girlfriend, Rocksie....LOL

I have a kittie named Roxie...so I am laughing ...that is a good one.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here is a question for the forum. Put your thinking caps on. Why do tortoises seem to be at the center of these kinds of misplaced sentiments more than any other animal? I've never read horse people telling of the kiddie gate corral their pet broke through, or a zoo rolling its eyes about the drywall damage in their rhino exhibit's sleeping shed. Nor have I seen a burro rescue put a burro in a living room then photograph the screen door for propaganda purposes after the animal breaks it. But I saw Susan Tellem of Malibu do exactly that, years ago, with a tortoise. What is it about the lowly tortoise?

Mainly because zoos can put up hot wire. Its not feasible to use with tortoises. My horse has the same kind of fence in part of her pasture as Dudley has, but it is protected by hot wire.

 

[ascott]

bfmorris, I am sensing a need from you to be acknowledged in your opinion.....you are correct in the fact that an ordinary yard fence would be a silly thought for containment.....although I believe that most folks here with the large guys apparently do have sufficient fencing to ultimately contain their big ins.....

and you are correct in the matter of big tortoise vs average fence= not so smart idea...thank you for pointing that out....

toodles

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Dudley weighs 110lbs. There's not a redwood/nail fence in the world that can withstand bumping and pushing from an pile-driver that size. It doesn't happen easily...he works and works at it until he has beaten the fence down. He sometimes just pops the nails off the posts, but more often than not, he actually breaks the corral boards. Until you've seen first hand what a large sulcata can do, you just won't believe it. My fences are secure, but not against that bulldozer.

Thanks, however,
I stand by my comments. And I'm 100 percent correct.

Here is a question for the forum. Put your thinking caps on. Why do tortoises seem to be at the center of these kinds of misplaced sentiments more than any other animal? I've never read horse people telling of the kiddie gate corral their pet broke through, or a zoo rolling its eyes about the drywall damage in their rhino exhibit's sleeping shed. Nor have I seen a burro rescue put a burro in a living room then photograph the screen door for propaganda purposes after the animal breaks it. But I saw Susan Tellem of Malibu do exactly that, years ago, with a tortoise. What is it about the lowly tortoise?

Misplaced sentiments? Why misplaced. Horses are intelligent animals burros are also, but tortoises aren't too smart. They are bulldozers and they will bulldoze their way thru anything. A horse stops and thinks about it, tortoises do not. Like the case with Tony's and the iron bench. He says the tort didn't even care that a 100 pound bench was on his back. I know that's true. I have Bob, a 102 pound Sulcata and he rams at the door of his shed daily if I don't have it open in time. Bob is more intelligent than most Sulcata that I have seen, yet he drug the sprinkler which was on full blast into his shed ruining the floor and the insulation and a bale of hay. He drug that sprinkler like he didn't know or care that it was hooked onto him.
And I think your comment about fence husbandry is not correct either. I happen to know the person who built that fence and it is a good fence, redwood as I recall. But what fence can withstand the continued ramming of a 110 pound animal??? That fence is in good shape but a 110 pound bulldozer continually ramming it will eventually knock it down.
It sounds to me like you don't know much about Sulcata?

 

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Dudley weighs 110lbs. There's not a redwood/nail fence in the world that can withstand bumping and pushing from an pile-driver that size. It doesn't happen easily...he works and works at it until he has beaten the fence down. He sometimes just pops the nails off the posts, but more often than not, he actually breaks the corral boards. Until you've seen first hand what a large sulcata can do, you just won't believe it. My fences are secure, but not against that bulldozer.

Thanks, however,
I stand by my comments. And I'm 100 percent correct.

Here is a question for the forum. Put your thinking caps on. Why do tortoises seem to be at the center of these kinds of misplaced sentiments more than any other animal? I've never read horse people telling of the kiddie gate corral their pet broke through, or a zoo rolling its eyes about the drywall damage in their rhino exhibit's sleeping shed. Nor have I seen a burro rescue put a burro in a living room then photograph the screen door for propaganda purposes after the animal breaks it. But I saw Susan Tellem of Malibu do exactly that, years ago, with a tortoise. What is it about the lowly tortoise?

Misplaced sentiments? Why misplaced. Horses are intelligent animals burros are also, but tortoises aren't too smart. They are bulldozers and they will bulldoze their way thru anything. A horse stops and thinks about it, tortoises do not. Like the case with Tony's and the iron bench. He says the tort didn't even care that a 100 pound bench was on his back. I know that's true. I have Bob, a 102 pound Sulcata and he rams at the door of his shed daily if I don't have it open in time. Bob is more intelligent than most Sulcata that I have seen, yet he drug the sprinkler which was on full blast into his shed ruining the floor and the insulation and a bale of hay. He drug that sprinkler like he didn't know or care that it was hooked onto him.
And I think your comment about fence husbandry is not correct either. I happen to know the person who built that fence and it is a good fence, redwood as I recall. But what fence can withstand the continued ramming of a 110 pound animal??? That fence is in good shape but a 110 pound bulldozer continually ramming it will eventually knock it down.
It sounds to me like you don't know much about Sulcata?

Maggie, sounds like you need to build him a concrete wall, barbed wire, watch towers, and buy you a warden outfit

 

[bfmorris]

bfmorris, I am sensing a need from you to be acknowledged in your opinion.....

LOL!! As if.

I posed an interesting question to the forum, that has gone untried thus far.

 

[ascott]

[b]"if fences are being broken down by tortoises, it needs to be interpreted as a husbandry correction issue not a tortoise behavior issue."
[/b]
This is amusing to me, I would like to know your source for this type of statement ????

"or a zoo rolling its eyes about the drywall damage in their rhino exhibit's sleeping shed."


I do not believe many folks would venture into a zoo with Rhino exhibit damage....so I believe we would never know those details ....IMHO that is


"a burro rescue put a burro in a living room"


Great visual on this statement...again, you are amusing to me

"I'm 100 percent correct."


Although, I believe that this has to be my GENUINE favorite...thanks for the giggles....

I hope someone will give you what you need in your quest for the answer to your question....Have a great one

 

[JLSchmittou]

Thanks, however,
I stand by my comments. And I'm 100 percent correct.

Here is a question for the forum. Put your thinking caps on. Why do tortoises seem to be at the center of these kinds of misplaced sentiments more than any other animal? I've never read horse people telling of the kiddie gate corral their pet broke through, or a zoo rolling its eyes about the drywall damage in their rhino exhibit's sleeping shed. Nor have I seen a burro rescue put a burro in a living room then photograph the screen door for propaganda purposes after the animal breaks it. But I saw Susan Tellem of Malibu do exactly that, years ago, with a tortoise. What is it about the lowly tortoise?

This is an interesting question. And had I not joined this forum would not have otherwise been aware of the destruction. In my humble opinion, I think it has everything to do with the fact that destruction would be a surprise by an otherwise docile animal. Yeah, your aware of the size but you most certainly would think the animal would be aware of its size (since they burrow just fine), so why would it *just* exhibit sheer determination and destroy a fence...? Does it really want to get through the fence? Or, is it taking out his frustrations on the fence?

I think the destruction is possible due to shear size, but completely unexpected. And when some of us encounter the unexpected, we shoot a picture saying "look at this!!!!"

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm stepping in as a moderater here:

This thread was put up by the OP because they were wondering if they should try to find a female sulcata for their existing male. And wondering if there were any money in raising sulcata babies to sell.

If you would like to have a debate about whether we use the correct type of fencing for our sulcatas, I suggest you start a new thread in the debate section.

 

[Livingstone]

^^^Agreed, its not a pissing match about fences. The reality is NO!!!
Dont add a female sulcata, and theres no money to be made.