Sulcata Tortoise - HELP

[fanofthedog]

HI there,
I just got a Sulcata Tortoise from a friend. He is 75lbs they say. They said he was pretty low maintenance which was great. My problem is that I am afraid the tortoise will bite my son. Can he bite his finger off? My son has autism and he doesn't really understand and Im terrified of having this giant guy in my yard. My son doesnt learn no as easily as other kids and Im nervous that the minute I turn my back his finger will be snapped off! Will it be hard to find him a new home if I cant make it work for him here? Do they have sanctuaries or anything like that? Im in Los Angeles.

I know you are all here because you love tortoises- so any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much

 

[tortadise]

Welcome! They really are gentle giants. From time to time the might try to "taste a toe or finger" they will not take any appendages off though. If you do decide to need to find a home. South California has many organizations. But this would be the place to find him a new home if you so decide to.

 

[Laura]

Don't allow hand feeding... that is when nips happen.. The worse thing Ive seen and heard with large males is the ramming... they can do this to ankles and that really hurts.. If you have concerns.. then you can post here that you need to find him a new home and there are people here who can help you.. Zoos will not take them, and most rescues are full, or really appreciate the owner holding onto them.
DO you have him in a secure yard? fenced, lots of grass to graze, no plants you want ruined? does he have a house to hide in at night? if not he will probably burrow and that is not always pleasant. can be very destructive.

 

[Yvonne G]

Laura already mentioned what I was going to say, but I'll reaffirm it. Don't let your son get the idea that he can hand pieces of food to the tortoise and don't let him see other people handing food to the tortoise. Tortoises don't bite as a general rule, but if they think you have food for them they can't distinguish between a bite of food and a finger.

I hope you are able to keep this tortoise. It would be a great experience for your son to interact with him.

Oh, and..."Welcome to the Forum!!"

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome I can't add to the already great advice. Good luck.

 

[mike taylor]

I would give him time with you guys. It will be a good learning experience for your son.

 

[fanofthedog]

Wow thanks everyone for your help. I sort of thought Id get lots of "why did you take this tortoise in.the first place" questions.. so I really really appreciate how helpful you've all been. So Tyler..is the tortoise's name- has been given food by hand - the guys showed me that when they came over. I wont do it and my son won't. The thing I am scared of is my son literally putting his hands around Tylers mouth- just curiosity stuff. With a 75lb or more guy- can my son actually lose a finger? Like what is the strength of a bite? I wish my son understood simple things like NO or not to touch his mouth. My son is outside alot so Im guessing I just can't leave him alone outside anymore with Tyler outside.
I did see a few rescues etc in Southern California- but as someone suggested, I'll post here if its not working out. I feel like it would be the best place to find someone that will truly love this guy!

thanks to you all

 

[fanofthedog]

this is him

HI there,
I just got a Sulcata Tortoise from a friend. He is 75lbs they say. They said he was pretty low maintenance which was great. My problem is that I am afraid the tortoise will bite my son. Can he bite his finger off? My son has autism and he doesn't really understand and Im terrified of having this giant guy in my yard. My son doesnt learn no as easily as other kids and Im nervous that the minute I turn my back his finger will be snapped off! Will it be hard to find him a new home if I cant make it work for him here? Do they have sanctuaries or anything like that? Im in Los Angeles.

I know you are all here because you love tortoises- so any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much

 

[Yvonne G]

If a tortoise happens to latch onto a finger, not knowing it isn't food, he will bite down extra hard, trying to get it off the stem, or whatever. I doubt your son would actually lose a finger, but it would be a very nasty injury. My sister was bitten by her 100lb sulcata and it was pretty bloody. She had to pry his mouth open to get her finger out.

I feed bits of medicine-laced fruit to my Aldabran tortoises. The fruit is on a wooden skewer. Once the tortoise bites down, its pretty hard to pull the skewer out of his mouth.