Twenty Year Old Sulcata

[Vincentdhr]

I am in the process of adopting a sulcata tortoise from a family friend in Indiana. He has had him since 1990, so I was expecting him to be near full grown. However, she recently said that he is only 12 inches long an weighs 15 pounds! I am now somewhat worried. She raises him outside during the summers and in a solarium during the cooler months. I am still adopting him, but I just want to know of any potential health problems that could arise from his being so small. I have attached a few pictures. Thank you in advance!

 

[NudistApple]

He looks...really big to weigh only 15 pounds. What is she weighing him with? Does she always offer him access to water?

 

[Vincentdhr]

I forgot to add that I will be keeping him outside in my San Diego backyard, so no indoor habitat here!

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She just took him to the vet, to get his health certificate for shipping, and his "official" weight is 15 pounds.

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He does have access to water.

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

I am not sure why he would be so small, may be a chaco and not a sulcata? I actually was surprised at how well his shell looks with such a strange size. If it is a Sulcata then you might be able to get it to grow in all of your california sunshine. Also, are you sure it is twenty years old? I am no expert so others will probably chime in and give you a lot better info. than me. Good Luck!

 

[Vincentdhr]

I am fairly sure that he is a sulcata, as he has the correct scute patterns and number of spurs. She has all of his cute little baby pictures from 1990 and his vet records. Thank you!

 

[tortadise]

I am not sure why he would be so small, may be a chaco and not a sulcata? I actually was surprised at how well his shell looks with such a strange size. If it is a Sulcata then you might be able to get it to grow in all of your california sunshine. Also, are you sure it is twenty years old? I am no expert so others will probably chime in and give you a lot better info. than me. Good Luck!

No. chacos only get 9" and that would be a huge chaco. Would be cool though. Never know might just be a wee sulcata from incubation complications. Could be a runt. Looks active and healthy.

 

[SulcataSquirt]

that is deff a sulcata, and i bet when you get him and start feeding him a varied diet he will be packing on the pounds, do you know how often he was fed and how much?

 

[Vincentdhr]

When we visited, she was feeding him kale, lettuce, some mazuri, and a few cubes of prickly pear pads. I don't know the frequency of the different foodstuffs, I'm afraid.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It is so easy to keep a Sulcata yet people manage to screw it up regularly. I feel badly for that tortoise. I have Bob, who is 15 years old and weighs 120 pounds. So you can see what he should look like.
Get him outside with good graze and soak him once everyday. Make sure you are feeding him the best diet you can...
Here's some reading to help you...

http://africantortoise.com/

 

[Vincentdhr]

I have already had some experience with this species volunteering at the San Diego Zoo. That's what made me want to adopt this one (Sully). He will be kept outside and soaked daily.

 

[Livingstone]

Check out the beak, my guess is that the diet he's on is far from adequate.

 

[Tom]

I have seen this stunting many times. Back in 1990 we were doing a lot of things wrong with this species and just did not know better. Every life stage from egg to hatchling to baby to yearling was just WAYYYYYYY too dry. We know better now and with the internet we can see firsthand the differences in different care routines. Want to see healthy smooth tortoises? Look at older ones that were raised outside in FL, LA, and Southern TX.

If he's lived this long he should be fine. Just give him a good diet, a nice shallow water dish, a big yard and a warm place to sleep at night.