How fast does a sulcata tortoise grow?
Sulcatas are the 3rd largest tortoises in the world, they do not care if you like your walls, they will burrow under your house, eat your favorite plants, can cause serious damage to your home and yard. I house several in a rescue due to others getting rid of theirs for several reasons. they are the biggest throw away tortoise. Id ask if you decide to get one that you choose to get one from a rescue and allow one a chance at a good life. They live for up to 100 yrs. depending on care. Please go to a rescue
How hard are sulcata tortoises to take care of?
How hard is it to take care of a sulcata tortoise? I am thinking about getting one. Would a kiddie pool with good substrate and supplies be a good habitat? What supplies are needed?
Will my Sulcata tortoise have a short life because his shell is pyramidding (pointed bumps, not smooth)?
he will still grow as big, just have horrible painful problems when he gets that big. His shell will be weak and the slightest pressure may cause it to be damaged (and start bleeding). We have a bunch of rescues at the zoo I work at because people did not feed their sucata correctly. A proper diet: a variety of fresh veggies and fruit (no corn on the cob- they will choke on the cob) on top of romaine lettuce (Iceberg will give them diarrhea and get them sick). If cost is a problem, most grocery stores throw out old veggies, which are still good by turtle standards, though they are not good enough for human grocery isles. Some alfalfa hay is also good, but they usually will not eat as much of that as the other stuff. Daily you should be putting on crushed oyster shells (or other calcium equivalents), and reptical vitamins and minerals. How is your turtle getting too much protien? Are you just feeding him meat (which they will eat occasionally) and beans?? Fiber should not be a problem with a correct diet. If you have any other questions, email me and I will be glad to try to help you formulate a correct diet.
Can you house a bearded dragon and sulcata tortoise together?
the only difference between the two is that the sulcattas like to burrow at times, id be careful also because the sulcattas have extremly different diets than the bearded and the bearded may end up eating the sulcattas food. id just avoid it, the presence of the bearded may stress the little sulcatta out, or vice versa and stress is very bad. id stick with two seperate areas.... oh and bearded dragons are omnivorous...being mostly insectivors, little bit carnivores, and little herbivores when juviniles, and when they grow up they can ve 75% vegetarian and 25% insectivore/carnivore.... they are not just meat eaters....
Sharing my apartment with my precious sulcata tortoise?
well firstly u should be ok for now but there are factors that you can change which will help you and ur lil budddy. firstly you shouldn't need a heat light on overnight all i would suggest is that if your flat gets very cold at night then use a heat mat but if you have the heating on in your flat you should be ok (u save money in electricity aswell) letting him out for a roam about is good aswell they get bord if you don't i have a horsefield and he lets me know when he wants to get out, aldo you are better getting a a vivarium with three wooden sides and one glass side but this should have a wooden piece that rices about 5-6cm above the substrate. this is because unlike us a tortoise does not understand glass as far as they are cosidered there is nothing there and they should be able to walk straight through when the glass stops them they get confussed and very stressed, a cheats way is to use cardboard of paper (decorative background paper is avaliable this makes it look attractive aswell) the uv light is fine providing it gives off uvb and uva light i use repti-glo 5.0 these are avaliable in many sizes. because your tortoise will be limited on excercise watch its weight a tortoise when picked up should feel heavier than you expect it to asif the shell is full of water, an overweight tortoise will struggle in breathing due to no diaphram fatty bits round the back legs are a good way of telling and they should be able to get all the way in their shell (not all tortoises put their front legs in their shell so look at the back legs to tell) this shouldn't be an issue but its best to check anyways. good luck and enjoy your long frienship
How strong is a tortoise's jaw?
Depends on the species, I will go by one of the largest! I patched up this quote quite a bit that I almost was not going to use quotes but I will as it was a very great response - I just made it better so a quote within a quote? Anyway, especially in since it is so similar to that of my own story/stories filled with facts, etc..."I bought my Sulcatas Tortoises when they were the size of a 50 cent piece. now they both are over 80 lbs and about three feet from nose to tail. my female is mellow, but the male, well he is territorial, and he likes to bite toes. both my sister, myself and my mom's friend have all been bitten, only once did it draw blood. he is very strong as well, he can push me across the patio when I'm sitting in a wooden patio chair.. seriously anyone entering my yard has to watch their toes, he is very persistent, and they can be quick if they want. but it takes about ten years or longer to get em that big. the more you soak em the softer their shell is and the more they grow although this is not the greatest idea to do often.Now, about the biting (how strong is the jaw, very!) though you shouldn't worry, it is a slow and lumbering bite (no teeth just a boney flat plate) and you can get away. the persistent nature of my tort is the problem, you will forget and he will sneak up on your toes - but there's no need to worry, you got ten years till you have to watch out for that if you get a Sulcata which is the third largest tort in the world!"Note: If thinking of getting a small Tort, good luck & don't let them be taken away by hawks or eaten by dogs. and they will live longer than you!Hope this helps a bit, StephenPS: Who says dogs and Reptiles can not get along?
How long does it take a sulcata to grow?
babies are kept in 24"(L)x18"(W)x8"(H) tupperware enclosures for the first 12 months of life (larger containers are fine too). They are kept on newspaper substrate for the first two months. The substrate is then changed to a mixture of topsoil (no additives, especially perlite) and pre-washed and dried play sand Sulcata offspring are generally put outside after about 12 months of age Typical growth is approximately 20 to 30 lbs. over the first five-year period of the tortoise's life. adults on average gain about 3 to 5 lbs. each year.
Pet Care: What natural food can be given to a little tortoise?
Carrot is not digested properly. Fruit should also be avoided. I would recommend mixed salad leaves such as baby leaf, lambs lettuce, rocket, watercress. Bags of mixed salad leaves from the supermarkets are good, just check on the back that it doesn't contain either spinach or kale. (Both are calcium-binding, see answer below). Ideally try and avoid too much 'normal' lettuce such as iceberg or cos or romaine. Mixing bits of these in with a normal salad bag to pad them out is fine, but these really just contain water and not much other nutritional benefit.Check out the tortoise trust website for a list of safe wild plants to feed in the summer months if you live in the UK.Most of the pelleted food isn't good for tortoises in large quantities. Breeders often start the babies on these to get them to grow quick to sell, but long term they are not the best diet. On a slightly different note, tortoises such as Germans, spur-thighs and horsfields are best living on their own when older and only co-habit well when juvenile (upto about 4or 5 years) after that you may well find that they will have to be housed separately. Boys absolutely cannot live together - they fight. A boy and a girl together would end up with the male constantly harassing the female to mate as the male matures sexually before a female. The males often bite the females back legs - sometimes until they bleed - to try and make her stay still for mating!Two females may get on better if the tortoise table is large enough, but what people sometimes find is that by keeping two together from small, one will grow bigger than the other quicker. This is a sign that they'd do better being on their own as one is exerting more dominance (not necessarily physically, but psychologically) over the smaller one.