I'm from MN and really want to get a Sulcata.... would it survive living indoors 75% of the year?

It would and they do as long as cared for properly BUT the big deal is when its 50+ lbs where to house it during our long winter? Once they get that size it gets a little more complicated to house them properly indoors. They can and will go through sheet rock, etc etc.

if you get a baby, how long does it take to reach that size?

You can have a 50lb tortoise in 5 years.

I live in NJ. I currently have 3 sulcatas. They are housed inside in the winter. Up to this point, they have been in a large indoor enclosure. They are approx. 8-10 inches. But, I have a 1500 sq. ft. basement as they grow larger. They will need it! Mine are approx. 3 1/2 yrs old.

Please do lots of research and talk to people who have large sulcatas before you get one. I have a turtle rescue and I get about 10 to 15 sulcatas every summer to re-home. They're really cute when they are little, have lots of personality, and really call your name at the pet store, but once they reach the bulldozer stage they are a real pain in the XXX. They scrape the stucco off the side of the house. They dig up your landscaping. They plow right through your rose bushes and shrubs. They can't go around anything...they have to plow right through it, knocking over the lawn furniture or you if you're in their way. They dig tunnels to China. And I'm not talking about a 100lb animal. This refers to something 35lbs and over. I took in Dudley when he weighed only 35lbs and that was about 7 years ago. He now weighs around 100lbs (I last weighed him 2 years ago and he was 98lbs).

Now to answer your question. Yes, you can provide a good home for a desert-type tortoise when you live in a colder climate. But it takes a lot of work and energy (the electrical kind). My sister lives in what she refers to the Frozen North, Corvallis, Oregon, where she says people don't tan, they rust. She has two sulcata. In inclement weather she keeps them in a heated shed. Inside the shed they each have a sleeping box equipped with a pig blanket and black light (to heat up the ambient air). Outside the sleeping boxes but inside the shed is a de Longhi oil filled radiator. She is constantly checking and re-checking the shed to be sure its ok for the tortoises. I don't think she has slept clear through a complete night since she moved up there two years ago. Its VERY stressful for a sulcata who is used to going outside every day to graze, to have to stay locked up in a shed. She can hear Bob scratching and knocking stuff around all day long. She has finally started letting him outside any time he "asks" so he can see what kind of weather it is. He goes out in the snow, sleet, slush, rain, etc. and when she feels he's getting cold enough, she takes him back in. I don't know how much he weighs now, but he's getting too big for her to handle (she's handicapped with one bad and one good hand). My advice to you would be to re-think the idea of what kind of tortoise you want. If the only reason you want a sulcata is because they get big and it would be a status symbol for you to be the only one on the block to have a big tortoise, then that's the wrong reason and you live in the wrong area. If you just absolutely love them because they get big and have such wonderful personalities and just can't do without one, I'd say go for it. But please be advised: I receive 10 to 15 sulcatas every summer to re-home and they come from people just like you who thought they would really love to have such a wonderous animal and then the realization of what this animal is really like hit them in the face!

Yvonne

Heh Now I know who you are Yvonne, you are Maggie's sister.

Heh Now I know who you are Yvonne, you are Maggie's sister.

Oops! Ya caught me!!

Yvonne

My vet is constantly offering my unwanted sulcattas. I refuse because I figure start up costs for keeping an animated bulldozer is about 10,000 to 15,000 in Iowa and I can wire and build fence and have a neighbor who is a cement contractor. I feel that these torts are best kept in a warmer climate such as the southwest or Florida. This is where her rescues end up.

Egads!!! and I have 7 of them. Cheech & Chong are both 3 years old and both weigh under 2 lbs. You mean to tell me that they are gonna gain 45 or more pounds in the next 2 years? I better get their outside enclosure built ASAP

This post was last modified: 02-06-2008 06:47 AM by Chucky.