# ARE MY SULCATAS OBESE???



## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

I have not seen or read of any sulcatas that weigh nearly 100 lbs at just 4 years old!!! I'm beginning to think my sullies are obese and may pose a health problem. I would appreciate any insight. Here are some pics of my sullies.


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## JoesMum (Oct 27, 2016)

Your sullies look beautiful. What straight carapace length are they?


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## ZEROPILOT (Oct 27, 2016)

I'd say that you are just doing a great job.
My back is hurting just looking at the photos.


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## jojay327 (Oct 27, 2016)

They are beautiful, I love there color. Mine is about 6 and around 70lbs. I think where you live has a ton to do with it and how readily they eat year round. Can you post pics of there outside pen and shelter? I love to see how others are keeping these big guys. They are beautiful


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## TheSulcata (Oct 27, 2016)

I think they look fine.


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## saginawhxc (Oct 27, 2016)

Holy crap. 100 pounds at four years old! I know my two rescues were under weight at 10 pounds in five years, but this blows my mind.

I definitely wouldn't say obese. Probably a combination of being raised right and having the proper environment for them.

Good job!


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## Tom (Oct 27, 2016)

Big, but not obese. They are fed correctly and living in ideal conditions in your climate.

Have you had them on a scale?


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Tom said:


> Big, but not obese. They are fed correctly and living in ideal conditions in your climate.
> 
> Have you had them on a scale?



I took one of them to the Vet back in March cause he was lethargic, had diarrhea, and not wanting to leave his enclosure to roam outside as he does everyday. I needed my husband to help me load him up. At the office, he weighed in at 87 lbs. That was 7 months ago. He had been averaging around 2 lbs growth a month. So, yeah, he's close, if not over, 100 lbs. Btw, it turned out that he had a stomach issue. He never did stop eating even when he was sick. Go figure.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Tom said:


> Big, but not obese. They are fed correctly and living in ideal conditions in your climate.
> 
> Have you had them on a scale?


I'll try to get his measurement.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 27, 2016)

Well fed, for sure! Looking at the pictures where you can see the soft tissue at the top of their legs, there's a lot of fat there.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

I appreciate everyone's comments. I would still like to know if there's anyone out there that has, or knows of, a sully that's this big at 4 years old. Is their weight potentially harmful to their health? They will stop or slow down eventuality, won't he? What about heart disease? Does anyone know? Yvonne, there's a lot of fat on the soft tissue, like you rightly noticed. Should that be a concern?


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## Yvonne G (Oct 27, 2016)

It may be an exercise issue. Do they have plenty of room to walk around? Take a look at my sulcata yard. It's an old picture, but Dudley's doorway to the shelter NOW (not in the picture) is right next to where he sits in the picture. Dudley comes out of his shelter and has to walk towards the camera to get around that sight barrier fence. His waterer is on the other side of the fence. Then he has to walk all the way to the back of the yard to sit in the sun or under his favorite bush. That fence down the middle of his yard makes it so he has to walk much more and get a whole lot more exercise than he would if the fence weren't there.


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## Tom (Oct 27, 2016)

Tell us more about what you are feeding them?

There growth is unprecedented, so I don't think you will find anyone to match yours, but there is not necessarily anything wrong with that. And yes, they will eventually slow down. Unless they are of Sudanese origin, they are not likely to top 120-130 pounds. If they do have Sudanese genetics, they might keep browning until 250 pounds, and I've seen a few that were even larger than that. Time will tell.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Their yard is 48' by 50' if I recall correctly. When they became a year old, I had yhe shed insulated and had cement blocks put around the perimeter of the yard. I posted pics of the huge yard a while back. I'll see if I can find them and repost it. So, they really do have a lot of room to roam, and they do. Would I like them to take a mile hike each day? Yeah, but they certainly have run of the place.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Tom said:


> Tell us more about what you are feeding them?
> 
> There growth is unprecedented, so I don't think you will find anyone to match yours, but there is not necessarily anything wrong with that. And yes, they will eventually slow down. Unless they are of Sudanese origin, they are not likely to top 120-130 pounds. If they do have Sudanese genetics, they might keep browning until 250 pounds, and I've seen a few that were even larger than that. Time will tell.


Tom, they eat everything! One thing I have done, though, is to feed them a small amount of Mazuri daily (about 1/3 cup now). I've done that since they were about a year old (about 12 pellets then.) This is just one part of their daily diet. They have endive, alfalfa sprouts, kale from time to time, cactus and it's fruit when in season, escarole, hibiscus flower and leaves, grass, weeds, Timothy hay, romaine, carrots, and anything I know they can eat. I'm sure I overfeed them, but they eat everything and some. I have been trying to limit their intake of Mazuri cause they really don't need it, but my heart breaks when they look for me to give them their favorite food


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## Tom (Oct 27, 2016)

sibi said:


> Tom, they eat everything! One thing I have done, though, is to feed them a small amount of Mazuri daily (about 1/3 cup now). I've done that since they were about a year old (about 12 pellets then.) This is just one part of their daily diet. They have endive, alfalfa sprouts, kale from time to time, cactus and it's fruit when in season, escarole, hibiscus flower and leaves, grass, weeds, Timothy hay, romaine, carrots, and anything I know they can eat. I'm sure I overfeed them, but they eat everything and some. I have been trying to limit their intake of Mazuri cause they really don't need it, but my heart breaks when they look for me to give them their favorite food



The daily Mazuri certainly offers some explanation.

Approximately what percentage of their diet does the grass hay, grass, and weeds make up?


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Tom said:


> The daily Mazuri certainly offers some explanation.
> 
> Approximately what percentage of their diet does the grass hay, grass, and weeds make up?


They graze all day long; so, it hard to guess. But, I would say that grass, hay, and weeds make up at least 50% of they diet. Other veggies make up about another 25%, and then there's the mazuri. Oh, and I mix about 1/4 cup of grassland into the mazuri, which is then divided in half for each of the sullies.


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## saginawhxc (Oct 27, 2016)

I actually feed little amounts of Mazuri and grassland everyday too. Just as a supplement to everything else he is eating.

I'm probably about 75% grass and weeds, 20% store bought greens, and the rest is a mix of Mazuri, zoo med, and tortoise hay.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

I'm trying to wean them off mazuri by adding more and more hay/grass. There's only so much green grass especially during winter months. That's when I go to the feed store and get bales of hay. I put down rye grass seeds during winter months cause, in Florida, it doesn't do well in heat, but grows wonderfully in the winter. The boys just love it too.


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## saginawhxc (Oct 27, 2016)

sibi said:


> I'm trying to wean them off mazuri by adding more and more hay/grass. There's only so much green grass especially during winter months. That's when I go to the feed store and get bales of hay. I put down rye grass seeds during winter months cause, in Florida, it doesn't do well in heat, but grows wonderfully in the winter. The boys just love it too.


See here in Michigan starting soon the only thing I will be able to feed from the yard is snow. We had our first half an inch of snow yesterday.


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## Maro2Bear (Oct 27, 2016)

Your sullies look just great. Our Sully is just over two years and tips the scale at 30 lbs, but i don't think we'll get to 100 too soon. I'm sure your great Florida weather, and feeding regime, contributes a lot. Good going, keep it up.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Maro2Bear said:


> Your sullies look just great. Our Sully is just over two years and tips the scale at 30 lbs, but i don't think we'll get to 100 too soon. I'm sure your great Florida weather, and feeding regime, contributes a lot. Good going, keep it up.


Looking great and feeling great has always been my concern with these two boys. Yes, they may look great from the outside, but I wonder what's going on in the inside. I wonder if there isn't rolls of fat around their heart  I don't even have data from other sullies that may be in a similar situation for comparison.


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## TheSulcata (Oct 27, 2016)

Ha, you don't have to worry about fat wrapping around their heart. Most people feed their torts as much as they want because they are a grazing species and they eat a TON in the wild so ur good


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## MPRC (Oct 27, 2016)

sibi said:


> Looking great and feeling great has always been my concern with these two boys. Yes, they may look great from the outside, but I wonder what's going on in the inside. I wonder if there isn't rolls of fat around their heart  I don't even have data from other sullies that may be in a similar situation for comparison.



Are they eating high fat diets? I'm under the impression that you can't overfeed healthy foods.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Well


LaDukePhoto said:


> Are they eating high fat diets? I'm under the impression that you can't overfeed healthy foods.


Well, no. I don't even know what's fat food for torts. But, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Look, I just don't know that there's any sulcatas that weigh that much at just 4 years old. According to Tom, this may be unprecedented in that there may not be any I can compare with my torts. And, unless they have Sudanese genetics, they should top off at about 130 lbs. If so, they've only got 30-40 lbs more to go during the rest of their long lives. I can't see that happening unless they're obese and/or this has rarely happened. So, yeah, I'm worried.


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## cmacusa3 (Oct 27, 2016)

sibi said:


> Well
> Well, no. I don't even know what's fat food for torts. But, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Look, I just don't know that there's any sulcatas that weigh that much at just 4 years old. According to Tom, this may be unprecedented in that there may not be any I can compare with my torts. And, unless they have Sudanese genetics, they should top off at about 130 lbs. If so, they've only got 30-40 lbs more to go during the rest of their long lives. I can't see that happening unless they're obese and/or this has rarely happened. So, yeah, I'm worried.



It honestly sounds like to me they are getting ideal care. I think they look amazing, and I think your worrying too much.


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## cmacusa3 (Oct 27, 2016)

Maro2Bear said:


> Your sullies look just great. Our Sully is just over two years and tips the scale at 30 lbs, but i don't think we'll get to 100 too soon. I'm sure your great Florida weather, and feeding regime, contributes a lot. Good going, keep it up.




I wouldn't be shocked if yours hits 100 at 4.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

Abramsmytankturtle said:


> It honestly sounds like to me they are getting ideal care. I think they look amazing, and I think your worrying too much.


I really hope your right.


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## leigti (Oct 27, 2016)

I don't own this type of tortoise. So you can take this for what it's worth. But if you are worried about them growing too fast then I would just cut out the mazuri. Maybe just offer it a couple times a week or cut back on the amount daily. In the wild they probably wouldn't come across the best grazing etc. on a daily basis like they do in captivity. And it sounds like you have a great place to keep them.


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## sibi (Oct 27, 2016)

leigti said:


> I don't own this type of tortoise. So you can take this for what it's worth. But if you are worried about them growing too fast then I would just cut out the mazuri. Maybe just offer it a couple times a week or cut back on the amount daily. In the wild they probably wouldn't come across the best grazing etc. on a daily basis like they do in captivity. And it sounds like you have a great place to keep them.


That's what I'm gonna do. I just won't look at their expecting eyes when I don't give them mazuri. They'll just have to eat hay and enjoy their greens and other store bought foods.


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## surfergirl (Oct 28, 2016)

My guy is over 100 lbs and shell length of about 28 inches I would guess. He is 21 years old this December. He was not that heavy at four years but seems to still be growing and gaining weight still.
 The only concern I have on the weight side is that a bladder stone might add weight. I see my guys urates and they are liquid but since he has never seen a vet, never been xrayed I worry about how I can be sure. I do not like the idea of him seeing a vet or having an xray if he doesn't need one though. If yours has been checked by vets I would think they are just healthy boogers.


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## sibi (Oct 28, 2016)

Y


surfergirl said:


> My guy is over 100 lbs and shell length of about 28 inches I would guess. He is 21 years old this December. He was not that heavy at four years but seems to still be growing and gaining weight still.
> The only concern I have on the weight side is that a bladder stone might add weight. I see my guys urates and they are liquid but since he has never seen a vet, never been xrayed I worry about how I can be sure. I do not like the idea of him seeing a vet or having an xray if he doesn't need one though. If yours has been checked by vets I would think they are just healthy boogers.


Yes and no. Yes, he's seen a vet and has been x-rayed, but the x-rays are not the greatest and the vet didn't know what to make of it. In other words, I couldn't find out anything about any possible stone. So, I'm not so sure he's as healthy as he looks. It's my greatest fear that years down the road, he gets real sick and dies from a stone that has grown over years.
My husband is jn the process of shortening the file name of the x-rays pic that were taken back in March of this year. Those x-rays show something, but I'm not sure what. He was having digestion problems and diarrhea at the time.


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## surfergirl (Oct 28, 2016)

Oh but my guy just started getting mazuri in the last two years, mainly grass / weeds while young and grass/Bermuda hay after he was about 6- 8 " long. I only feed mazuri 1 to 2 times weekly he still mostly eats fresh cut grass or Bermuda hay. He graze some as well but most of his intake has less moisture / lots of fiber hay. I have to provide lots of water / pool holes so he gets the moisture.  
Your guys probably carry more water weight also with the Florida humidity.


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## surfergirl (Oct 28, 2016)

We share the same fear. This sully is like my kid cause I never Ihad any. Animals and nieces and nephews kept me busy
my husband and I call him our college kid cause if we had a child when we got him they would be a junior about to graduate. Lol!

I would love to have him live so long we need three generations or more to care for him.


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## MichiganFrog (Oct 28, 2016)

I don't know that I'd call either of our torts obese, but I have to say that Honey Boy acts kind of like a professional body builder who's having a really bad day. You see, he seems to enjoy working out with cinder blocks. For example, today he knocked over the upper row of the cinder blocks that make up part of the wall of his pen. From there, he worked his way around the back of the shed, and toppled over another row of cinder blocks to come out in Beasty Boy's pen.

Of course, he was probably looking to find Baby Runt. When we arrived, Honey Boy was doing his dominance display to Beasty Boy, and, thankfully, no one was injured. But now I'm going to have to spend a good part of the weekend reinforcing the walls of Honey Boy's pen. What's really amazing is that, if Honey Boy had turned to the left at the tree behind the shed, then he would have ended up in Baby Runt's pen, and that would have been a real disaster. The good news is that we're planning to move Baby Runt to her new house far away from the boys this weekend.

Hormones are an obvious factor to explain Honey Boy's behavior, but I kind of wonder whether he isn't just bored, too. Once Baby Runt is in her new home, I'm hoping that the boys will settle down a little. Then I may consider some other ideas for addressing Honey Boy's boredom issue. I'd like to plant some plants or make a maze or something like that to occupy his mind. Does anyone have any good ideas along those lines?


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## sibi (Oct 28, 2016)

MichiganFrog said:


> I don't know that I'd call either of our torts obese, but I have to say that Honey Boy acts kind of like a professional body builder who's having a really bad day. You see, he seems to enjoy working out with cinder blocks. For example, today he knocked over the upper row of the cinder blocks that make up part of the wall of his pen. From there, he worked his way around the back of the shed, and toppled over another row of cinder blocks to come out in Beasty Boy's pen.
> 
> Of course, he was probably looking to find Baby Runt. When we arrived, Honey Boy was doing his dominance display to Beasty Boy, and, thankfully, no one was injured. But now I'm going to have to spend a good part of the weekend reinforcing the walls of Honey Boy's pen. What's really amazing is that, if Honey Boy had turned to the left at the tree behind the shed, then he would have ended up in Baby Runt's pen, and that would have been a real disaster. The good news is that we're planning to move Baby Runt to her new house far away from the boys this weekend.
> 
> Hormones are an obvious factor to explain Honey Boy's behavior, but I kind of wonder whether he isn't just bored, too. Once Baby Runt is in her new home, I'm hoping that the boys will settle down a little. Then I may consider some other ideas for addressing Honey Boy's boredom issue. I'd like to plant some plants or make a maze or something like that to occupy his mind. Does anyone have any good ideas along those lines?


Hey, did you just steal my thread? Go post this under Honey boy' thread


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## MichiganFrog (Oct 28, 2016)

sibi said:


> Hey, did you just steal my thread? Go post this under Honey boy' thread



Sorry, yes, I did post to your thread. Not trying to hijack it or anything like that... Honey Boy doesn't have his own thread yet, but he probably should.


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## sibi (Oct 28, 2016)

MichiganFrog said:


> Sorry, yes, I did post to your thread. Not trying to hijack it or anything like that... Honey Boy doesn't have his own thread yet, but he probably should.


Okay hubby, just don't do it again.


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## saginawhxc (Oct 28, 2016)

MichiganFrog said:


> Sorry, yes, I did post to your thread. Not trying to hijack it or anything like that... Honey Boy doesn't have his own thread yet, but he probably should.


Yes he should. I would follow along. I especially love to hear the exploits of other Michigan tortoises.


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## MichiganFrog (Oct 28, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> Yes he should. I would follow along. I especially love to hear the exploits of other Michigan tortoises.



There's a story behind my "Michigan Frog" handle. It's taken from the Looney Tunes character, and I don't think I've ever actually been to Michigan. (I wouldn't mind going someday if I have the chance). Sibi and I are here in the Gulf coast of Florida.


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## saginawhxc (Oct 28, 2016)

MichiganFrog said:


> There's a story behind my "Michigan Frog" handle. It's taken from the Looney Tunes character, and I don't think I've ever actually been to Michigan. (I wouldn't mind going someday if I have the chance). Sibi and I are here in the Gulf coast of Florida.


If I hadn't been too lazy to click on your profile I would have seen that. Well forget you then... I don't want to read about your stupid Florida tortoise. (This was where I was going to put a smiley face emoji thing, but got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of emojis available. So instead I will boringly point out I am only kidding.)


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## sibi (Oct 28, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> If I hadn't been too lazy to click on your profile I would have seen that. Well forget you then... I don't want to read about your stupid Florida tortoise. (This was where I was going to put a smiley face emoji thing, but got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of emojis available. So instead I will boringly point out I am only kidding.)



LMFAO!!! TOO FUNNY


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## JoesMum (Oct 29, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> Yes he should. I would follow along. I especially love to hear the exploits of other Michigan tortoises.


If you want Sulcata exploits then look no further than @maggie3fan's Bob who sadly passed away last year. There are plenty of threads on TFO. 

Part bulldozer, part clown and I'm sure Maggie came close to committing torticide a few times ... and misses him hugely now he's gone as do we all.


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## saginawhxc (Oct 29, 2016)

JoesMum said:


> If you want Sulcata exploits then look no further than @maggie3fan's Bob who sadly passed away last year. There are plenty of threads on TFO.
> 
> Part bulldozer, part clown and I'm sure Maggie came close to committing torticide a few times ... and misses him hugely now he's gone as do we all.


I've read some of those threads. They are fantastic. She is a great story teller.


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## sibi (Oct 29, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> I've read some of those threads. They are fantastic. She is a great story teller.



Bob's pic was shown on the 2017 calendar contest. He was #17. Don't know if you can still see all the contestants, but his pic was adorable. And, it's partly because of his experience with a huge bladder stone, and eventual death, that I started this thread.


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