rearlpettway
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2014
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We posted this to the Facebook groups that we belong to in order to encourage people to stop keeping their Sulcata's in desert type enclosures.
The Saharan desert consist of eight ecoregions: Atlantic coastal desert, North Saharan steppe and woodlands, Sahara desert, South Saharan steppe and woodlands (Sahel region), West Saharan montane xeric woodlands, Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands, Saharan halophytics, Tanezrouft ecoregion.
Sulcata's don't occur in the Sahara desert ecoregion were it is hot and hyper-arid.
Sulcata's do occur in the Sahel region. The Sahel is mostly covered in grassland and savanna, with areas of woodland and shrubland. Grass cover is fairly continuous across the region, dominated by annual grass species such as Cenchrus biflorus, Schoenefeldia gracilis,and Aristida stipoides. Species of acacia are the dominant trees, with Acacia tortilis the most common, along with Acacia senegal and Acacia laeta. Other tree species include Commiphora africana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Faidherbia albida, and Boscia senegalensis. In the northern part of the Sahel, areas of desert shrub, including Panicum turgidumand Aristida sieberana, alternate with areas of grassland and savanna.
Although it is arid for most of the year, the tortoises are underground during that time. Wild Sulcata's spend 95%-98% of their time in their warm humid burrows.
During the annual monsoon season (July through October) it is hot, rainy, humid, and there are puddles, marshes and green growing food everywhere. The start of this rainy season is, not coincidentally, when the babies hatch. The babies don't start showing themselves in broad day light above ground until they reach the 8"-10" mark.
This is one reason why we recommend keeping the hatchlings and babies in a closed high humidity enclosure.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can improve this post?
Sent from Rodney Earl Pettway's iPad using TortForum
The Saharan desert consist of eight ecoregions: Atlantic coastal desert, North Saharan steppe and woodlands, Sahara desert, South Saharan steppe and woodlands (Sahel region), West Saharan montane xeric woodlands, Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands, Saharan halophytics, Tanezrouft ecoregion.
Sulcata's don't occur in the Sahara desert ecoregion were it is hot and hyper-arid.
Sulcata's do occur in the Sahel region. The Sahel is mostly covered in grassland and savanna, with areas of woodland and shrubland. Grass cover is fairly continuous across the region, dominated by annual grass species such as Cenchrus biflorus, Schoenefeldia gracilis,and Aristida stipoides. Species of acacia are the dominant trees, with Acacia tortilis the most common, along with Acacia senegal and Acacia laeta. Other tree species include Commiphora africana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Faidherbia albida, and Boscia senegalensis. In the northern part of the Sahel, areas of desert shrub, including Panicum turgidumand Aristida sieberana, alternate with areas of grassland and savanna.
Although it is arid for most of the year, the tortoises are underground during that time. Wild Sulcata's spend 95%-98% of their time in their warm humid burrows.
During the annual monsoon season (July through October) it is hot, rainy, humid, and there are puddles, marshes and green growing food everywhere. The start of this rainy season is, not coincidentally, when the babies hatch. The babies don't start showing themselves in broad day light above ground until they reach the 8"-10" mark.
This is one reason why we recommend keeping the hatchlings and babies in a closed high humidity enclosure.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can improve this post?
Sent from Rodney Earl Pettway's iPad using TortForum