KaliM

New to Sulcatas... because one literally wandered onto our Arkansas farm.​

Hi everyone!

I know this story sounds unbelievable, but it's 100% true.

We live on an isolated family farm in northeast Arkansas, and one day a Sulcata tortoise simply showed up on our property. We're used to the occasional giant snapping turtle wandering through, so at first, we didn't think much of it. But even from a distance, we could tell this one was... different.

After a quick photo and a Google search, we realized we were looking at a Sulcata tortoise. Though we had no clue what that was.

Our first thought after reading the results twice was exactly what yours probably is: "This has to be someone's pet!"

Then came the flood of questions.

How long has she been on her own? Where did she come from? How far did she travel? Is she really a she? How old is she?

Since that day, we've kept an eye on local lost-and-found pet groups, community Facebook pages, and anywhere else we could think to look in hopes that someone would be searching for her. So far, we haven't found a single post or lead. We still wonder where she came from and how long she'd been on her own.

With absolutely zero tortoise experience, we immediately built a makeshift shelter and started researching everything we could. I spent years working in animal rescue, but reptiles are completely new territory for me. We're learning as we go, and that's what brings us here.

One of the first things we noticed was that her shell wasn't perfectly smooth. As we researched, we learned about pyramiding and realized that's what we were seeing. From what we've read, it appears to be the result of improper care earlier in life. We obviously can't change her past, but we're committed to giving her the best husbandry possible moving forward.

We took her to a reptile veterinarian after noticing she hadn't had a bowel movement and was making an odd sound that concerned us. We wondered if she was constipated from whatever she'd been eating during her travels or if the overgrown scute above her tail was interfering.

Some of you may disagree with what happened next, and that's okay. The veterinarian recommended trimming that scute, and after discussing it, we agreed. Almost immediately afterward... the floodgates opened. She's been having normal bowel movements ever since.

The fecal exam also showed parasites, so she completed a course of dewormer.

At that first visit she weighed 7 pounds. The vet estimated that she's female (though we're open to discussion on that!) and guessed she's around 20 years old. From what little we've learned so far, we realize that estimate may not be accurate, especially considering her size, so we'd welcome opinions from those with more Sulcata experience. We've since named her Heidi ("Hide-y", Get it? We crack ourselves up!), and she's become part of the family.

Since finding her, we've built her a 12' × 24' wooden enclosure in our front yard. She has:

• A large, shallow water dish (a crawfish platter that she can easily climb in and out of)
• Full sun
• Three shaded areas - hard shade
• Plenty of good Arkansas dirt, which she's already started digging in
• Bermuda grass and native pasture grasses to graze throughout the day

At night we bring her indoors and make sure her sleeping area stays above 70°F. We also soak her in lukewarm water two or three times a week for about 20 minutes, with the water reaching the point where the carapace meets the plastron.

The more we learn about Sulcatas, the more we realize how much we don't know. That's why we're here. We want to give Heidi the best life possible, and we'd truly appreciate any advice you're willing to share.

Here are the areas where we'd especially love guidance:

Shelter
We know Arkansas winters aren't ideal for Sulcatas, so we'd like to build a permanent, safe shelter that will work through our cooler months. We'd love to see designs, photos, or hear what has worked well for others in similar climates.

Diet
Right now Heidi spends most of her day grazing Bermuda and mixed pasture grasses. Occasionally she gets romaine lettuce from our local Salad Station as a treat. We'd gladly plant grazing areas specifically for her if there are better options. We also have about 200 acres that we can forage, but we've found so much conflicting information online about what is and isn't safe. We'd really love to learn from people with long-term experience instead of trying to sort through all the contradictions ourselves.

Winter Care
Honestly... everything. If we build a properly heated shelter, will she be comfortable year-round in Arkansas? Should we also have an indoor setup? Is there a good way to preserve grasses for winter—such as baling hay—that still provides the nutrition she needs?

We never planned on owning a Sulcata tortoise.

She simply wandered into our lives one day, and now we can't imagine life without her.

We're committed to giving Heidi a safe, healthy, enriching life, even if that means rebuilding things, changing our plans, and continuing to learn from people who have been doing this much longer than we have.

We're grateful to have found this community and look forward to learning from all of you.