adult sulcata guidance

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firetwofire

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I have had a baby sulcata for about a year now. I live in Reno NV(colder winters) and came across a guy in Sacramento that had a adult sulcata (50+lbs, 25" across his top of his shell, 12years old). I have always wanted an adult and already have a large out door area for him. I always figure that I would need to bring our tortoise's inside during the winter.
When I brought the new adult tortoise home today he within a couple hours pooped 5-7 times all bigger poops than even a large dog. Is this normal or is it because he has been out side in Sac in the cold an now that he is warming up things are moving again? How much do the poop? I am also looking for any advice on temps he needs, different diet needs, food amounts ect. I no what to do with the little guy but the large one is a different world. Thank
 

firetwofire

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P.s here is Crackers
 

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Len B

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Congratulations, Crackers is looking good. Large tortoises give you large poops and sometimes a lot of them in a short time, that's normal, I have a adult sulcata that I got as a hatchling in 1996,he has taught me what his needs are as he grew, He stays outside all year, I am in a sometimes very cold weather area just outside of Wash,DC, Even when it is very cold he ventures out of his heated house to eat store bought greens and graze on what little grass there is and dried leaves, mostly maple leaves, during winter I also supplement with mazuri. In late Sept I adopted a somewhat large (17 inch) female that is very deformed and she is spending her first winter outside in a separate area and comes out everyday to eat also, I see no reason why you couldn't keep yours outside if you built him a heated tortoise house. Good Luck and have fun with him.
 
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mytortET

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Crackers looks like a fine specimen! :D Congratulations! ;) And his pooping routine sounds normal to me... :p Someone with more experience will be along to give you knowledgeable advice. Stay tuned~ :shy:
 

wellington

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Congrats. I see you skipped the research on adult sulcata poops. Haha, you thought with your little one, you had years before you needed to know about that part of the sulcata care:p :D Oh, did you research the part about the large burrow they can and most likely will dig? :D Okay, I'm just picking on you:) You have a nice looking sully with normal LARGE POOPS:p :D


Oh, forgot another warning. They like to mess things up and some likes to drag their poop around:( Okay, class is over. Except, the things I posted, is why I bought a leopard instead of a sulcata:D
 

firetwofire

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Thanks everyone. He will be going into his outdoor area next weekend once I get power to his house for heat. I will probably keep it at 60°+. Any ideas on a large water bowl? I have found any water I put in front of him he like to climb into it then tip it over.
 

Len B

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I found that the no-spill metal dog bowls work for mine, he can walk over it,move it around, but he has never turned it over, the one I have for him holds 3/4 of a gallon of water.
 

firetwofire

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Here is a little better picture.
 

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firetwofire

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Ok after all the pooping questions and comments Crackers has now not gone for a week. He is still eating like a horse but no loop. Is this normal? I just weight him and he tipped the scale at 65 lbs.
 

Vegasarah

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First off, I'm so jealous. I can't wait till my baby grows up big and pretty like Crackers!

Second, does he have a water dish that is big enough for him to sit in? I am pretty sure that even as adults they should have access to a big water source like that. My sully poops in his water dish a lot, I think it's just a reptile thing. But I'm not experienced with bigger adult sullies so maybe someone else will weigh in soon.

It could be from the cold, I know that reptiles have a hard time digesting properly if they don't get their bodies up to a higher temperature. Does he have a heated hide that he can spend his nights in? Think big dog house with plenty of Ceramic Heat emitters and hay for bedding. My sister lives in Reno, I know it's been pretty chilly there. Try letting him spend some time inside somewhere warm for a little while?

What are you feeding Crackers and how much each day? That might help someone with more experience give you good advice!
 

CtTortoiseMom

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firetwofire said:
Thanks everyone. He will be going into his outdoor area next weekend once I get power to his house for heat. I will probably keep it at 60°+. Any ideas on a large water bowl? I have found any water I put in front of him he like to climb into it then tip it over.

I use the lid from a very large rubbermaid storage bin. The good thing about it being outside it you can just dump it and hose it out because your sulcata will poop in it's water too!!
 

Vegasarah

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Plastic kiddie pools with a little door cut out of the side are awesome too!
 

Len B

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I wouldn't worry, They sometimes go quite awhile between poops, Remember he emptied his self out when you brought him home less than 2 weeks ago, Just make sure he has access to water, he will drink when he needs to, Mine have no way to soak during winter but do drink from a water bowl, Sometimes I have to warm the bowl to remove the ice and add fresh water. Even during the hot months of summer the adult male very seldom will get into the small pond I have for him, he will walk through it but doesn't stop to soak.At 65 pounds he is almost indestructible so don't get excited when he does things different than youngsters.
 

Laura

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he needs excersise and heat to poop... even if its cool outside,, if you have a place to warm him up,, let him go out.. Some have been known to plow thru the snow! its ok, as long as they can get warm..
I use a plastic garbage can lid. Did a slight depression in the ground, big enough for the lid to sit in. Its easy to clean, shallow and they can easily walk in and out...
 

firetwofire

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Vegasarah-
Thank I was very lucky to find this guy already grown and healthy.

Len-
Thanks for your help, I just wanted to make sure is was doing everything correct. Your post made me feel better. Question when is should I start worrying about him not going?

Yes he has water and a heated house that has a basking uvb light on a timer (7am-6pm) and a heater on a thermostats the keeps it at a nice 79-84°. He also has a large 15'x40 enclosure to run lol.

He is eating a heart of Rowland lettuces, some kale, couple cups + of grass, couple strawberries(treat) a day. I finding out he can be picky sometimes and push the grass out of the way but will normally eat it by the end of the day.
 

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AZtortMom

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Beautiful! :) I can't wait until my babies are his size!
 

Tom

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My 80 pound male sulcata poops as much as my 140 pound great dane. The tortoise actually makes bigger piles, but less often than the dog.

Good adult foods include: Orchard grass hay, bermuda hay, spineless opuntia cactus pads, mulberry tree leaves, hibiscus leaves, grape leaves, and lots and lots of fresh grass and weeds. You must provide drinking water, especially with the dry hay.
 
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