Alone and company

[lucky]

This is my african Sulcata tortoise, do they like company or being alone? She is always nudging us to let her into her house....

 

[dmmj]

sulcatas as a rule prefer to be alone, I would imagine she is nudging because they tend to enjoy people's company. She could also be trying to get more food out of you.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. That is a fantastic looking sulcata. I agree with what Captain Awesome had to say.

If you still decide you want more than one sulcata, a pair is about the worse thing you could do. They will usually do okay in groups of 3 or more with one male. Don't forget to quarantine anything new.

 

[Morty the Torty]

He's adorable! How old is he?

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome Your tort is very cute

Many tortoises, including Sulcatas, are solitary in the wild. They don't get lonely and they don't actively seek out company.

The nudging is more likely because your tort sees you as the source of food and the house is warm... tortoises like warm... they're like heat-seeking missiles. Sulcatas are pretty food driven as I understand it, so if nudging you gets them into both warmth and food, they'll do it!

If you get another tort, you must accept that it has to be kept completely separately for at least 6 months in quarantine.

When there is only one other animal, there is no way of deflecting attention. Your tort, the resident, is likely to object to sharing food and territory with a newcomer and fighting and biting may well follow leading to the least powerful becoming withdrawn, ill and possibly dying.

Mixing species is not advised as they carry different pathogens and what one species tolerates may be harmful to another.

You must be prepared to accept that separate living may have to be permanent, not just for the quarantine period, before getting another tortoise.

 

[wellington]

WELCOME

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi lucky:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

...and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

sulcatas as a rule prefer to be alone, I would imagine she is nudging because they tend to enjoy people's company. She could also be trying to get more food out of you.

Welcome.

 

[lucky]

My tortoise is a girl and when we bought her, the shop had no idea how old she is. So I did some research and found out she is 3-4 years old, and I'm just asking, how big or how old do they need to be to breed?

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

I think that depends on the size of the tort. If you are going to try to breed your tort you should probably get another girl and a boy because,as I understand it, your boy will harass your female and that would be too much attention so if you have another girl that would share some of the attention and keep it from making your girl too stressed. I don't know too much but I am sure others who know what they are talking about will chime in. Good luck to you on your sulcata journey and welcome!

 

[lucky]

And I was just wondering, will they fight of I Do get a male?

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Lovelyrosepetal, your tort s so adorable

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So, you are suggesting for me to get another girl too?

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

I suggest, from everything I have read, that if you are going to breed it and get a boy then you should also get another girl that would be able to breed, to share the attention. I have a few box turtles and the boy is always harassing the girls. I have a few girls so the attention is spread around but if I had just one girl and one boy, the boy would constantly be mounting my girl. If you have two girls, then the boy will spread his attention to the other girl and so the girls would get a break from the boy. If I am wrong then somebody who knows more, please chime in, I am just going off of what I have read and what I have seen. I know that a box turtle is not a tortoise but there are some similarities so I thought it was the best example that I could come up with. I hope this helps a little.

 

[lucky]

Thank you Lovelyrosepetal, but I think I can only afford to buy 1 boy. I will try to separate them for a while, and hope that they would harmonize

 

[Tom]

They do best alone. If you are going to get another one, you should plan on having two permanent and separate enclosures so they can each have peace and quiet. Lovelyrosepetal is correct. An adult male will usually harass a lone female to death. The bigger and better the enclosure, the longer she will last, but it's usually not a good situation.

Females usually don't breed until they are at least 17", males can go as early as 14".

Can you tell us where in the world you are?

 

[lucky]

Um... why do you need to know where I'm from?

 

[dmmj]

Um... why do you need to know where I'm from?

It helps us give better advice, it is only a request.

 

[lucky]

Okay, I'm in China

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

Hi Lucky, Thanks for your compliments, I like my tortoises. I am not sure how much room you have for your tortoise but the bigger you can go, the better. I did not think about separating the tortoises, but that is a good idea. You could keep your boy and girl separated and not have to get another girl. Eventually you might want to get another girl. Any advice gotten from Tom and Captain Awesome is well worth heeding. They have extensive tortoise knowledge. I think your tortoise is beautiful and good luck with everything.