First time tortoise owner

[allie_tort]

Hi everyone. Newbie here. I grew up with my great grandmother owning 2 tortoises and my grandfather also having one. I find them absolutely adorable and fascinating creatures. However, I really don't know much about them. I found myself in a pet store in México and saw a pair of tortoises, I just knew I had to have them. I want to provide the best home for them, but I don't even know their species. I've attached a picture. I'm hoping someone will be kind enough to give some feedback. I've definitely given them more room to roam. That enclosure was from the pet store. Thank you.

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Welcome to the forum! First off they will not do well in pairs they are solitary animals so u will need separate enclosures. Here is a great care sheet written by Tom, read thru and come back with any questions. Good luck! Very cute sulcatas btw

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

You remind me of my younger years, when I went and bought a 400cc motorcycle, even though I had never once in my life been on one, even as a passenger! I figured it couldn't be that hard to learn to ride, right? ?

Well, you've bought 2 adorable sulcata babies with no idea what's ahead of you. Please don't take this post like I'm trying to discourage you, but you need to know what you're in for.

First, Chubbs is right...you will need 2 of everything, including closed chamber enclosures. They will have to be separated ASAP.

The males of this species grow to weigh 120-150 lbs on average, and females go to 80-100lbs. You won't know what you have for several years.

They need a large outdoor space to live in when they're big enough, 2000sqft or more...for each of them.

Each will need a heated night box for nighttime or for cold rainy days. Even though you live in CA, you still need the night boxes.

As they grow and get stronger, they earn their nickname of "backyard bulldozers". My friend's 100 lb sully has moved lawn furniture, broken every head on a sprinkler system, plowed up moderately sized bushes, broke off a drain pipe for an outdoor sink, and just recently decided he wants the bricks of her patio floor relocated. He took care of some of that himself, digging the bricks out and pushing them away. When he's feeling the need for a girlfriend, he gets moody and chases us with a goal of ramming our legs with his head and shell. He easily knocks us over if we lose focus. And finally, he eats huge amounts of food. Plan on gardening just for the torts.

On the flip side, most of the time he's a sweet soul that is curious about everything and greets me at the gate when I visit. I love him, but I'm glad he's not mine.

So there's sulcatas in a nutshell. In case you think maybe it will be too much to handle two, now is the time to rehome one of them. If you're ready to move forward with them, start with the care sheet Chubbs linked. Come back with questions. And let us help you with what to buy...pet stores will give you terrible advice. We can save you money by not buying the wrong equipment.

Welcome to the world of tortoises!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome! Where in California are you?