First tortoise

[carlywelch]

Hi every one thought I would introduce my self my name is Carly live in the uk this is mine and partner first tortoise we have a male sulcarta named aero we are both use 2 keeping snake so is very new 2 the both of us his a lovely little thing we hopefully be looking in 2 getting a female sulcarta

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Your sully is too young to know the sex of it. However, s/he is cute. Please read Toms threads below in my post for the proper raising of a sulcata.

 

[Maggie and Torie the Tort]

Hi, welcome to the Forum!

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome, Carly!

 

[samsmom]

Hello Carly and welcome, please read Tom's threads above then think long and hard about getting another sulcata!

 

[carlywelch]

Well the people in the shop told us it was a male n are very very good friends of ours so wud not understand y they wud tell us it was a male if its 2 early 2 tell

 

[Beck]

Maybe they were mis-informed themselves. :/

Welcome to the tortoise-world and to TFO! I second or third (whatever number we're on now, lol) reading and following Tom's humid method for raising sulcatas -- you want a healthy little tyke!

 

[carlywelch]

Mayb they breed them themselfs who I got him/she from ok will b sure to read it I got a book coming hopefully Monday to help

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

I mean no disrespect to your friends, but the sad truth is that most pet stores have the old out dated wrong info, and much of the stuff they sell for tortoise is either inappropriate or dangerous in some cases, like those ramped water bowls or coil type florecsent UV bulbs.

Sulcatas can be incubated at lower temps within their acceptable range to encourage more males, or at the higher end to encourage more females. This is no guarantee, and people often end up with the opposite of what they thought they had. Usually by 3-4 years old, you can tell what you've got.

Next item that you need to be aware of is that the book you are getting is likely wrong too. For about the last two decades, as long as sulcatas have been widely available, all the "experts", vets, book authors, and breeders, have been working on some incorrect assumptions about what sulcatas need. They recommend keeping them dry and limiting food and water. This is all wrong. Sulcatas hatch during the start of the rainy season in the wild. Its hot, wet, humid, marshy, and there is abundant food everywhere. In captivity we need to simulate the hot, humid African rainy season for the first few months at least, NOT a desert.

The links in my signature are full of more info that will help you. Read it with a critical eye and then come back with some hard questions. Please share the info with your friends too. Let us help make you guys some of the best, most successful, sulcata keepers and sellers in the UK.

 

[carlywelch]

So basically I got 2 ignore any advice I get from my friends that breed tortoise breeds snakes own their own reptile shop and keep them both as pets n really the book was a waste of money