Hello All! Neophyte Sulcata caretaker here...

Melucky_13

New Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2017
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
Ventura County - So Cal
Hello!

For the past year or so, I've had the pleasure of feeding & generally overseeing the habitat of 6 Sulcata tortoises (as well as a fluctuating qty of Red Eared Sliders). While there is no expectation of me to know more than I do, which is now only slightly more than zero, I feel obligated to learn as much as I can so these magestic beings are cared for in the best possible and most natural way. Most of what I've picked up has been experiential - they love a shower from the hose, sun, mud puddles, cactus paddles, grape leaves and their single lane two-way highway I've dubbed the bumper car autobahn. They're great teachers when I'm paying attention ;)

Researching is a wonderful thing but I find I have more questions than answers either due to information that is contradictory or too advanced or scientific for my current knowledge base. Thus far, I've looked up the following (you can see how much I've retained) but plan to revisit ALL of these topics again here starting from the beginning!

Species/Genus:
It's a tortoise not a turtle. Got it. Sulcata! Yes! No? Maybe??

Sexing:
Something about scutes... what are scutes... I think scutes are the sticky outty things on their lower backside. I thought they all had those? Not sure. Check again.

Pyramiding:
Nutritional deficiency of some sort. Not life threatening but could be? Either way, it's not good. But it's also fine. Possibly.

?!?!: What the what is that?! OMG It's injured! It ruptured something! Its a prolapse! I have to call a vet. Is there a reptile vet near me? Ohhhh OK.. it's a young male. Thanks internet. Whew. Hey look at that - they have a 'lift kit' built in, that's cool. They're like monster trucks. Guess they'd have to be living in the desert. They're from the desert aren't they? They're desert tortoises. What? That's a different type? Ugh.

Also... Runny swollen eyes, runny nose, diet, housing, mating, dry shell, hydration, social structure, natural habitat, fighting, introducing new tortoise, dented shell, crooked neck, hibernation, digging, nesting, broken leg, the white stuff, age estimation, personality, how to hold & carry, etc.

I will read through the various 'beginners' posts and be mindful to search existing posts before creating a new one.

Thanks in advance & looking forward to diving in!

-Melissa
IMG_3970.JPG IMG_6590.JPG
IMG_7522.JPG IMG_1691.JPG
IMG_3726.JPG IMG_9123.JPG IMG_9097.JPG
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi, Melissa, and welcome to the forum!

I enjoyed reading your introductory thread

I have a bad habit of skimming when I read, but I THINK I read the whole thing. One thing jumps out at me - pyramiding isn't mainly caused by nutrition, it's caused by babies being raised in a too dry environment. That first year of life sets the tone for future shell growth. Lot's of humidity/moisture = a fairly smooth shell.

Male = long tail, scooped shape plastron (bottom shell) and the orientation of the anal scutes

Scutes = the top layer of keratin, or the 'design' on the shell.

Depending upon the species, the anal scutes (the bottom shell on either side of the tail) on a male tortoise usually point outwards, away from the tail.

Female sulcata:
14949lj.jpg


Male sulcata:
malesulcata.jpg
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
1. Hello and welcome.
2. Centrochelys sulcata. Tortoise.
3. Scutes are the individual, keratin based, external plates that make up a tortoises "shell".
4. Males have longer bigger tails, longer gular scutes (Bottom of the shell near the throat, pointing forward…), concave plastrons (Bottom shell.), attain a larger size, and generally have a bigger head. Females have smaller gulars, flat plastrons, smaller tails, are smaller and generally behave in a more demure fashion. And yes, males have a giant, alien-looking penis that they can sometimes evert.
5. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. For decades most of us have been raising this species all wrong. It is NOT a desert species. They are a grassland and forest edge species. You need a lot of annual rainfall to sustain grasslands and forests. They thrive in monsoon conditions that are hot, humid and wet. Mild pyramiding is cosmetic and harmless if all else is good. Other factors like poor diet and lack of UV can cause bigger issues like MBD. These are two separate issues, but can and do frequently occur at the same time in the same animal. Both stem from incorrect care.
6. Runny eyes are are normal. One of their "nicknames" is "The Crying Tortoise".
7. A runny nose can be a sign of a respiratory infection. These are usually caused by temps that are too cold. Most people don't keep this tropical species warm enough especially in winter in North America and Europe.
8. Diet for an adult should be lots of grass or grass hay. Add in spineless opuntia pads, grape and mulberry leaves, hibiscus leaves and flowers, and a whole host of free weeds, leaves and flowers from the right plants. Similar for babies, but not so much on the dry grass hay. Here is a diet sheet:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
9. Housing for babies: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
10. Housing for adults in a warm climate like SoCal:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
or this for multiple tortoises:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/
11. Mating? Yes. Yes, they do.
12. Dry shell? If they live in a dry area, then yes, it will be dry.
13. Hydration? Yes, please. Regular soaks, sprinklers in summer, a good water dish or two…
14. Social structure? No pairs. Juveniles usually get along well. Adult males usually cannot live together, but they can live with a group of females. Females are usually peaceful.
15. Natural habitat: Look up Sahel. But be aware that whatever you read about conditions there is from weather stations that are 2 meters above ground and adult sulcatas spend 95% of their life underground in the wild. Its very hot there. All the time. Two seasons: "Hot. And Hotter."
16. Fighting? Yes. Males will literally kill each other. Even low level fighting can cause enough chronic stress to make them sick.
17. New tortoises should only be introduced after a 6 month quarantine and a couple of fecal checks from an experienced tortoise vet.
18. Dented shell? Need pics and more explanation.
19. Crooked neck? Same answer as 18.
20. Hibernation? NO! See number 15 above. Hot and hotter.
21. Digging? Yes! This is a fossorial species. Digging is normal and expected, but they can't be allowed to make and use a burrow in winter here. Its too cold. See number 15 again…
22. Nesting? Only the females. They will start digging with the front legs first and then turn around and finish the hole with their back legs. Males don't dig with their back legs like that. In warmer areas, its good to let them burrow and live underground in summer.
23. Broken leg? I would expect that from someone who lets their tortoise roam loose on the floor in their home, or from someone housing multiple males together. X-ray will confirm.
24. The white stuff is urates. Concentrated urine. A product of protein digestion. They need more hydration if you are seeing this regularly or if the urates are hard or gritty.
25. No way to estimate age accurately. They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons.
26. Personality? This is probably the best species all around for personality. Males are generally more outgoing, curious and bold. Females are often milder mannered, but still good. There are exceptions.
27. Hold and carry? Babies are easy. Hand or tub. Big ones should have a hand on either side with the carapace pressed up against the person's body. Really big ones? Call in a team of two to four burly men. Or burly women if you know some of those…

Here is some general tortoise info for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Feel free to come back with more questions.
 

saginawhxc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
897
Location (City and/or State)
Saginaw, Michigan, USA
One of the better introductory threads I've read.

I've have nothing of substance to add, Yvonne and Tom have already knocked it out of the park.

Anyways welcome to the forum. In my opinion this is hands down the best place for tortoise related info.
 

Tidgy's Dad

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
48,238
Location (City and/or State)
Fes, Morocco
Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.:)
I, too, loved your introductory post.
Please come back and post some more.
 

New Posts

Top