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Have the possibility of adopting this awesome beast. I've been reading and researching. Can anyone tell me which type of tortoise this is? Thanks.
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Hello from Central California
- Thread starter Jim in Merced CA
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Have the possibility of adopting this awesome beast. I've been reading and researching. Can anyone tell me which type of tortoise this is? Thanks.
- Joined
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dmmj said:
Thanks for the feedback. From what I've researched, MBD is caused by a lack of sunlight and possibly diet issues. His habitat is very nice and roomy, and here in Central CA, we get plenty of heat and natural sunlight. Can the MBD condition be reversed?
Hi Jim:
Welcome from your neighbor to the south (Clovis/Fresno)!!
Plenty of calcium-rich foods and sunshine and the bones/shell will strengthen and he'll be fine.
Welcome from your neighbor to the south (Clovis/Fresno)!!
Plenty of calcium-rich foods and sunshine and the bones/shell will strengthen and he'll be fine.
That there is the rare and precious African Spur Thighed Tortoise, or commonly called a "sulcata". They are highly endangered in the wild. Not so much here in North America... 
Great tortoises. Great personalities. They get huge, 150 pounds or more. A big yard with a strong fence and a nice heated box for cold days and nights, should do the trick. They are a burrowing species, but many of them choose not to dig if they have adequate shelter. They can be very destructive to a normal back yard. They eat more than you can imagine and they usually trample whatever they don't eat. Unless you have a pretty big yard, be prepared for it to be nothing but bare dirt in the not too distant future. Their main foods should be grass, grass hay, weeds and leaves from certain trees and plants. Spineless opuntia cactus pads and Mazuri also help to round out the diet. And for goodness sakes man, give him a suitable shallow dish for drinking. They do NOT get all the water they need from their food.
And BTW, minor pyramiding, which is normal for one that age, due to our collective ignorance when he was hatched (we know better now) and I don't see any MBD in this one. In my opinion, pyramiding like that is only cosmetic and shouldn't hurt anything.
Great tortoises. Great personalities. They get huge, 150 pounds or more. A big yard with a strong fence and a nice heated box for cold days and nights, should do the trick. They are a burrowing species, but many of them choose not to dig if they have adequate shelter. They can be very destructive to a normal back yard. They eat more than you can imagine and they usually trample whatever they don't eat. Unless you have a pretty big yard, be prepared for it to be nothing but bare dirt in the not too distant future. Their main foods should be grass, grass hay, weeds and leaves from certain trees and plants. Spineless opuntia cactus pads and Mazuri also help to round out the diet. And for goodness sakes man, give him a suitable shallow dish for drinking. They do NOT get all the water they need from their food.
And BTW, minor pyramiding, which is normal for one that age, due to our collective ignorance when he was hatched (we know better now) and I don't see any MBD in this one. In my opinion, pyramiding like that is only cosmetic and shouldn't hurt anything.
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So glad I found this forum. Thank you for the warm welcome. While information is available on-line, it is daunting and seems complicated with all the various opinions about everything from heat pads vs. lamps to various diseases and issues like MBD. Thank you. From what I've learned, the tortoise is two years old, and weighs about 40 pounds right now. So, he's just getting started from a growth perspective. Wow.
Welcome!
Welcome from your neighbor in Sacramento!
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