Im getting a little scared here....

[animallover1999]

I have been waiting for a long time. I still have to wait until April to get a Sulcata tortoise. I really want one, but I'm getting kind of scared out of getting one. All of these things that could go wrong are scary. Pyramiding, dehydration, etc... This would be my first tortoise and i don't want it to die because i didn't know what i was doing or i didn't do it good enough. That is why I am doing all of this researching. I am becoming unsure of what to do. I REALLY want one. Is caring for a tortoise easy once you have the track set up and have a routine going? I have gotten a lot of help from some nice people, i just need more info, anything. Please help, give me some advice. And i would prefer not to hear "don't get one" because i am trying to figure all of this out, but i am getting a little scared.. That's all. I just need some reassuring and some help.

 

[mytortET]

Hi there! I'm fairly new to being a tortoise owner too. Here's a link that you should check out. It may make it easier for you to decide... Good luck!

http://turtlerescues.com/sulcata_challenge.htm

 

[mctlong]

The fact that you are so nervous tells me that you're going to be a great tortoise owner. You care. Its obvious. I think you'll be fine. Just keep reading up on this forum, ask questions. We're all here for you.

If you haven't already, check out some of these threads on the forum:

Sully Hatchling Care
Sulcata Diet Sheet
Food Lists
Plants for Tortoise Enclosures
Torts and UVs

 

[mainey34]

You will do just fine...the fact that you are worrying now makes me giggle, sorry...but its gonna be ok. When you get your best friend you are gonna be like....what was i so worried about.....silly.

 

[EllieN]

I'm also a new sulcata mom, and I had no idea what I was getting into when I got Puck. This forum is loaded with great information and people who will answer your questions. It may sound like a lot of work, but once you have their enclosure set up it's really just feeding, soaking, and monitoring temperatures. I work very long hours and am still able to take care of Puck. She's so cute and has such a cute little personality - it's so worth it!

Longer-time members than myself will correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the vast majority of sulacatas who are cared for in the ways recommended on this forum live very long happy lives with their owners, and it's only a very small percentage that have serious problems.

 

[wellington]

Being so nervous, I think you will do better getting a little older one, then a hatchling. Hatchlings are a lot more work then older ones. Older ones have a little less risk of getting sick and dieing. Once, you do understand the humidity, temps, food and get your routine, they then are easier then most pets. They really are happy being left alone. You don't have to walk them and play with them, like say a dog. What I like to do, to relieve my nerves when getting a reptile is to take notes. Note all the really important things and right the correct way for doing those upi portent things. Also, mark all the important threads on this forum as your favorites, then they are easier to find when you need them. Also, don't forget. You have the great world of this forum and all it's great members to help you out. One thing I have also sound to be very helpful. Don't try to cut corners. Get the best and right equipment the first time. Might be more expensive in the beginning, but not in the long run. Will also make everything easier.
Go for it. It's really not hard.

 

[sibi]

This is what I would recommend. If u r thinking of getting a hatchling, buy one from someone here at the forum. There are many really good breeders here that take good care of hatchlings. You'd stand a better chance raising a healthy baby if the baby is healthy when you receive one that is healthy to begin with. Having said that, all your concerns Nd research tells me you are not only going to be a great mom, but you're going to love it! Go for it...you have us here to help you always.

 

[EKLC]

make your enclosure before you get one, at your own leisure. When you have the right temperatures at all times of day, have a feeding area, a water dish, and some hides, then get your tortoise. A lot of stress comes from trying to get the environment just right. In the meantime, learn all you can, and you'll be better than most tortoise owners from the start! I also recommend a yearling over a hatchling.

 

[Moozillion]

Like you, i was really scared because if my inexperience. So for my very first tort I got a 3-year old. She's FAR from being grown up, and will still increase in size a lot. I decided to go with a sub- adult rather than a hatchling because even healthy hatchlings are somewhat fragile. Even with perfect care, some don't make it, and often it's a total mystery as to why they fail to thrive. Any animal- including humans!- is like this. I wanted to give myself (and my tort) the best possible chance of a good first experience. When my tort arrived, I knew she had already survived for 3 years AND had a really good start because I got her from a breeder on this forum who has a great reputation for his breeding and husbandry. This approach has worked great for me.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

Once you get into the rhythm of things, it isn't hard. Heck, my biggest motivator to get up in the morning is "Crap! Carl has probably been awake for an hour and I haven't soaked him yet!" If you really care about the health of your tortoise, and follow the guidance of some of the experts, you will do great. And like other people have said, if you want to get past the stress of a hatchling who may or may not be just genetically unsound and there was nothing you could do for it anyway, definitely go for a yearling. Yeh, they aren't tiny like the hatchlings, but they are still cute and still have a TON of growing to do!

And, from personal experience, don't be afraid to ask questions on the forum. Even really stupid ones, or ones where you are kind of freaking out for no reason. I used to do it all the time when I first got Carl, and the members of the forum helped not only to calm me down, but to tell me what I need to do to solve the problem (if there actually was one to begin with ). With their help I hardly ever post questions anymore, because I feel like I've got the hang of it.

 

[AllCoExPat]

I'm a new keeper myself, but I've found the forums here to be an amazing resource... I can't imagine how anyone managed to fo anything before the internet came along!

I was definitely nervous bringing George home Saturday, but it's been super rewarding to see him start exploring his new environment. For me, it's all about routine. I'm going back to work tomorrow, but have his light on a timer to come on at 8 like it has the last two days. I'm going to put out his breakfast and fresh water when I feed the dogs before I leave for the office. I figure he'll get along just fine whether I'm sitting here watching him or not. ;-)

 

[Jacqui]

Being nervous is a good sign, it tells me your serious about doing things right. While at first it may seem overwhelming, caring for a sulcata or any tortoise is rather easy. As was said, an older tortoise is normally easier to care for then a hatchling. Even with that, when you stopped to think how many hatchling sulcatas are produced each year, very few of them end up coming in here as horror stories. There are many different ways to raise them and they still grow up just fine, so don't be worried if you don't follow exactly how somebody else says to do it. You will soon find what works for you and whatever lucky tortoise you end up with. You will do just fine when the time comes. *hugs* April will be here before you know it.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Another vote for getting a well-established tort of at least a year of age.

Also, have you considered what you're going to do when your pet is 100 to 200 pounds in weight and it's time to go to the vet?

Where will you keep it in the winter? (a 100+ pound tortoise creates a lot of stinky "poop" daily and will literally destroy your baseboards inside!) Unless you live somewhere where it doesn't get cold (Southern Arizona, Southern California, Southern Florida, you get the picture), this is the reality of wintering a sulcata

Will you be able to afford the amount a 100+ pound tortroise will eat weekly? They can REALLY put away the greens!

Do you or can you own a home in the next 5 years with a full backyard for it to tunnel into? (and can you afford to have a concrete wall made to surround your yard that may need to go 10' deep under the ground 'cause sometimes they dig that deeply? Very few rental properties will allow you to turn your home into a good sulcata home).

Sullys are not for everyone!

Compare the size of this baby to this adult​

:

Maybe a smaller species would be a better choice for a very long-term pet...just something to consider.

 

[animallover1999]

I live in south Florida and do own my own home... I have a rather big backyard as well.

---

Another vote for getting a well-established tort of at least a year of age.

Also, have you considered what you're going to do when your pet is 100 to 200 pounds in weight and it's time to go to the vet?

Where will you keep it in the winter? (a 100+ pound tortoise creates a lot of stinky "poop" daily and will literally destroy your baseboards inside!) Unless you live somewhere where it doesn't get cold (Southern Arizona, Southern California, Southern Florida, you get the picture), this is the reality of wintering a sulcata

Will you be able to afford the amount a 100+ pound tortroise will eat weekly? They can REALLY put away the greens!

Do you or can you own a home in the next 5 years with a full backyard for it to tunnel into? (and can you afford to have a concrete wall made to surround your yard that may need to go 10' deep under the ground 'cause sometimes they dig that deeply? Very few rental properties will allow you to turn your home into a good sulcata home).

Sullys are not for everyone!

Compare the size of this baby to this adult​

:

Maybe a smaller species would be a better choice for a very long-term pet...just something to consider.

I own my house, with a rather large backyard.... I have been thinking about a Sulcata for at least a couple of months and I still have time (until April) to get my house ready for the tortoise that I am ready for. The tortoise I am getting is and will be a sulcata. I have already done the research on the Sulcata tortoise about everything you have pointed out. I have considered. And decided on a sulcata because they do get so large. The only reason i made this post is because i got a little worried about what could go wrong with ANY tortoise. Whether it is a sulcata or red foot tortoise, they could still have a problem with pyramiding....Thank you for your opinion, but i have it pretty much thought over.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I live in south Florida and do own my own home... I have a rather big backyard as well.

---

Another vote for getting a well-established tort of at least a year of age.

Also, have you considered what you're going to do when your pet is 100 to 200 pounds in weight and it's time to go to the vet?

Where will you keep it in the winter? (a 100+ pound tortoise creates a lot of stinky "poop" daily and will literally destroy your baseboards inside!) Unless you live somewhere where it doesn't get cold (Southern Arizona, Southern California, Southern Florida, you get the picture), this is the reality of wintering a sulcata

Will you be able to afford the amount a 100+ pound tortroise will eat weekly? They can REALLY put away the greens!

Do you or can you own a home in the next 5 years with a full backyard for it to tunnel into? (and can you afford to have a concrete wall made to surround your yard that may need to go 10' deep under the ground 'cause sometimes they dig that deeply? Very few rental properties will allow you to turn your home into a good sulcata home).

Sullys are not for everyone!

Compare the size of this baby to this adult​

:

Maybe a smaller species would be a better choice for a very long-term pet...just something to consider.

I own my house, with a rather large backyard.... I have been thinking about a Sulcata for at least a couple of months and I still have time (until April) to get my house ready for the tortoise that I am ready for. The tortoise I am getting is and will be a sulcata. I have already done the research on the Sulcata tortoise about everything you have pointed out. I have considered. And decided on a sulcata because they do get so large. The only reason i made this post is because i got a little worried about what could go wrong with ANY tortoise. Whether it is a sulcata or red foot tortoise, they could still have a problem with pyramiding....Thank you for your opinion, but i have it pretty much thought over.

---

Absolutely no offense intended, just wanted to point out those things, as 99% of folks who buy a baby sulcata don't think it out, first...was once guilty of that, myself, as I, too, bought a baby sulcata, then when she started getting large, my spinal injury made lifting things over 40# ill-advised, so had to find her a new home.

Not fun.

 

[Mgridgaway]

As many of us on the forum have admitted previously, sometimes we make a bigger deal out of pyramiding than it really is. Yes, it is a sign of non-perfect husbandry, but shy of living in the torts native habitat, perfection is very difficult.

So my redfoot Darwin is mostly smooth. Smoother than any Petco redfoot or most you see at shows. But smoother than a wildcaught? Not a chance. But Darwin also has a much better diet and lifestyle (which I think means a lot of us newer generation owners will be seeing slightly larger tortoises than in previous generations (same thing happens in 1st world countries; just compare south korea to north korea)).

And man, you live in Florida. That's one of the BEST places to own a tortoise. Especially a Sulcata. Up here in MD owning a Sulcata would be a challenge considering our cold winters.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

As many of us on the forum have admitted previously, sometimes we make a bigger deal out of pyramiding than it really is. Yes, it is a sign of non-perfect husbandry, but shy of living in the torts native habitat, perfection is very difficult.

So my redfoot Darwin is mostly smooth. Smoother than any Petco redfoot or most you see at shows. But smoother than a wildcaught? Not a chance. But Darwin also has a much better diet and lifestyle (which I think means a lot of us newer generation owners will be seeing slightly larger tortoises than in previous generations (same thing happens in 1st world countries; just compare south korea to north korea)).

And man, you live in Florida. That's one of the BEST places to own a tortoise. Especially a Sulcata. Up here in MD owning a Sulcata would be a challenge considering our cold winters.

Excellent points!

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I wish I was in Florida... I'd have no problem keeping my humidity up down there!

The nice thing about tortoises is that generally everything with them is slow. So if you make a mistake with something like humidity or temperatures, or diet, you will likely have plenty of time to fix it before your tortoise's health is a concern.