Just adopted two sulcatas in South Texas

[Biogrrl]

Hello everyone my husband and I just adopted two 15 year old male sulcatas from a relative who was moving. We are first time tortoise owners and the forum has helped us a great deal to build their enclosure and prepare for their arrival. Thank you for all the great information and great pictures. We are excited to share our adventures as new tortoise caretakers with other members of the forum.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

Be aware: Because there has been a change in the tortoises' lives and living space, they may not tolerate each other any more. Be on the look out for fighting. You may have to separate them each to their own yard.

I'd love to see pictures of these two beasts!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello and a very warm welcome to Tortoise forum to you, your husband and the two sulcatas.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/
is an interesting read.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

They definitely should not be living together. They are wild animals with wild instincts and hormones. Two males in the wild would either fight to the death, or one would run away and leave the other's territory. Stuck together in an inescapable enclosure is a VERY stressful un-natural situation for them to have to suffer through.

Post some pics of their undersides and we can verify the sexes for you too. Many people make mistakes in assessing their tortoises sex.

Are they coming with an appropriate night box? Here are some examples, if not:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[TexTorts]

Welcome fellow newbie. What part of South Texas do you live in?

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and welcome. Good to have you here. We love to see the two and their enclosure. Welcome.

 

[Biogrrl]

Thank you for the greetings and advice. We know that ideally Darwin and Wallace shouldn't be together but it was a semi-emergency situation when we took them in. The family member that had them kept them in a barren, hard packed dirt yard with no shelter or shade. She fed them a half cucumber two times a week and they received no calcium supplementation in any form. In the winter, when temperatures here in San Antonio can dip as low as 40 F, they had no place to warm up. The relative told us "They hibernate so we just throw a blanket over them and they don't move.", which after reading here on the forums we know is patently false and my husband and I are surprised that they survived. We are keeping an eye on them and our yard is big enough to separate them eventually. Right now they seem to be happy to have access to more food, shade, a good soaking and some back rubs. They don't seem to be fighting but we are keeping an eye on them. I've attached a picture of Wallace and I'll update with more photos of the boys later. Again I am so grateful for the forum and all the information members have shared.

 

[Jacqui]

*waves* Hi and welcome! Bet those boys are thinking they have found paradise after their rather tough life before you. Sounds like a great thing that you have taken them in.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Nishikigoi's Torts.]

Welcome to the forum I'm new too and just bought my first sulcata he's a bit smaller to say the least (2" long, ). Sorry to hear that they were kept in such a bad condition living a few hours away from Austin I understand the weather situation.