Hi,
I'm in the process of moving from Tampa Fl to Tyler TX and hope someone can help me out here.
Here is the story of my Sulcata family member:
While living in NY, one summer about 10 years ago I came upon a turtle which was in the street blocking traffic near a park. People with SUV's were driving over it and those in cars were stopping. As an animal lover I took it upon myself to block traffic with my car and move the turtle to safety. Upon picking it up and moving it I could tell two things, it wasn't afraid of me like a wild turtle would be, and it didn't look indigenous. I didn't know much about them at the time but new something was amiss so I put the turtle in my car and took it home. I let it roam my house while I took some time to identify it online. I eventually figured out that it was a female Sulcata (about 15lbs at the time) and learned that had I left it there in the park it most likely would have frozen come winter. My first step was to return to the neighborhood where I found it and post "Found" notices, just as you would with a dog or cat, thinking it was someones pet and maybe they were looking for it. When I got no phone calls I came to the conclusion that what most likely had occurred was someone had purchased it as a yearling and decided to release it in the park when it got too big. So I took it in as my own and have had her ever since. She has been with me through my time as a New Yorker, moved to Las Angeles with me, and then to Tampa where she currently resides in a burrow in my fenced in 1/2 acre yard.
Business is now forcing us to move again, this time to Tyler TX. While I would love to purchase a home right away here doing so is not in the financial plans right away and my family is going to be renting for a while. There are many places to rent here but nearly all of them are on the "less impressive" side and we're looking to move in to the only community here that offers the amenities and surrounding I find acceptable for my family. The drawback to the place I've chosen is the lack of segregated yard space so I'm at a loss as to what to do with my loved Sulcata (now in the 60lb range).
We do not want to part with her permanently but may need 9 months to 1 year to figure out our home situation. What I'm hoping to find is someone in the East Texas region who knows, understands, and loves the species and can provide a safe temporary home for her while we figure things out, even for a realistic fee. She has not socialized with other Sulcata but is very good with dogs and kids. She is very healthy but is after all a Sulcata so she does dig, eat everything in sight, and plow over things. But is by no means overly destructive.
If anyone can help or knows of options here in East Texas please reply or PM me to discuss.
I'm in the process of moving from Tampa Fl to Tyler TX and hope someone can help me out here.
Here is the story of my Sulcata family member:
While living in NY, one summer about 10 years ago I came upon a turtle which was in the street blocking traffic near a park. People with SUV's were driving over it and those in cars were stopping. As an animal lover I took it upon myself to block traffic with my car and move the turtle to safety. Upon picking it up and moving it I could tell two things, it wasn't afraid of me like a wild turtle would be, and it didn't look indigenous. I didn't know much about them at the time but new something was amiss so I put the turtle in my car and took it home. I let it roam my house while I took some time to identify it online. I eventually figured out that it was a female Sulcata (about 15lbs at the time) and learned that had I left it there in the park it most likely would have frozen come winter. My first step was to return to the neighborhood where I found it and post "Found" notices, just as you would with a dog or cat, thinking it was someones pet and maybe they were looking for it. When I got no phone calls I came to the conclusion that what most likely had occurred was someone had purchased it as a yearling and decided to release it in the park when it got too big. So I took it in as my own and have had her ever since. She has been with me through my time as a New Yorker, moved to Las Angeles with me, and then to Tampa where she currently resides in a burrow in my fenced in 1/2 acre yard.
Business is now forcing us to move again, this time to Tyler TX. While I would love to purchase a home right away here doing so is not in the financial plans right away and my family is going to be renting for a while. There are many places to rent here but nearly all of them are on the "less impressive" side and we're looking to move in to the only community here that offers the amenities and surrounding I find acceptable for my family. The drawback to the place I've chosen is the lack of segregated yard space so I'm at a loss as to what to do with my loved Sulcata (now in the 60lb range).
We do not want to part with her permanently but may need 9 months to 1 year to figure out our home situation. What I'm hoping to find is someone in the East Texas region who knows, understands, and loves the species and can provide a safe temporary home for her while we figure things out, even for a realistic fee. She has not socialized with other Sulcata but is very good with dogs and kids. She is very healthy but is after all a Sulcata so she does dig, eat everything in sight, and plow over things. But is by no means overly destructive.
If anyone can help or knows of options here in East Texas please reply or PM me to discuss.
