GaiaSulcataLover
New Member
Hello all, I have been on this forum a very short time, only 24 hours actually. I started with some questions, I got more than some answers, I ended up with even more questions than I had originally came here with, was provided some incredibly amazing sources and after reading those sources I have came to a conclusion as well. This post will be long, but for someone out there with the time, money, space, and knowledge it will be worth the read.
I recently rescued a Sulcata, and I will say rescued even though her conditions are not much better than they were from where I got her. I will say rescued because I paid a large fee to “purchase” her from a reptile shop where she was being kept in a 40 gallon glass tank with no heat source or lighting. As the story always goes this shop gave me all the exact wrong information. But this isn’t really about that, this is about Gaia, my approximately 3 year old sulcata friend who needs a proper home. She is still in this 40 gallon tank, as I have only had for maybe a week at this point. I’ve given her heat and lighting in the least, but I now know it isn’t the proper heat or lighting I need. I had started making a plan to build her a proper enclosure, and have realized that I can’t. I do not have the space or money at this point in my life. If you’re reading this and asking “Well why did you get her then?” I didn’t really know how much to would cost to make a proper enclosure big enough for her, I thought I’d buy some wood and put something together and it’d fine. I thought a lot of things really, but my first thought was just that I wanted to get her OUT of that reptile shop. And I did. Now I am making the hard right choice for her. I do not care about the money lost in what I paid to get her out of there, that is money I am happy to lose if it means I can find the right person for her. I do not want any money in exchange for her, I am not trying to “sell” her to anyone. I only want the best and most suitable home that will have the grand Sulcata tortoise enclosure she deserves. That’s all.
Gaia’s back story:
Gaia was bought as a baby by “some college kid” from a reptile shop and housed in a 40 gallon tank in a college dorm room where there are no pets allowed. About 2 and a half years later she was returned to that same reptile shop when the college found out the guy was keeping her in his dorm. That reptile shop kept her in the same 40 gallon tank she was returned in with no heating or lighting, just kinda sitting on the floor of the shop, and this, this is where I found her. They offered to sell her to me with the tank as a “set” and lowered the price as no wanted to buy her because people usually want to buy the babies. I still paid over 600$ for her, but whatever, at least she’s out of that shop. I won’t even get into the amount of misinformation that shop gave me either. She is still in this 40 gallon tank, as mentioned earlier and I have since provided her heating and lighting as also stated earlier, but she needs a home. A proper home. And I hope someone out there can help, because she and I both really need it.
My back story:
I am 21 and a new mom. I have always wanted to have a Sulcata Tortoise but always said I’d only get one when I had the time, money, space and knowledge to do so. I was aiming to keep one way later in life, like 40s or 50s and pass my tortoise friend onto my children when I go. I knew there is a lot that goes into tortoise keeping especially with Sulcatas as they’re the 3rd largest tortoise species in the world and that’s exactly why I wasn’t in the slightest looking to get one at this point in my life, not with what little money and space I have, and definitely not with an almost 1 year old baby girl added into the mix. As I said, keeping a Sulcata was always a project I wanted to do later in my life, in the “my kids are grown and close to retiring” phase of my life. I didn’t intent to find Gaia in that reptile shop a week ago. I can’t have my own tortoise at this point in my life (keep in mind that I know this) but I do love seeing and interacting with them, this is how I ended up in that reptile shop, I like taking my daughter to reptile and pet shops when we have some free time because she loves looking at animals. I have done this a million times before without buying a tortoise or any animal for that matter. But when I walked into that reptile shop and saw Gaia, I just needed to get her out of there. And that is the story of how I’ve ended up here.
In summary, I am just looking for an amazing home for an amazing tortoise who is super active and super friendly even though she had a rough start. She’s only about 3 years old and she’s still got another 100 years left in her and they should be spent somewhere where she can enjoy every minute of those 100 years and that place is not with me at this point in my life. So anyone who reads this, please, help.
Free, to not just a good but an amazing home please.
I recently rescued a Sulcata, and I will say rescued even though her conditions are not much better than they were from where I got her. I will say rescued because I paid a large fee to “purchase” her from a reptile shop where she was being kept in a 40 gallon glass tank with no heat source or lighting. As the story always goes this shop gave me all the exact wrong information. But this isn’t really about that, this is about Gaia, my approximately 3 year old sulcata friend who needs a proper home. She is still in this 40 gallon tank, as I have only had for maybe a week at this point. I’ve given her heat and lighting in the least, but I now know it isn’t the proper heat or lighting I need. I had started making a plan to build her a proper enclosure, and have realized that I can’t. I do not have the space or money at this point in my life. If you’re reading this and asking “Well why did you get her then?” I didn’t really know how much to would cost to make a proper enclosure big enough for her, I thought I’d buy some wood and put something together and it’d fine. I thought a lot of things really, but my first thought was just that I wanted to get her OUT of that reptile shop. And I did. Now I am making the hard right choice for her. I do not care about the money lost in what I paid to get her out of there, that is money I am happy to lose if it means I can find the right person for her. I do not want any money in exchange for her, I am not trying to “sell” her to anyone. I only want the best and most suitable home that will have the grand Sulcata tortoise enclosure she deserves. That’s all.
Gaia’s back story:
Gaia was bought as a baby by “some college kid” from a reptile shop and housed in a 40 gallon tank in a college dorm room where there are no pets allowed. About 2 and a half years later she was returned to that same reptile shop when the college found out the guy was keeping her in his dorm. That reptile shop kept her in the same 40 gallon tank she was returned in with no heating or lighting, just kinda sitting on the floor of the shop, and this, this is where I found her. They offered to sell her to me with the tank as a “set” and lowered the price as no wanted to buy her because people usually want to buy the babies. I still paid over 600$ for her, but whatever, at least she’s out of that shop. I won’t even get into the amount of misinformation that shop gave me either. She is still in this 40 gallon tank, as mentioned earlier and I have since provided her heating and lighting as also stated earlier, but she needs a home. A proper home. And I hope someone out there can help, because she and I both really need it.
My back story:
I am 21 and a new mom. I have always wanted to have a Sulcata Tortoise but always said I’d only get one when I had the time, money, space and knowledge to do so. I was aiming to keep one way later in life, like 40s or 50s and pass my tortoise friend onto my children when I go. I knew there is a lot that goes into tortoise keeping especially with Sulcatas as they’re the 3rd largest tortoise species in the world and that’s exactly why I wasn’t in the slightest looking to get one at this point in my life, not with what little money and space I have, and definitely not with an almost 1 year old baby girl added into the mix. As I said, keeping a Sulcata was always a project I wanted to do later in my life, in the “my kids are grown and close to retiring” phase of my life. I didn’t intent to find Gaia in that reptile shop a week ago. I can’t have my own tortoise at this point in my life (keep in mind that I know this) but I do love seeing and interacting with them, this is how I ended up in that reptile shop, I like taking my daughter to reptile and pet shops when we have some free time because she loves looking at animals. I have done this a million times before without buying a tortoise or any animal for that matter. But when I walked into that reptile shop and saw Gaia, I just needed to get her out of there. And that is the story of how I’ve ended up here.
In summary, I am just looking for an amazing home for an amazing tortoise who is super active and super friendly even though she had a rough start. She’s only about 3 years old and she’s still got another 100 years left in her and they should be spent somewhere where she can enjoy every minute of those 100 years and that place is not with me at this point in my life. So anyone who reads this, please, help.
Free, to not just a good but an amazing home please.
