Soon To Be New Sulcata Tortoise Owner Here!!!

[Charlet_2007]

I'm getting in two sulcata tortoise's.. I've looked up info on the web but one site contradicts the other so i thought I'd come on here to this forum and get info from actual people that owns them.. Here's a pic of the 2 im getting.. The bigger one is a male (Crush) the smaller one is a female (Claudia) they think.. This is the pic they emailed me..

 

[jlyoncc1]

Very sweet! It would be very difficult to be sure of their sexes, especially the small one, when they are this size. Will you be housing them together? If so, you have to make sure the smaller one is getting enough food. She could get nervous around the larger one and not get her fair share. Good Luck!

 

[Charlet_2007]

well they've had them together since they got them.. They had crush for 5-6 years and Claudia for about 1 year I think she said.. So not a good idea keeping them together?

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum

If they were mine I would keep them seperate until the smaller one was closer to the size of the larger one.

Danny

 

[Charlet_2007]

Welcome to the forum

If they were mine I would keep them seperate until the smaller one was closer to the size of the larger one.

Danny

ok thanks bunches.. we went a got them last night.. Crush is HUGE! Claudia is not much smaller.. Guess this was an older pic..

They are right now walking around the front room lol I love the way they walk! so unbelievably gracefully!! Their legs remind me of an elephant's legs.. But I'll keep them apart right now..

At what age can they breed? Not saying I want to breed just asking so I don't end up with OOPS babies i don't know what to do with right off the bat because they didn't separate them in time..

 

[Yvonne G]

I would be almost willing to bet you have two males and not a male and female! Don't know why I say this, its just that there are so many more males than females available. Were you just allowing them to walk around the living room on a whim? You really need to keep them inside a habitat and don't allow them to have free-run of the house. Its much too cold and drafty on the floor. Since they were together when you bought them, I would try keeping them together. But keep a close watch and make sure that Crush isn't bullying Claudia. Sometimes the bullying can be very subtle and you can't see it, but if Claudia goes off her feed and keeps to hiding, its a good sign that Crush doesn't want Claudia in his area.

One thing you MUST keep in mind when owning Sulcata. If you allow them to know that there is a world outside of their four walls, it is very hard to keep them from wanting out to see that world. In the wild they wander over many acres of land searching for food and getting exercise. When you have them in a small habitat, then one day make the habitat larger, once they get used to the new larger habitat, they cannot be contained in the smaller one ever again. They keep trying to get out or break down the walls, or climbing, etc.

So, it might be fun for you to have a puppy-dog sulcata running all around the house, but it makes it mentally harder for the tortoise when you have to put him back into his habitat.

I like the names you have chosen for your tortoises. And even though my computer won't show your picture anymore, I remember what they looked like when you first posted it, and they are really nice-looking Sulcatas.

Yvonne

 

[Charlet_2007]

the reason they think they are male and female is because they got the big one at a pet store and the little one came from a breeder.. the breeder bread them for female..

thank you for the info.. i wont do it again.. i have aquatic turtles and they are very adaptable it seems.. i keep feeling sorry for them in the cage i got with them.. its HUGE but i just thought they'd like some fresh air..

if you have any more info let me know.. also the bottom of the cage is coming apart any idea how to make a better bottom to their cage? I was thinking about putting some of that vinal floor tileing on the floor for easy clean out?

 

[jlyoncc1]

If you post a picture of your enclosure, we can give you a better idea of what might work. Many people use the vinyl though.