Sulcata confirmation please!?

[KRam]

Hi-I am new here, but recently took over the care of a 6 yr old sulcata tortoise (at least that is what I have been told.) He was not cared for as he should have been and was kept in a small glass aquarium. He won’t eat much in his new habitat, but will eat all the grass that he can when I put him out in the lawn. He is incredibly small in comparison to other sulcatas his age that I have seen and researched-about the size of a tennis ball! Should I be concerned? Can someone confirm by these pictures that he is indeed a sulcata? Any advice to make sure he can thrive is much appreciated!

 

[AlbertH]

It’s a sulcata and he’s definitely not six years old.

 

[Tom]

Looks like a sulcata, but the pics are a little far away.

Here is the care info:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Most people keep this species too cold and too dry. They thrive in the warm humid tropical monsoon conditions that their wild counterparts hatch into.

 

[Tom]

It’s a sulcata and he’s definitely not six years old.

You might be surprised…

I've seen a few like this that were kept too cold and too dry and only fed dry hay, which they didn't each much of. I don't know how they survived, but they didn't grow much at all.

It doesn't seem likely that this little one is six years old, but it is possible.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings, welcome to the Forum. Make sure you start the daily soaking in warm water regime. Really important at this young age.

Good luck!

 

[wellington]

It's a sulcata and I too rescued a leopard that was kept in a small aquarium. Mine could even walk. I rehabbed him, gave him a big proper enclosure and rehabbed him so he could walk. He also was way under sized for the age he was suppose to be. I got him walking and is now my fastest leopard.
It took some time, more then a year or so but he finally caught up to my other leopard of the same age.
Proper care will do him a lot of good and he may even catch up in size.

 

[KRam]

Hi-I am new here, but recently took over the care of a 6 yr old sulcata tortoise (at least that is what I have been told.) He was not cared for as he should have been and was kept in a small glass aquarium. He won’t eat much in his new habitat, but will eat all the grass that he can when I put him out in the lawn. He is incredibly small in comparison to other sulcatas his age that I have seen and researched-about the size of a tennis ball! Should I be concerned? Can someone confirm by these pictures that he is indeed a sulcata? Any advice to make sure he can thrive is much appreciated!

Thank you all for all the info and advice! It is confirmed that he was purchased five and a half years ago, so his age is correct. Just going to see what happens with proper care!

 

[Yvonne G]

I love his extra scute pattern. Maybe it will be like he was in suspended animation, and now that he's being taken care of properly, he'll take off and grow, grow grow!!! At least he's not all deformed like they so often are when ill-cared for. Be sure to keep him warm enough, with lots of humidity to aid in smooth shell growth. Note in the last picture how he's got his legs stretched out in front of him. That shows he was cold and is trying to get as much 'skin' as possible out in the sun to help warm up.

You may have to feed him whatever he's used to eating in order to get him going on the food consumption. Then slowly, over time, you can reduce the amount of old food and increase the new food until he realizes it's edible.

 

[Big Charlie]

It's wonderful that he likes to graze on grass and weeds. That's really good for him as long as chemicals aren't used on it. Make sure he gets lots of soaks and an enclosure that is warm and humid. At his size, he should spend most of his time in a temperature controlled high humidity enclosure.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes. Don't go by his age, go by his size. At this size he should be living in a closed chamber - warm and humid!