To Sulcata or not to Sulcata, that is the question....

[Kristina]

We are moving, soon, to a REAL house with a REAL backyard and a full basement. Plenty of space for winter and summer housing for the torts that I already have plus a couple more.

I want a big tortoise. Just one. I really want a baby Sulcata to raise. Really really. Like, really.

Please remind me why this is a bad idea... Or a good one, if you would like!

I am also thinking maybe a Yellowfoot or Leopard instead. I would get an Aladabran, but my husband would murder me dead for spending that much, and I wouldn't be able to do it until next year, anyway.

What do ya'll think?

 

[Jacqui]

Kristina I know you know all about the good points and bad points to a sulcata, as you have had them. So I am not going to give you all that again, except double think the "joys" of keeping one during your winters and what space, ect.., will be required of that.

I will comment on the fact that you really really want one. I have the same problem, for me it's with wanting a Desert tortoise. Sometimes the wanting gets very high and other times it's hidden well (but always there ). Sorta like putting yourself on a diet and saying you can never eat your most favorite food. The craving can get very intense at times. I don't think your ever going to be totally happy, IF you know you can care for one properly, have the space, are willing to go the extra expense and trouble, I say go for it. First however, get that house. Get everybody moved in and outdoor enclsoures as you want them. Enjoy a winter of caring for your now larger in number and in size collection. See how that works for you, then make up your mind.

I sat on this fence for years, then Tilman came along and he just spoke to me from the very first picture I saw. I think when your ready, really ready, one will show up needing you.

 

[Kristina]

I do have to say I am in no hurry, I am just getting ahead of myself, lol.

I did have Sulcatas, and the only, and I mean the only, reason that I rehomed them was due to living in a two bedroom mobile home with no yard. I had no where to adequately house them for the winter.

(For those that don't know the back story, they were not something I purchased, but actually two torts that I got out of a bad situation, and were very, very ill when I got them due to poor care. I had them for about 9 months, fattened them up and got them on the right road, and then found them an excellent home.)

I do have this vision in my head of turning my basement into a giant vivarium, more or less. It will be fully planted, right down to having grass growing. This is something I have been researching for years, and I can definitely pull it off.

I do usually prefer to take in only animals that NEED a home, but if I get a Sulcata, it will be a purchase. I want to raise it myself, from as young an age as possible. It will most likely come from Richard Fife.

I am just glad to hear I am normal in my cravings, after all, lol.

 

[Tom]

Boy does Jacqui tell that story well.

That's exactly how I feel about Manouria, Galops, pardalis pardalis, radiata...

I let it stew for a long time before acting on it. Usually years. I wait for one of those really bad days when nothing is going right and all your animals have been exceptionally messy and you have no time and the weather sucks. When one of those days come, I think to myself, "do I really wish I had another such and such...?"

Then I try to convince myself of all the reasons NOT to have one. Galops are too big and expensive. Radiateds too expensive. Manouria can't take the heat out here. Pardalis........ should have them in late August or September......... haha.

So Kristina, how are you gonna feel on one of those crappy winter days, right after you get one of those $490 electric bills, and you go out to the sulcata shed and he's torn some sh** up and crapped loose, runny poo everywhere after you just cleaned it up yesterday? Oh, don't forget. You still have to go to the store in the snow storm, because your 150 pound monster ate 6 heads yesterday.

 

[Kristina]

So Kristina, how are you gonna feel on one of those crappy winter days, right after you get one of those $490 electric bills, and you go out to the sulcata shed and he's torn some sh** up and crapped loose, runny poo everywhere after you just cleaned it up yesterday? Oh, don't forget. You still have to go to the store in the snow storm, because your 150 pound monster ate 6 heads yesterday.

Probably not too much worse than hauling $320 in hay (one weeks worth) in a blizzard for 13 head of horses, lol. Then scraping the 100lbs of daily dookie out of the barn

I do see your point, however. How would I feel? Maybe I am being delusional, but I am really thinking it would be worth it. I can't be mad at an animal for doing what it does, lol, I don't have it in me. In the end it would be MY fault, because I would be the one that choose to get the animal. I just don't know. Maybe it is a bad idea. And Ella and Gwen weren't huge by any means, but they weren't tiny either, and they were so easy to care for.

As of yet, I will say that I am not convinced not to get a Sulcata. But I am definitely thinking about the cons.

 

[Tom]

Okay, after all of that, I have to say that sulcatas ARE my favorite. I, and my friends and family, have kept most of the species that are available over the years and there is something different about the sulcatas. They don't have that normal shyness and fear of humans that a wild animal SHOULD have. They are bold, inquisitive, fearless, curious, fun, hardy and just plain wonderful in ways that most tortoises aren't. I don't know what your prior experience was like with the two sick transplanted females, but keep in mind that the males TEND to have much more personality (Bob, anyone.) and raising one yourself makes it a bit of a different deal too. There is this sense of satisfaction you get that is just indescribable. They are terrific animals and I would never want to be without them.

Plus, if you are already tending to 13 horses, one sulcata is a fraction of the maintenance of one horse. This is the tortoise argument stopper for me and my wife. I tell her that when the monthly bills for all of my reptiles starts getting anywhere near the monthly bills for her one horse, I'll stop... or at least slow down. We are nowhere near that point yet.

 

[Kristina]

I don't have the horses any longer. Long, long story, and it was NOT due to financial reasons that I had to rehome them. But I did have 13, and did horse rescue for many years. Here is the story of one girl - http://tortnet.darchorizons.com/tina.html

So in a way, I feel more prepared to care for a 150lb tortoise than some, due to caring for 1200lb horses for years, lol.

Ella and Gwen were awesome. They never were scared of me, and seemed to always know I just wanted to help them.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Missy]

I say you are well educated on sulcatas and you have the time, room, money and the heart, than GO FOR IT Tom said it all, you could almost see the love dripping off him, LOL. and I agree. I cant imagine my life without Tank

 

[Jacqui]

First why not see if what you visualize in your head, is practical in your basement as that often is not the case. What looks good in the head or even on paper can be aq nightmare of unforseen problems in real life.

Does anybody in your area have a full grown male (or close to it) that you could babysit for awhile? That way if it doesn't work, you can send it home.

 

[Kristina]

Nope. No one closer than 4 hours that I know personally has a tortoise, let alone a full grown Sulcata.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You need to write down the good and the bad things of trying to keep a healthy Sulcata in a Northern climate. Here he must stay inside most of 7 months.
Will you be able to create a warm insulated safe and large space for him to live comfortably?

and a $800 fence?

his constant digging inside his sleeping box and the soaking urine is ruining the box...
will you continually build a new sleeping box?

That means you need to find some place that will provide you with free or almost free produce...my store that has been feeding Bob for 4 years is closing Sept 30th. Then I will have to pay for produce...
a pile this size every day for 7 months...

a flood of urine like this 3 or 4 times a day, only AFTER you have mopped the floor, this is without the normal accompanying poop...

If you have answered yes to all of the above questions you will be allowed to keep a Mazuri face like this...

or this squash face...

run fast cuz he's trying to wipe that face on your last pair of clean jeans...

you can get this...

He likes to climb on my lap and sniff my face, he always sees me watching him from my deck, he ALWAYS comes running when I go out to his pen. I wouldn't trade him for the world...
There's the good and the bad and only YOU can make up your mind, only YOU can know what is the right thing to do. Will he like living in your basement for 7 months? Bob can go outside for a short time even on the coldest day here, could he there? He has graze here even in the winter when he has to scratch thru the snow. He eats hay pretty good...
I hope this helps you some...and made you smile a little...

 

[Tom]

Great post Maggie. Love the whole thing.

 

[Jacqui]

I know it made me smile!

 

[RV's mom]

Love your post Maggie! Can't wait to get RV into some squash. Do you feed it raw, or process it somehow? and RV turns her nose up to hay. wish I could get her interested ~ it would make winter an easier thing....

Kyryah~ if you've your heart set on a sulcata, then the deal is done. You'll do whatever it takes to make it right for your tort. Good luck. I'm looking forward to pics........

teri

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Love your post Maggie! Can't wait to get RV into some squash. Do you feed it raw, or process it somehow? and RV turns her nose up to hay. wish I could get her interested ~ it would make winter an easier thing....

Kyryah~ if you've your heart set on a sulcata, then the deal is done. You'll do whatever it takes to make it right for your tort. Good luck. I'm looking forward to pics........

teri

I soften the squash in the microwave. Smaller tortoises don't usually eat hay, they have to get older, but don't stop trying...Your torts name is RV? As in recreational vehicle?

 

[RV's mom]

I soften the squash in the microwave. Smaller tortoises don't usually eat hay, they have to get older, but don't stop trying...Your torts name is RV? As in recreational vehicle?
[/quote]

thanks for the tip. I have fed squash that I've scored with a knife, hadn't thought about the micro. Yes, RV carries her house on her back.. and she loves pumpkin. When fall comes around, I get the little sugar pumpkin for her. happy happy.

 

[Kristina]

Great post, Maggie, I loved it

As of yet we are still house shopping. I am doing this with all of our family members in mind - including the animals. My kids each need their own room, my husband wants a rec room and a garage, and I need a basement, both for my business and for winter housing for the torts. A good sized yard is a must as well, for all of us.

As far as winter time grazing, yes, that is my goal. Using proper lighting, and basically a false floor, I am wanting to plant my basement (well, part of it) as a large indoor vivarium. I know it sounds daunting, but it is something I have been looking into for about 10 years and it can be done. By now you guys should know I am pretty resourceful, and if I say I am going to do something, I will do it

Now, I know this type of set up is not ideal for a Sulcata. But reality is that not every Sulcata goes to a home that is able to care for it properly. If I don't buy *that* particular baby, somebody else will. Maybe it will end up in a big back yard down in Florida, or maybe it will end up in a ten gallon aquarium in Maine. There is no way to tell.

Do I believe that I am better suited to care for a Sulcata than Joe Schmoe in Maine with the ten gallon tank? You bet your behind I do. That isn't being conceited, it is a fact. I know that getting a Sulcata will be a challenge. But I am 29 years old, and physically and mentally strong.

The long and the short of it is, I am going to do it. It won't be in the next three months, and probably not in the next six, but sometime in the next year, I am going to get a baby Sulcata.

Thank you to everyone that responded, I really really appreciate all the honesty. Maybe you guys really did intend to talk me out of it, and I apologize if I disappointed you, lol. I am convinced it is what I want to do.

 

[RV's mom]

good for you! now go forward with all your heart and resources! You'll be the best mom that sulky will know.

teri

 

[Tom]

Uhh.... I don't want to spoil the big secret, but ALL of us already knew that...

You will be a fantastic sulcata mom! You are dead on right about your basement vs. the 10 gal in Maine. I have a suggestion. If you are going to grow stuff in winter in the basement, that's gonna take a lot of electricity. Look in to solar or wind power. It can just be added to the cost of the house. Its a big investment up front, but very worth it in the long run. We are in the process of doing solar right now. Even though you won't generate a lot during winter, the meter will spin backwards anytime the sun is out.

Last thing. Delores lays every January. I would be honored if you'd raise one of her babies. No charge and I'll ship it to you for free. This years babies hatched out in mid may, so it seems like it would be right around the right time. You know they will be smooth, well started and VERY well hydrated. Haha. You've got a whole year of looking at her current hatchlings to decide.

 

[Kristina]

Oh Tom, I would be honored to have one of Delores's babies!!! That is an incredible gift you have offered me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am extremely touched. Thank you!

I am definitely looking into sources of alternative energy. I have been interested in solar and wind power for a long time, and I also am a big believer in skylighting, and anything that lessens the pull on our natural resources and my pocket book. I have even seen where someone used skylighting for a 220 gallon planted aquarium, piping sunlight down from the roof and intensifying it with mirrors. The result was amazing. He also used a drip filter system that required only one small pump to run, resulting in an almost completely electricity free set up.

I have wanted to go solar for a long time, but we haven't owned any of our houses, and I was NOT putting that kind of money into a rental, lol. (We own our mobile home, but again just not a smart investment.) So that is something overall that is definitely a project I will be looking in to. The one piece of property I am interested in would be an excellent candidate for wind energy, as well.

By the way.... Was I really that transparent? LOL!!!