What kind of tortoise do I have?

[smartytime]

My wife and I recently found ourselves the proud owners of a baby tortoise. We are excited and committed to caring for this little brown guy, but would feel much more comfortable if we were 100% sure exactly what we were dealing with.

The prior owners said it's a desert tortoise, but they also said the dad weighs over 100 lbs and the mom and dad never hibernate -- which leads me to believe that this little guy may actually be something else...

So I've posted a picture and am hopeful that someone out there can set me straight...

Thanks in advance.

 

[egyptiandan]

You have a Sulcata, Centrochelys sulcata. Males do get over 100lbs and they don't hibernate.
You'll find plenty of help and ideas if you search through the sulcata section of the forum.
Welcome to the forum

Danny

 

[Jentortmom]

Yep a sully baby. They can get to 2' long and weigh over 100 pounds. Be prepared they can grow pretty fast. I have 4, 2 10 month olds that are 5-6" and a 1 yr old that is 4" and 1 that is a very slow grower. What type of setup do you have it in? Make sure that s/he has some humidity, but not really high humidity. Just like Danny said they don't hibernate, so depending on where you live you will need to plan something for when it gets bigger to keep it warm in the winter. Here are a few sites on care of sully's besides the sully sectin here. http://sulcata-station.org/ ** http://www.anapsid.org/sulcata.html ** http://www.africantortoise.com/

On top of grass, hay (orchard, timothy, bermuda), plants, you should try and offer a little dandelion, endive, escrole, spring mix, also sprinkle calcium on the food everyday to help keep the shell hard. Good Luck!

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum Smartytime
Congratulations for your new little one (he is sooo cute by the way)

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Looks like a Sulcata to me...Geochelone sulcata..woo hoo you'd better start enlarging your yard. It's the thrid largest tortoise in the world, I believe...here's a care sheet..

http://africantortoise.com/

 

[Yvonne G]

You have a Sulcata, Centrochelys sulcata.
Danny

How do you find out about these name changes? Centrochelys and whatever you are now calling the leopards? Did they decide "geochelone" was too broad a brush?

Yvonne

 

[kevantheman35]

hey dan whats the difference between Centrochelys sulcata, and geochelone's??

 

[smartytime]

Thanks everyone! Everything I'd been reading was for the desert tortoise - I'm glad I didn't try to get him (her?) to hibernate...

We are super excited - we named it Taco.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Smartytime: Welcome to the forum! May we know your name? You are really going to enjoy your little Taco. They are such personable tortoises. Make sure Taco gets lots of sunshine. Even on the cooler days, if the sun is shining set him up someplace where he can get some sun, but not too hot to cook! They need it to keep their shells and bones healthy.


Yvonne

 

[smartytime]

My name is Eric. My wife, Beth, and I are from Gilbert, AZ (Phoenix area), so we have no shortage of sunshine. We are definitely going to keep him inside for at least the first winter, but how long per day should we have him outside?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Eric: If you can place him in a sheltered spot where there is no wind, but he can get some sun, 15 or 20 minutes per day is plenty.

Yvonne

 

[Crazy1]

Welcome to the forum Eric, Beth and Taco.