Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am wanting to odopt a young sulcatta (8 inches long) and have tried to do some research on their husbandry. Are there any recommended sources for their care. I assume UVB lighting, basking heat(indoors) when temps outside are cool. Do juveniles eat mostly hay/grasses? Are there any other nutritional requirements for the little ones? Humidity? Calcium supplements? Protein? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks
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1.0 het albino ball
1.0 norm ball
0.4 norm ball
0.1 snow corn
1.0 butter corn
0.1 norm corn
1.0 southern plains rat
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog

>>I am wanting to odopt a young sulcatta (8 inches long) and have tried to do some research on their husbandry. Are there any recommended sources for their care.

I think all 3 of these sites are good sources for info:
http://www.anapsid.org/sulcata.html

http://www.sulcstatn.addr.com/index.html

http://www.africantortoise.com/

Between the 3 of them, you can find just about anything you want to know.

They get big & need lots of room. Like I just posted in another thread of posts, ours has grown from 9 lbs to 60 lbs in just 4 years.
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PHRatz

Yeah I saw that. I have 40 acres of alfalfa and can give him as much room as he wants!! I'm thinking of fencing off a 1/4 acre corner of the field that closest to the house that also affords shade trees during part of the day and and small open air "stables" for the rest of the day when the sun is hottest.
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1.0 het albino ball
1.0 norm ball
0.4 norm ball
0.1 snow corn
1.0 butter corn
0.1 norm corn
1.0 southern plains rat
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog

Can you plant something to replace the alfalfa? Every book & site I've read says alfalfa is too high in protein for them to eat on a regular basis. If you're out in the country it should be easy to plant & grow anything you want. You're lucky that way.
We live on the outskirts of town not quite "in the country" but darn close. We fought the weeds for years until we got the sulcata, now I water the weeds lol. Bermuda grass grows like a weed here so we have a huge variety of food items for her and only half a dozen or so are weeds that I need to pull up because they're bad for her.
From experience I can tell you that when you fence in a spot for your sulcata, you need to use a material that the tortoise can't see through. When they can see through a fence they'll pace the fenceline & push on the fence constantly. Ours did that until we finally built a fence that she can't see through.

It sounds like you have a great place for a sulcata, let us know when you bring it home!
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PHRatz

how about timothy hay? Is this too high in protein? The field was planted for harvesting hay for horses at local horse farms. I'm not 100% sure its alfalfa.
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1.0 het albino ball
1.0 norm ball
0.4 norm ball
0.1 snow corn
1.0 butter corn
0.1 norm corn
1.0 southern plains rat
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog

>>how about timothy hay? Is this too high in protein? The field was planted for harvesting hay for horses at local horse farms. I'm not 100% sure its alfalfa.

Based on everything I've read so far for tortoises, guinea pigs, rabbits, hay eating herbivore rodents of all types, timothy hay is perfect!
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PHRatz

This is very abundant where I live. Granted this is grazzing and not the only intended food source.
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1.0 het albino ball
1.0 norm ball
0.4 norm ball
0.1 snow corn
1.0 butter corn
0.1 norm corn
1.0 southern plains rat
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog