Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello I am new to this forum but familar with the Beardie forum. I met some one that offered me a large Sulcata for adoption if I make an enclousure and dig a burrow in my back yard(I live in Tucson) I need more information on owning a Sulcata and it's care before I make this decision. Can you guys point me in the right direction for info.

Well Tucson (I assume you mean AZ) is one of the better places to keep a sulcata in North america. But there are things to consider:

The size alone (think lots of food, BIG poops, strong and when willfull, a real pain, rearranger of furniture, landscaping (seriously) and hard to move if you ned to clean it or treat it medically...vet home visits)

Room (got a big yard?)

Digging (a possibility but many keepers say not attempted as much if a ready made hide is porvided)

Food (you will have to provide at least some cactus, grasses, weeds and flowers; the grocery greens alone won't cut it. Most keepers eventually plant an area for natural grazing. Fortunately in Az there are all sorts of wild plants that are edible and beneficial to torts from xeric regions, but you still have to get them)

Dependency (many sulcatas become attached to people and follow them around. This may be good or bad depending upon your perspective)

Weather (even in Southern Arizona it will be an issue (its raining like crazy and 48 right as I write this here in Phoenix. On those cold days a warm shelter will be needed)

Theft (believe it or not tort theft is an issue in some places. It certainly is in Phoenix (and not just in exceptionally affluent or impoverished districts) where lots of people have their yards invaded and torts stolen. This invites theft of other things and nobody likes property invasion. If you get one. Don't tell every body.)

Neighbors (some places with HOA or local ordinaces don't deal well with reptiles in yards. In Az i haven't seen this to be as much of a problem as back East but its not unheard of here at all.)

and worst of all:

Addiction (you can't have just one torttoise! well you can but they grow on you)

Of course if you can handle it it would be great to do as the country is over run with unwanted big sulcatas that need a good home.

With that said you should really read this stuff if you haven't already done so:

sulcata station

article written to disuade potentially naive new sulcata owners, aimed more at those looking to purchase a baby which may then need to be adopted but still worth reading

sulcata care at WCT

There is also the term of commitment to consider. these are long-lived animals.
And do you have any other pets? (besides beardies)
A dog and a tortoise is oftena bad mix.

Did i cover everything guys?

you covered most of it except the extreme caging and feeding problems with large torts. this suculata will need at least 2 feet of some thing that it cant dig through and then they still might be able to do it
for feeding expect to pat about 75 dollars a month on food alone if you dont grow your own if you auctually live in the city prepare to give up most if not all of your yard
i dont think a dog will be much of a problem unless its one of the larger breeds or one that might be able to get over the cage wall.

np

How large is it? 20 pounds ain't large, so don't be duped by
that size or less. Mines heading towards 60 pounds and I consider
him small/medium and an X-large pain in the hiney. I can just still
lift him (very awkward shape to lift), and he eats/poops like a pony.
But I love him anyways! good luck, niki

Thanx for all the input, by large I ment 40-50 Lb.s which I guess is not that large in the scheme of things. When you say they walk through walls does that mean masonary fences? I do not think my dog would bother a tortise since she does not bother the beardies, snakes, birds or chamelon when they are out and about. Matter of fact she is scared of the Blue Crowned Conure that likes to sit on her head.(had her ear nipped once)
Think a Tortise might be over doing it a bit in animals. A teenage son is now eatting me out of house and home.

Occupants who I am responsible for

2.2-Bearded Dragons-Foster, Bent, Delta Dawn,coming
0.0.V Crickets-food
0.0.1. -Panther Chameleon- Lizzzzzerd
1.0. - Ball Python- Eight
1.0. Hypo Brooksi- FL. Man
0.1. Grey Banded King- Tex
1.3. Mice-food
0.1. Blue Crown Conure -Suzy-Q
1.0. Canary- Harley
0.1. Shepard/Dobe-Cinnamon
1.0 Son - Matt

Sons Responsibilities
1.2 Bearded dragons- coming, Jimmy, Peach
0.0.V Super Worms-food
1.2. Nigerian Uromastyx’s- Big Show, Pyro, Raven
1.0 Columbian Boa- Slash
0.0.2 Leopard Gecko's- Mo Fo, Geckamo

"Is that real?" this is my Teddy last summer, he's a tad
bigger now!

Teddy

compared to snakes and lizards, tortoises are much more personable,
interesting and smarter than dogs, plus they live a long time.
They can push down a shabby privacy fence made of wood, but
a masonry wall should be OK, they don't dig if they have a suitable
house. See my website for more pics of My Tortoise...
Theodore (aka Teddy) my Tortoise