Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am interestedin a sulcuta tortoise. I live in new Jersey.What months could I let him roam outside? How long until he gets huge?

I live in the region... My torts can go out between Memorial Day when the night temps go above 55, until about end of Sept. Before Memorial Weekend and after Sept, the torts can go out during the day, but sometimes when it's cooler/wetter day or night, they come inside.

Some Sulcatas grow faster than others. I've seen some friends Sulcatas grow to 12" - 16" in 5 years. I had one for 5 years that only grew to 8". The one thing you have to do with Sulcatas... Be realistic. Are you going to keep a 20 - 35" tortoise that will grow to 100 - 200 lbs in a matter of years? Can you afford to house it safely and keep it healthy?

If yes, then Sulcatas make very rewarding tortoises. If you think you can only keep it to a certain size and then let it go to someone else, perhaps you should consider something smaller, like a russian or other mediteranean variety (greek, etc..).

I know plenty of folks that keep Sulcatas in this region, but they spend pretty big money with enclosures and heating - or vets if they get ill.

Good luck!

Paul

Paul:

I live in the region, too, with a growing Sulcata. What sort of housing arrangement do you have? We still use a pen inside our house with as much time outside as possible on warm days (into the fall), but sooner or later, that's not going to work anymore. Just curious about how other people are handling this.

Hi Suzanne,

I no longer keep my Sulcata. I adopted her to a friend in Clovis California where the climate is ideal. She now lives with plenty of open space outdoors and indoors.

The Tortoises I keep now are medium sized (12" for the larger ones). They live in my basement during the fall winter, and early spring. I have large tub setups with heat lamps and lighting. In the summer, they go into large pens I´ve constructing in my backyard. I keep them out there from end of May to end of Sept. In early spring and fall, they go out on good days but come in at night.

Hope this helps.

Paul