Sulcata Tortoise Caresheet

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Origin
Sub-Saharan Africa

Temperature
75o to 85o days. Cooler at night.

Habitat
Loves lotsa sunlight (with shade) and low humidity

Lighting
Basking light for heat plus UVB

Attitude
Friendly. Strong. Good eater.

Biggest Threats
Rich foods, cool temp, high humidity, dehydration

Schedule
Day shift

Security
Lives in own mobile home but needs a hide box

Size
45# in 15 years Record size: 240#

Foods
100% vegan. Grasses and edible weeds best.

Supplements
Calcium with vitamin D

Water
Large, flat water bowl and daily soakings

Origins: Sulcata tortoises come from a dry, arid location in Africa. They still need daily access to water. Babies need a daily soak.

Size: As the world’s third largest tortoise, sulcatas grow plenty big. The largest sulcata ever recorded was 240 pounds. Yours won’t get that big. Still, they grow fast – 45 pounds in 15 years. (Fifteen years is fast to a tortoise.)

Best Foods: You can’t feed your sulcata tortoise high nutrient foods. They’ll eat it readily but do poorly on it. Too much nutrition makes their shells grow funny. This weird growth pattern is called pyramiding where they grow “hills” on the patterns on their shells. They need lots of fiber in their diet – grasses and weeds. They love dandelions. But limit their intake of treat foods.

Roaming Range: Let your sulcata romp (well, as much as a tortoise can romp) in your grassy (or weedy) backyard. He’ll enjoy the grassy “eats” and the sunshine. Don’t do this if you just nuked your lawn for weeds. Limit his romping time so you don’t bake his brains out.

Substrate: Any substrate too large to swallow will probably work. Use a contrasting color and your sulcata will show well. Aspen is also good but they blend into it. Your sulcata will dig and/or burrow.

Grazing Areas: Got a little garden space in your backyard? You can buy “tortoise grazing mixes” for your sulcata. Or throw out a couple handfuls of bird seed on the area and rake it in. Bird seed grows amazingly fast (and tasty).

Non-Foods. Do not feed cat or dog foods – way too nutrient rich. Do not feed fruits except as an occasional treat.

Housing: Your sulcata tortoise needs lots of room. You can start a baby in a little lizard setup but he really needs room to roam. He’s not fast but like the turtle that out-ran the hare, your sulcata keeps on trucking. Give him plenty of roaming room.

Temperature: Keep your sulcata tortoise warm and dry -- 75o to 85oduring the day and a bit cooler at night. Put your heat bulb at one end so he has a choice of temps. Sulcatas cannot tolerate cool or damp conditions.

Hide Box: In the wild, these guys burrow or dig under something to keep out of the hot sun. Give him a hide box in his cool area.

Lighting: You need a reptile bulb with UVB for your sulcata tortoise. You probably also need a basking bulb to keep him warm.

Water: Sulcata tortoises need a flat water bowl they can get in and out of. Babies (under a year old) need a daily soak. They prefer tepid water. Change it daily. Bigger guys just need an occasional dip.

thanks sa caresheet! wala nito sa ppf..hehe. napansin ko lang, pwede rin a yung kusot sa sulcata? as of now newspaper lng substrate nung akin eh

@gigo nope. Hnd recommended ang kusot kz malu2nok po nila un. Hnd po sla ma22nawan. Thanks

pano kung pebbles yung nilalagay sa aquarium? balak ko sana mag set up na display type eh

Bsta hnd po kasya sa bi2g nya ok po un. Iniiwan po natin kz makalu2n sla n2.

Ok thanks sir Tattoo

i really have no idea what substrate to use sir, can you give me an example?

ahm tanung ko lang po kung san po makakabili ng sulcata tortoise ung mura mga 4-5k po?

ano po magandang gmitin substrate s sulcata? at pano linisan yng paa at tail? hirap akong linisin

ano ano type ng veg pwede pakain?

Hello Everyone,

We'll be acquiring our first Sulcata yearling this coming weekend. We've done a lot of research regarding the substrate/bedding. We're looking at a mixture of organic soil, sphagnum moss and coconut fiber. We we're able to acquire both the moss and the cococnut coir already however we cant seem to understand what soil to use. in what we've read so far, keepers are suggesting to use organic soil. Most organic soil though include some sort of animal compost.

Any suggestions will help.

Merong brick ng cocopeat sa Handyman at Ace Hardware na ginagamit ko sa T's and Scorps need lang ibabad ng 15 minutes sa water baka pwede sa Sulcata mo since halos halo na siya ng coco fiber at soil

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks sir sa advice. Try kong hanapin yung coco peat.

Meron din kasi nagsabi sa amin na newspaper nalang daw gamitin para hindi delikado pag nakain ng tortoise tapos madali pang linisin. What's your take on this?

Pwedeng pwede ang newspaper.

Hi there! Im a newbie sulcata owner, is it safe to feed him just kangkong? What are the usual garden plants that are safe to feed him? Also, im planning on setting him loose on our terrace, its a 2x10 meter tiled area thats safe for him since the walls are high, and gives him his own shade and sunlight naturally, is this ok? Or is it still best to use a crate and soil as substrate? I plan on using the plastic crate with soil only when its night time

The sulcata is < a year old and is roughly 2-3inches in diameter already

Thanks!

sir meron po tayo kakilala na breeder n2? tagal ko na nagreresearch kung pano alagaan same lang nakikita ko. san po kaya merun?