Sulcata tortoise also known as African spurred tortoise and African spur thigh tortoise. Geochelone sulcata is their scientific name. Sulcata tortoise is one of the most popular exotics tortoise pet in the world many would like to adopt… and I’m one of them :). So here is the information I have compiled in the internet reasearching about this exotic tortoise pet species. If you are one of those exotics pet lover, you’ll like this tortoise very much. 

What is sulcata tortoise?

Sulcata tortoise is a land tortoise, it is not turtle, repeat! It is not turtle. They can’t swim like turtles, if thrown into a pond of deep water, it will sink and died. They are not amphibians. 

Where sulcata tortoise came from?

Sulcata tortoise lives in Central Africa, Southern Sahara. They live in the grass land of Africa where warm climate applies.

Sulcata tortoise growth, size, ages and lifespan.

Sulcata tortoise is the world’s third largest tortoise. Hatchlings normally are in size of 2 to 3 inches in terms of diameter(they're very cute). They tends to grow very quickly, by 3 to 4 years they’ll probably reach the size of  6 to 10 inches. Adult size is around 30 inches diameter and will weight up to 150lbs which is about 80 kgs. It takes probably around 12 to 15 years to be a tortoise adult. Of course this is also the mature age where the starts to mate. Sulcata’s average lifespan is 70 years. Many of the estimation varies according to different aspect such as climate, food given, health condition, living area…etc. 

Sulcata tortoise is a grazing animal like sheep and cow. They are herbivores so never feed them things like insects, worms, cat food, dog food and meaty stuff. Remember, these tortoise need high fibre but low in protein and fat. Besides, they need a variety of food to be given, don’t give them same greens everyday, because this will stress them. Here’s some food list mainly vegetables which is suitable for sulcata tortoise daily meal.

Dandelions

Turnips

Grass

Dark Leafy greens

Kales

Alfalfa

Collards

Mustards

Sprouts

Hay

Dried grass

Occasionally feeding them some fruits to act like a treat is okay such as tortoise berries, strawberries, apples, carrot, tomatoes. Try not to feed them nuts and beans type of food because nuts can contain great amount of fat and beans contain lots of protein which is not suitable for your spur thigh tortoise. Please remember high fiber, low protein and fat. That’s the formula. Some food like broccoli if feed too much to your tortoise will cause thyroids problem.

Calcium is needed by any tortoise especially they are hatchlings. Calcium is important for shell growing. For hatchlings, give them calcium by sprinkling over the food. The dosage of calcium needed varies among different brand, they come in different sizes from pellets to powder. Read the instruction given. Besides, multi-vitamins should be given to your tortoise occasionally too. Check out your local pet store for details and supplies.

African spurred thigh tortoise Care and Handling

Babies sulcata tortoise needs to be soaked 2 to 3 times a day. Put them in a bowl of shallow luke warm water which covers the side of the shell a bit for about 15 minutes. This is to ensure your sulcata pet does not gets too dry and keep them clean especially their eyes. Bigger size sulcata pet soak in less frequently lets say 2 to 3 times a week.

Ideal temperature for African spurred tortoise

85F to 100F(29 C to 40 C)  during the day

Around 75F (21 C to 26 C)at night.

Keep the enclosure dry at all times

Sulcata tortoise housing enclosure

Ideally they should be living in a terrarium, where large space is given. In the wild, they roam in a large territory. For bedding you can use reptile sand, corn cob or aspen bark. Place your tortoise food in dish so that your tortoise can’t accidentally eats the bark. Provide them substrate that will allow it to burrow.  As sulcata tortoise grows and gets bigger, consider living them outside might be a choice if your living area is almost the same as natural habitat in terms of climate. However, keep an eye of what you plant in your outdoor garden, certain plants is poisonous to your tortoise. Also remember to put fencing to keep your tortoise safe and to prevent your tortoise dig out or plow through the safety zone. Sulcatas like to move around and they are very strong.

Shell softening is one of the diet problem, This is due to calcium deficiency or excessive phosphorous. Another health problem is pyramiding on the shell. This is caused usually with too much protein intake.

Equipment and tools for keeping a spur tortoise

In certain places, heat lamp is needed. Like keeping most reptile, this UVB(ultraviolet lights) bulbs is crucial. Usually, pet store recommend tortoise keeper to switch on their UVB light for 10-12 hours if your tortoise is kept inside. UVB-producing fluorescent lights will provide enough sunlight, vitamin D to D3 which will aid in digestion and shell growing of your Sulcata tortoise and also metabolize the calcium. Try not to use heat rocks, heat pads and other heat element stuff, as some people report that these can cause shell and scale burn damage.

How to choose your tortoise

Before you buy any tortoise please do your own research and make sure you know what you are doing when taking care of them as most tortoises are endangered species. Secondly, you muct know they live probably linger than you, so be prepare for the long-term commitment when you brought them home. Tortoise are not something you can get rid of once you get tired of looking after them. So here are some things to keep an eye of when picking a tortoise

-check it’s eyes is bright and clear

-make sure the shell is not cracked and nicely in shape

-check every part of the body to make sure it does not carries parasites or any swollen skin

-make sure it is active, for example if you touch it’s hind legs the tortoise should retract to its shell immediately.

-check its parents if possible, to ensure no inherited sickness

Lastly, make sure your tortoise bites. Nah, just kidding :)

up next! know more about on the most popular turtles in the world turtles red eared slider here.