Tortoise inquiry

[robd]

Hey,

I've been learning up on tortoises lately and my wife and I are serious about getting some. We are considering a pair of Sulcatas. I would imagine some folks here on Arachnoboards keep tortoises.

If you do...

1- can you recommend any particular online breeder/dealers?

2- can you recommend any particular tutorials or posts on forums as far as how to keep them? Obviously I've already seen some myself in researching, but just in case I am missing something good.

Thanks.

 

[robd]

Cmon I know someone out there must be into them.

 

[Lucas339]

i like this site: http://africantortoise.com/

are you prepared to own the third largest tortoise in the world? they will eventually need an outdoor pen.

i have a friend that is selling a trio right now 1:2. they are CB.

 

[robd]

I am up for the challenge.

What is your friend asking for them? Are they sexed? Is that what 1:2 meant?

 

[Matt K]

1.2 refers to 1 male and 2 females. 1.2.3 would mean one male, two females, and three undetermined sex (typically very juvenile or offspring are referred to this way).

 

[RedEarthExotics]

Sulcatas are awesome. I have a 40 pound male, he is awesome but a lot of work. I would highly recommend trying to adopt adults. There are a lot of them out there that need good homes. People are always getting cute babies, only to realize they can't deal with an adult once it gets big.

As far as information goes, try WWW.tortoiseforum.org

 

[RedEarthExotics]

Did I mention an adult sulcata eats and poops, A LOT?

 

[robd]

I have heard this. I imagine Sulcata tortoises are very similar to the Green iguana the way people don't account for the responsibility required once they get to be an adult.

I myself have made the mistake of cannonballing into the whole reptile thing before. I adopted someone's 4 ft female green iguana that they no longer wanted. Although it did come with everything I needed to make things work and I did do my research, it was still a lot all at once.

It worked out better than I anticipated, as I took her from being reclusive and aggressive to being easily hand fed in 6 months. Then I found her a home to someone who had iguanas in the past and had a bearded dragon they wanted to rehome. So that was a nice trade.

Also, Matt K, I figured that's what he meant, but I didn't want to assume anything cause he used a colon rather than a period to seperate the 1.2. Could be some tortoise forum lingo we're not familiar with.

Lucas339, if you don't mind, could you PM me with how much your friend is asking for the babies?

 

[Lucas339]

yeah that is what i meant. didn't mean to put the colon in.

they are not babies. they are a sexed trio. they should be ready to breed next year. i will talk to him today and PM you. just keep in mind that 3 animals will need a very large pen and they will need somewhere to go during the colder months. they should have temps lower than 70 without some kind of heat source.

 

[Irene B. Smithi]

I hear there are a lot of work!
I have a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)that I adopted through the local tortoise organization. Had to get a Fish and Wildlife husbandry license and stuff like that.

I bet they are worth the effort though! Pictures of their habitat please if you get them!!