Adult Sulcata Tortoise

The Sulcata Tortoise
Geochelone sulcata
The sulcata tortoise (as it is known in the pet trade) is more properly termed the African spurred tortoise.  In the wild, this species is found in northern Africa on the fringes of the Sahara Desert.  It often reaches weights of over 75 pounds with exceptionally large individuals weighing more than 100 pounds.

Setting Up an Enclosure for a Hatchling Sulcata
Most sulcatas are acquired as hatchlings which can be simply kept indoors in a 20 gallon aquarium provided with a cool end of the cage around 78-80F, a warm basking spot (85-95F) during the day, a bright white basking light on for 12 hr a day, and ultraviolet-B emitting bulb (e.g., Reptisun™, Powersun™, or Mega-ray™ UVB) on for 12 hr a day, and an undertank heater that always provides a warm spot of 85F even at night.  Sulcata hatchlings may be kept on rabbit food pellets (compressed timothy hay or alfalafa hay) or cypress mulch.  Be sure to throw out any soiled or moldy pellets daily and regularly change the entire substrate when using rabbit food pellets.  Spot clean mulch and completely change it at least once a month.  The enclosure should have a hide box that has high humidity, such as may be provided by filling the bottom with damp sphagnum moss or moist soil.  This humid shelter is very important so the sulcata develops a normal shell.  One study has shown that pyramiding of the shell, a disorder where the individual scutes start to develop into pyramids that deform the profile of the shell and the underlying bone is too porous and weak, is caused primarily by being raised in too dry of an environment.

Basic Diet for a Hatchling Sulcata
It is a good idea to make up a week’s worth of salad, refrigerate it, and dole out a small amount daily.  Enough salad should be offered every day so that there is a little bit left over each night.  This insures the young tortoise is eating enough to sustain a healthy gastrointestinal flora which helps with proper digestion and growth.

• 1 cup of dark green leafy vegetables (e.g., romaine, escarole, green leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, collard greens, etc.)  It is important to rotate what you are using as any one of these greens lacks everything needed for optimum tortoise health.
• 1 tablespoon raw beans (lima, pinto, garbanzo, or mung)
• 1 tablespoon yellow, red, or orange produce (sweet potato, strawberry, carrot, etc.). Hard produce should be shredded rather than chopped.
• 1/2 to 3/4 of Regular Strength Tums (provides 100 to 150 mg of calcium carbonate) crushed into a powder
• 1/8 cup of Oxbow™ Salad Style Grass Blend or 1/8 cup of Zoo Med™ Grass Tortoise Food, soaked in water for at least 15 minutes
• Place ingredients in a container and shake so that they are thoroughly mixed
• Once a week, you may use either a small amount of Zoo Med™ Reptivite or crush an iron-free human multivitamin tablet and lightly dust the surface of the day’s salad so that a faint amount of powder is visible.  If you crushed a vitamin tablet, throw out unused portion as the human multivitamins quickly lose their potency when crushed.

In addition, you should have fresh grass and leaves (hibiscus, mulberry) in the enclosure at all times.  Many other ornamental plants are safe for tortoises to eat.

The recipe is a guideline only.  Other produce can be fed in addition to the kinds listed, but care should be taken to balance the diet.  Baby tortoises can eat similar diets to adults but need to have the food chopped into smaller pieces.  Avoid giving hard vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes to baby tortoises unless they have been shredded.  Small chunks of chopped hard vegetables have cause intestinal impactions in young tortoises.

As Your Baby Grows
With proper care a sulcata hatchling will quickly outgrow its original enclosure and will need larger amounts of salad every month.  Eventually, most sulcatas end up being moved to an outdoor enclosure.  Adult sulcatas need a lot of space, at least 100 sq ft of floor space per adult tortoise.  They can be kept as breeding trios of one adult male and up to four adult female tortoises, but there may be fighting depending on the individual personality.  They have been known to kill and eat smaller tortoises so do not mix sulcatas that are of vastly different sizes.

Sulcatas dig long elaborate burrows in the wild to avoid the extremes of heat and cold of the Sahara Desert.  They can actually undermine the foundation of houses and block walls if their burrows extend deep enough underneath these structures.  Adult sulcata tortoises can push through chain link fence unless it has been deeply rooted into the ground and secured with stakes or a concrete foundation.

Your outdoor enclosure should have a day-night fluctuation of around 15°F, with a spring/summer/fall daytime high upwards of 95°F and a nighttime low of 80°F or lower.  There may be spots that are much warmer as long as the sulcata has an appropriate retreat from the intense heat and sunlight.  At all times, there should be a cool/hot zone of 85°F for the tortoise to retreat to if it is too warm or too cold.  Sulcata tortoises are often kept outside with only a shelter against wind and rain in the Phoenix area as long as the temperature stays in the mid-50s or above.  Sulcatas should be put in warm dry shelters when the weather gets colder or there are long period of cold rain.  Although many sulcatas have been kept outdoors without any supplemental heat when nighttime temperatures drop below 60°F, this does put some individuals at risk of developing medical problems.

Basic Diet for an Adult Sulcata
The enclosure should have a nice bed of sod, usually a mix of Bermuda grass, rye, and fescue.  Sulcatas will graze throughout the day.  Prickly pear cactus pads, mulberry and hibiscus leaves, and other fresh browse are relished.  Eating fresh vegetation and ingesting small amounts of soil in the process provides a rich mix of micronutrients that aren't present in the salad mix and as a result adult sulcatas kept outside tend to have fewer problems with malnutrition than tortoises kept indoors.

The salad mix used for hatchlings may be adjusted to provide a larger volume:

• 8 cups of dark green leafy vegetables (e.g., romaine, escarole, green leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, collard greens, etc.)  It is important to rotate what you are using as any one of these greens lacks everything needed for optimum tortoise health.
• 2 cups raw beans (lima, pinto, garbanzo, or mung)
• 1 cup yellow, red, or orange produce (sweet potato, strawberry, carrot, etc.).  Hard produce should be shredded rather than chopped
• 1 and ¼  Ultrastrength Tums (provides 1250 mg of calcium carbonate) crushed into a powder
• 1 cup of Oxbow™ Salad Style Grass Blend or 1 cup of Zoo Med™ Grass Tortoise Food.  Most tortoises will consume the dry product so it usually does not need to be soaked before being used in the recipe.
• Place ingredients in a container and shake so that they are thoroughly mixed.
  Once a week, you may use 1/10 of a human multivitamin, crushed, or 1/8 teaspoon Zoo Med™ Reptivite to mix in with the day’s salad.  If you crushed a vitamin tablet, throw out unused portion as the human multivitamins quickly lose their potency when crushed.

Can I Feed Oranges and Other Citrus Fruits?
A common question is whether or not the oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, and other citrus fruits that are grown in the backyards of Arizona are safe for tortoises to eat.  There are a lot of internet myths about citrus fruit and even some books warn about the hazards.  Citrus fruit does appear safe in moderation.  As with any other sugary fruit, citrus may cause diarrhea if consumed in large amounts.  You may incorporate citrus into the diets listed above in place of the orange produce.  An adult sulcata (over 60 lbs) may easily eat two or three oranges without any problem while a hatchling should never get more than a tiny amount (less than 1/16 of a teaspoon) at any single feeding.  Fair warning -- most tortoises do not like to eat lemons, limes, or grapefruit!

Water
Baby sulcatas should be soaked in warm shallow water two to three times a week.  As they grow, the soakings may be less frequent.  Eventually the soaking may be replaced by offering a pan of clean water once or twice a week.  Do not leave standing water in the enclosure for more than a day or two to prevent it becoming dirty and a haven for certain protozoan parasites that may make your tortoise ill.

With Proper Care
Sulcatas have wonderful personalities when they are kept properly.  They live for decades and seemingly become quite bonded with their owners.  Most will outlive their owners if given the right care.  Unfortunately, animal shelters and rescue groups are overwhelmed with unwanted tortoises that have outgrown their owners’ households so you cannot rely on them to provide your pet a home when you are unable to do so anymore.  Make sure you have friends, relatives, or other arrangements to care for your pet when you are unable to give them proper attention.

Copyright 2008
Kevin Wright and Jay Johnson
Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital, LLC
744 N Center Street
Mesa, AZ 85203
info@azeah.com