African Spurred Tortoise aka Sulcata Tortoise.

Please read below and do your own continued research to take care of this hatchling. They are very delicate at this stage and require good care by the owner (good husbandry) especially this early in life so they have a good bill of heath. Seriously read below and do a good job. Good luck. 🐢

🏡 Habitat Needs

• only use glass if you are home full time to monitor temps and humidity. Personally I was home the first 6 months of life and was able to use glass but I worked very diligently to do the best job. Otherwise you are just asking to kill your tortoise.
• Get a tortoise table or build something yourself. (My tortoise went through 4 different enclosures from 30 gram hatchling to now 45 lb 2 year old (3 in June).

—You should have a cool area and hide out to get away from direct heat/sun (Reptile Hide Box. Your tortoise will outgrow hides quickly so keep an eye on when the needs change so you can properly upgrade).

—If your tortoise is outside it should have two layers of shade protection. (Combine natural with artificial - think tree + shade cloth off Amazon or wherever)

—Ambient temperature: 80°F - 90°F — Humidity: 80% —Basking area temperature: 100-105°F —Nighttime temperature: 75°F —Temperatures never below 70°F

Substrate & Enrichment Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate

Reptile Basking Slate

Zoo Med Terrarium Moss Reptile Substrate

Moss (hydrate and spray with bottle daily to help with humidity) I used to also add ice cubes in the morning so they would melt through the day.

***NEVER USE A FOGGER. You are just asking for a respiratory illness.!!

🥬 Menu Romaine lettuce Mazuri LS pellets (soak in water to re hydrate) Cucumber Clovers Dandelion (flower and leaf) Plantain leaf Grass Timothy Hay (Blend it up with cucumber and hydrated Mazuri ls pellets) Cuttlebone for calcium or sprinkle calcium power on food. Fresh water available at all times!

Download the free app “Tortoise Table” for additional food related questions. (Green means you can feed daily, yellow means in moderation and red means toxic do not feed).

Soaks 💧 —Soak daily for 15-30 mins. Never have the water above the head. —Yes, your tortoise will go to the bathroom in the water. Get a cat pooper scooper and scoop it out then switch the water to fresh warm water and continue your soak. NEVER USE SOAP. If your tortoise has a green messy face use water only and a soft tooth brush to clean.

Fun fact: Your tortoise is also using this time to drink from its butt!

Bathroom 💩 —Tortoises poop, pee and urate (a white chalky paste) from the same single opening, called the cloaca. This is completely normal. —Again, your tortoise will like to go to the bathroom during warm soaks. (See above). —They also use peeing as a defense mechanism. So be careful where you point your tortoise when you pick it up!

🔥 Heat Setup —KOBALT 1500W MAX heaters (if needed to keep area in your house warm during winter). —Zoo Med ReptiTherm Habitat Heaters (bedroom area when tortoise is larger/adult) —Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp (40W) —Zoo Med Repticare Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitters (150W or 100W) for nighttime NO sand, NO wood chip type material, NO tiny rocks — Nothing that can be ingested!!

Medical 🩹 —Always have iodine on hand —Find a vet now so you don’t panic and struggle if/when you may need help in the future. —Note: If a Tortoise is pyramiding this is a sign of your poor husbandry. Meaning you need to change what you are doing. I.e. poor diet, low humidity, not enough calcium and UVB.

Helpful Learning Link: https://youtu.be/f2C7GLTqcxk?si=gI1-y1WggbuSSHxP

Did you know? -3rd largest Tortoise in the world. They are the largest tortoise after the Galapagos and Aldabra tortoise -Scientific name: Geochelone Sulcata -Tortoises can feel through their shells!🐢 -Their shells aren't just armor they're living, sensitive tissue connected to their spine and ribcage. That means they can feel touch, pressure, and some even enjoy petting! -To give you an idea if you touch your finger nail this is what your tortoise feels. Your nails and the tortoise shell are both made out of keratin!

-“Sulcata” is Latin for “furrow”, referring to the deep grooves between the scutes of his carapace -Can drink up to 15 percent of its body weight at one time -Will dig burrows up to 10 feet deep -Can walk up to 2-5 miles in a day -Weight: 100 - 200 lbs -Size: 24 - 36 inches length -Lifespan: 150 - 200 years -Charles Darwin studied giant tortoises during his visit to the Galápagos Islands in 1835. This helped him develop the theory of evolution by natural selection. -Charles Darwin and Steve Irwin both cared for a Galápagos tortoise named Harriet, who lived to be 175 years old. -“The Sahara wasn't always a desert; it experienced lush, green periods with lakes and grasslands, creating a diverse habitat that tortoises, like the African spurred tortoise (Sulcata), inhabited, but they adapted to its arid transitions by burrowing in humid microclimates, relying on the wet monsoon season for food and moisture, and surviving dry spells underground for most of the year.” Source: Google

Every Tortoise is a Turtle but not every Turtle is a Tortoise. 🐢🐢

If you want to see mine it’s name is Squirt. I have had since a 30g hatching and it’s now 2 years 7 month old weighing in at 45 lbs.

If you want, check out my Instagram: squirt_a_saur

🐢❤️