ivory Sulcata tortoises for sale are strictly herbivores — they eat only vegetation. You’ll want to feed your sulcata approximately 95% grass and weeds. This may sound dull to us, but it’s perfect for them because they require a high-fiber, low-nutrient diet for slow and steady growth. Provide as much variation within these guidelines as possible to ensure that your tortoise is getting all of the required nutrition. Know that a sulcata will not overeat. Provide him with hay at all times to be sure he doesn’t remain hungry after feeding fresh grasses and other foods.

• Untreated lawn grass

• Clover

• Timothy hay

• Bermuda grass

• Wheat grass

• Mazuri pellets

Treats

You will find yourself learning how to garden while feeding your sulcata! Aside from plain ol’ grass and weeds, you can liven up the diet in a healthy way by giving them treats. Be sure that none of these plants have been sprayed with pesticides or were bought within 2 months.

• Geranium
• Coneflower
• Violets
• Mint
• Rose
• Clarkia
• Grape leaves
• Marigold
• Pumpkin (just wash before feeding)
• Dandelion
• Aloe
• Coleus
• Hollyhock
• Oregano
• Spider Plant
• Hibiscus
• Prickly pear cactus

Calcium is a very important part of the sulcata’s diet. Good sources of calcium can be found in safe foods such as dandelion greens, grape, and mulberry leaves. Also, remember to always keep a cuttlebone in the enclosure so that your tortoise can eat as it needs to.

It’s also important to note that fruits are very high in water and sugar. So while it’s okay to occasionally offer a strawberry, a watermelon rind, or a bit of tomato, this should not be a regular part of their diet. Once every two weeks is fine.

For the health and happiness of your tortoise, it is important to provide them with a home that is as similar to the animal’s natural environment as possible. Sulcatas are best kept in outdoor pens in climates that are dry and warm. If you live in a cold, wet environment, a sulcata is NOT the right tortoise for you.

When your tortoise is a baby or young adult, it is easy to provide the proper enclosure right inside your home. But remember, the bigger the better! Large plastic totes work well for baby tortoises, along with homemade tortoise tables (as seen below). Glass enclosures are not recommended as tortoises cannot comprehend glass. They will continuously try to walk through it and become stressed. Moreover, water left in a glass tank will increase humidity, which can cause respiratory illness and shell rot.

• Daytime Temperature: 75-90°F
• Basking Spot: 93-96°F
• Nighttime Temperature: 60-75°F

UVB is essential for tortoises to process calcium in captivity. Without it, tortoises develop serious health problems such as abnormal shell growth, metabolic bone disease, and other serious illnesses. In pens with open tops, the UV light should be positioned across the top and a heat lamp should be clamped securely to one side or set on top if there’s a screen.

• UV Lighting should be left on for 10-12 hours a day and turned off at night.
• Keep the UV lamp within 10 inches of the basking lamp for maximum efficiency.
• Replace bulb every 6-10 months. Even though the light still works, they lose UV over time.

In spite of it being a desert species, the sulcata, like all tortoises, requires plenty of water. Some people think that they can go long periods of time without water, but that’s just not true. Not having enough water can cause kidney failure and stones, which can be deadly.

For babies, a very shallow dish of water should be made available. Make sure that if the baby were to fall in or flip over in the dish that he cannot drown. For adults, the bottom dish of a flower pot makes a good water bowl. Again, be sure there is no way the tortoise could drown.

Some tortoises like to climb into their water dish to soak. To insure they can climb in and out without flipping over, put rocks around the inner rim of the dish. To keep the water cleaner for longer, place rocks around the outside of the dish as well. This helps prevent substrate from being tracked in.

Feeding a sulcata in its enclosure is pretty easy. You can simply put the food on the ground. If the ground is damp, put the food in a shallow dish. If there are any scraps after the day, you’ll want to clean them out to prevent insects and sickness.

Whether indoors, outdoors, or both, you’ll need to soak your sulcata, not only for cleanliness but also for proper hydration and for passing waste. 30 minutes, three times a week should be adequate for an outside tortoise, but in warmer months, you may need to soak him more often. Indoor tortoises should be fine with twice-weekly soakings.

Some other species of pet tortoise for sale include the Sulcata tortoise, the Russian tortoise, Egyptian tortoise, Hermann’s tortoise.  Other species of large tortoise for sale or giant tortoise for sale include Aldabra tortoise, Sulcata tortoises, Leopard tortoise, giant leopard tortoise.

Some medium-sized tortoises for sale include red foot tortoise, yellow foot tortoise, cherry head tortoise, Burmese star tortoise, and Sri Lankan Star tortoise.  Other small tortoise includes the Indian star tortoise, western Hermann’s tortoise, and greek tortoise to name a few.

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