Sulcata Tortoise (African Spurred Tortoise)

Hatchlings can start indoors on a large tortoise table, but adults cannot be kept indoors and require a big, secure outdoor enclosure, ideally 30 square metres or much more, with escape-proof walls sunk deep because they dig extensive burrows and push through weak barriers. Provide a dry, dig-friendly substrate, grazing plants, shade, a wallow and a large water dish or shallow soak. In cooler weather they need a heated, insulated shelter or shed they can enter to stay warm. Avoid keeping large sulcatas in cramped or wet indoor spaces, which causes shell and health problems.

Grazing herbivore built for a very high-fibre, low-protein, low-sugar diet. The staple should be grasses and grass hays such as orchard grass, timothy and Bermuda, supplemented with broadleaf weeds like dandelion, clover and hibiscus, and edible leaves. Avoid fruit, high-protein foods, and rich vegetables, which cause rapid unhealthy growth and shell pyramiding. Provide a cuttlebone for calcium and constant access to clean water; healthy grazing throughout the day suits them best.

A diurnal desert basker needing heat and strong UVB. Provide a basking spot around 38 to 43 C, daytime ambient of 26 to 32 C, and never let sustained temperatures fall below about 15 C, as cold and damp are dangerous and below 10 C can be fatal, especially to young ones. Strong UVB is essential indoors (basking UVI about 3.0 to 4.0, Ferguson Zone 3 to 4), but outdoor natural sunlight is ideal for grazing adults. Run indoor lighting on a 12 to 14 hour cycle, and provide a heated night shelter in cool weather; keep the environment dry to prevent shell rot.

Best kept singly unless space is very large. Males are territorial and ram and flip rivals, and even females can compete, so cohousing needs extensive space and monitoring. They can become accustomed to their keeper and tolerate soaking and basic handling, but adults are too heavy to handle much and are not affectionate; respect their strength and grazing lifestyle.

Provide a large grazing area with varied terrain, digging substrate, wallows, basking and shade zones, and edible plantings to forage. Access to real sunshine, room to walk long distances, and seasonal variety all support the natural behaviour of this active, roaming tortoise.