The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), also known as the sulcata tortoise, is a fascinating and resilient reptile native to the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and the Sahel. Understanding proper care is key to enjoying your new tortoise, whether it is a baby sulcata tortoise or an adult one.
These tortoises are the largest mainland species of tortoise in Africa, and the third-largest in the world, after the Galapagos tortoise and Aldabra giant tortoise. Due to their reputation for having a pleasant temperament, more and more sulcata tortoises are brought home as pets.
The Sulcata Tortoise, also known as the African spurred tortoise, is a popular species of tortoise among reptile enthusiasts. Native to the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, these tortoises require a warm and dry habitat to thrive.
Basic Sulcata Tortoise (Tiptoe) Care
Appearance and Size
What does a Sulcata tortoise look like? African spur thighed tortoise males are much larger than females.
- Adult male Sulcata tortoises have the deep concavity in the rear of their plastron.
- Also, male Sulcatas have longer, thinner tails.
- When “flashing” or “breeding” you may notice the males tail is tipped by a horned spur.
- Female Sulcata tortoises will have a more rounded shell with less details and a shorter, blunter tail.
Sulcata tortoises from yellow to 10 two even darker brown. Some may have darker coloration surrounding the scutes where others are uniform in color. Their plastron, head, and limbs are a uniform yellowish.
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African spurred tortoises are the third largest tortoise species. At hatch, African spurred tortoises will measure around 2 inches long and weigh 0.06 pounds. They will continue to grow in size until around 10 years of age.
Males can grow to be over 30 inches long, with females typically reaching a length of 20 inches. Males typically weigh 125 to 150 pounds. The smaller females typically weigh about half as much as their male counterparts.
They grow very quickly, reaching 6-10 in (15-25 cm) within the first few years of their lives. The tortoises grow faster when there is more rainfall and slower when there is less.
Lifespan
Sulcata tortoise lifespan is among the longest in all land reptiles. They frequently exceed 100 years and, in some cases, reach up to 150 years. In captivity their life span is around 54 years. African spurred tortoises can live up to 70 years in captivity, so it's important to properly care for them throughout their lifetime.
However, their long lives also come with challenges-especially in captivity. Sulcata tortoises are one of the most commonly surrendered pets, often because their owners didn’t realize just how big, strong, and long-lived they’d become.
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Habitat and Range
The African spurred tortoise is native to the Sahara Desert and the Sahel, a transitional ecoregion of semiarid grasslands, savannas, and thorn shrublands. They are found on hills, stable dunes, and flat areas with shrubs and high grass. They also like to settle in areas with interrupted streams or rivers.
In these arid regions, the tortoise excavates burrows in the ground to get to areas with higher moisture levels, and spends the hottest part of the day in these burrows. This is known as aestivation.
Diet and Nutrition
Sulcata tortoises are mostly herbivores. Primarily, their diets consist of many types of grasses, plants (especially succulent plants), and hay. Their overall diet should be high in fiber and very low in protein.
Too much protein will lead to the tortoise growing too fast, which can result in metabolic bone disease, a condition that is characterized by distortion of the skeleton and weakened bone structure and can lead to lameness, lower quality of life, and/or shortened lifespan.
Flowers and other plants including cactus pads can be consumed. In the wild, they have been observed to also eat plants and algae off the surface of the water.
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African spurred tortoises are also capable of eating various vegetables such as endive, dandelion greens, and dark leafy greens. Despite being herbivores, they will occasionally eat the carcasses of dead animals.
Here at the farm, we use a high quality salad that we create and chop twice weekly to consist of the following: collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, red leaf lettuce, Romaine lettuce, other dark and leafy greens and weeds. Also, we include: zucchini, squash, shredded carrots, and Spring mix.
Using a calcium supplement powder that is equipped with vitamin D3 is recommended as well as a reptile multivitamin. Here at the farm, use a 5250 mixture of a reptile multivitamin along with calcium With vitamin D3. We sprinkle this mixture on top of our tortoises food every other day or three times a week.
UVB levels in the tortoises natural habitat are vastly higher than anything we experience in the, so food must be lightly dusted with a vitamin and mineral supplement which contains vitamin D3 and calcium daily.
Five important factors should characterize the Sulcata’s diet: high dietary fiber, low protein, low fruit or sugary foods, adequate calcium, and appropriate portion size.
Young sulcatas grow very fast - they can easily double in size each year during the first three years. For proper bone and shell development, their diet must include adequate calcium.
Many “wet” vegetables can cause health problems in large quantities. Red leaf lettuce, prickly pear cactus pads, hibiscus leaves, hay from various grasses and dandelions are some of the better foods to make up the bulk of their diet.
Don’t feed Sulcatas protein; it’s not part of their natural diet and shouldn’t be part of their captive one. Lack of calcium combined with high protein contributes to some shell malformations and causes pyramiding.
Habitat Requirements for Captive Sulcata Tortoises
Having a properly sized habitat is key to raising a healthy and happy baby tortoise for sale. Due to their large size, housing sulcata tortoise inside can be quite impractical. Please consider this carefully prior to purchasing.
Of anything use to create a tortoise habitat, we would recommend building a tortoise table. Sulcata tortoise hatchlings may be raised something small with limited air movement like a sweater box.
Keep in mind with babies especially, high humidity and low air movement is going to be key to raising them properly. A good sized habitat for a Sulcata hatchling is 2 foot by 2 foot. Keep in mind that they will outgrow this quickly and need a larger habitat within 18 months.
For an adult African Spurred tortoise, the indoor habitat should be at least 8 foot by 8 foot! If you live in a colder climate, an outdoor heated shed or greenhouse is sometimes a better option for an adult African Spurred tortoise.
During hot summer days allow your baby sulcata tortoise to roam under close supervision. T. A shallow dish of water should be provided at all times, and needs to be cleaned daily. It is normal for your baby tortoise to want to spend time and it’s water bowl.
There are many types of substrates that can be used. Substrate is very important because it allows the animal to burrow down and Thermo regulate. It is also important because it helps us maintain the humidity percentage necessary to sustain life properly. As a substrate, a mixture of topsoil and children play sand or cypress bark works well, but for this and other arid loving species, the best substrate is grass hay.
Here at Arturs Farm, our baby tortoise habitats Are kept with 4 inch deep substrate and spray down each morning to maintain ambient humidity in the range of 70%. In one corner of the environment, a heat spot lamp should be positioned to provide artificial basking facilities.
This should be positioned to provide a basking spot of 90 degrees F in that section of the habitat, while the rest of the enclosure can be heated to 80-90 F during the day with a drop at night. Heating sources should always be run through a thermostat.
The enclosure should also be equipped with a full spectrum fluorescent light to provide for UVB. A UVB source is necessary for Vitamin D3 syntheses (needed in calcium metabolism).
Indoor habitats are probably what you’re most concerned with since most people raise their animals indoors for most of their life. Pacifically, during the baby stages you should almost always how’s your animal indoors so you can pay close attention to the parameters vital for sustaining healthy life.
There are many, many ways to construct your indoor Tortoise habitat. You can modify a terrarium. Even construct a tortoise table or similar habitat out of wood, metal, and acrylic. Indoor habitats should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2′ x 4′ until five years of age where as they should be closer to 3′ x 6′. Once full grown, the habitat should be a minimum of 4′ x 8′ in size. Indoor habitat should supply UVB lighting. We prefer a T5 high output fixture at 10% or 12% depending on the distance between the lighting and the top of the substrate.
The ideal enclosure for the African spurred tortoise is an outdoor pen where they will be able to construct a burrow. A fence of about 2 feet in height is recommended with some parts of the fence being extended underground. They prefer high temperatures and thrive in temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit when they have a burrow to go into to cool off.
When in captivity they should also have access to heating systems to keep the temperature of an enclosure above 60 degrees Fahrenheit when the temperature drops during the night. If the tortoise is being kept inside it needs access to artificial means of sunlight.
The enclosure should also be kept somewhat humid. Humidity should be kept around 40-50 percent, as higher humidity may cause respiratory issues.
Behavior
African spurred tortoises are passive and docile pets. They are almost never aggressive and barely ever show territorial behavior. This docile behavior is complemented by their slow speed and silence.
Despite their docile attitude, the tortoises should not be handled often as handling will cause stress, which can lead to health problems and premature death. Being off the ground or constantly carried can cause them to become stressed.
Stressed tortoises may urinate or defecate, try to get away, hide in the shell, and hiss. They are also very curious and can end up stuck on their backs, needing help getting flipped back over.
Conservation Status
C. sulcata is currently ranked as an endangered species. Studies suggest that African spurred tortoises exist in approximately 16.7% of the area where they had previously been found. These studies also show an average of 1-5 tortoises per site canvassed which indicates a rapid decline of the species.
The species faces threats from livestock as they have to compete for resources. The main source of resource competition African spurred tortoises face is from cattle which also graze on grass. According to the CITES database, 9,132 African spurred tortoises were taken from the wild for the pet trade between 1990-2010.
However, this number likely significantly underestimates the actual number of tortoises taken from the wild. This is especially concerning given that the African spurred tortoise has delayed sexual maturity.
The main method of conservation has been reintroduction programs. These sorts of reintroduction programs have been implemented in Ferlo, and Senegal. These programs have seen tortoise survival rates of about 80%.
This means that the tortoises are able to easily to adapt back into their native savanna environments from domestic environment. There are also captive colonies in several countries.
Several organizations are dedicated to the protection of African spurred tortoises; including the Fondation Rurale pour le Développement, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on habitat preservation and population monitoring in Senegal.
One of the biggest threats to the African spurred tortoise is the pet trade. African spurred tortoises are often sold in the pet trade under the name “sulcata tortoise.” Due to their large adult size, habitat requirements and conservation status, African spurred tortoises do not make good pets.
Quick Care Guide for Sulcata Tortoises
Here's a quick reference table for the key care requirements of Sulcata tortoises:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Average lifespan | Up to 70 years in captivity |
| Feeding requirements/diet | Mainly grasses and hay, leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid high-protein foods. |
| Humidity requirements | Dry environment with low humidity levels |
| Lighting/UV requirements | Exposure to UVB lighting for 12-14 hours per day |
| Minimum enclosure size | 8 feet by 4 feet for one adult tortoise |
| Water requirements | Access to fresh, clean water at all times |
By understanding and meeting these requirements, you can ensure a long and healthy life for your African Spurred Tortoise.
