Africafrican Spurred thighed Tortoise' any experience

gypsygirl

Heres the story. I have two relativly small African Spurred Thighed Tortoise; both male, at present I have them housed indoors in a 4x3 tank, I'm in the process of building them a 8x6 glasshouse outdoors; It will have UVA/B lighting, heat lamp, heat-pad etc, lots more room to move about, plants to hide in, eat, etc. I know these Torts grow quickly to an excessive size fairly fast, anybody out there any experience?

tallus

You could try calling Thomas McElerhon in Boardwalk pets, I think he kept them a number of years back. I dont think it's a good idea to have a heatmat, their heat should come from above, not below.
If you feed them correctly and on the correct diet you should be ok, slow even growth is the best way for them to grow, the slower the better, as fast growth can cause shell deformities. ALso find out what they eat in their natural habitat, I dont know if they are herbivorous or omnivorous?
What are you planning to use as a substrate in the outdoor enclosure? I hear a mixture of sand and John Innes number 2 compost is good 2parts compost to one part silca play sand. I use that with my 2 hermans torts.
For the definitive answer/link on these critters why not try the tortoise trust site ? http://www.tortoisetrust.org/
It's the best link to information for all chelonians
*edit* are these the torts you have ? http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/csulcata.html
If so Best of luck ! jaysus they grow ... third largest tortoise on the planet start building the home extension now Or sell them and get a pair of mediterranean torts
If on the other hand, you have a pair of these: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/cgraeca.html
you're fine

gypsygirl

Thanks for the links Tallus, very informative, the substrate I'm using at present is cedar bark chipping which I'm assured is safe but when the outdoor house is ready I'll use the mix you recommended as I can grow their food fresh for them, my two are definitly african spurrs and growing fast (but not at an abnormal rate) we thought about building a conservatory to house them 'cos there only so much you can put into the indoor tank, but I reckon we're gonna move out of Dublin so we can get a place with a bit of land 'cos we've also got two huge dogs and fast running out of places where we can let them run free. The heatpad I'm using is a thermo heat thingy and designed for reptiles, torts included, it only takes up a small part of the tank so they're not stuck on it all the time, it doesn't feel hot to touch but it helps them stay warm when the heat lamp is off at night. Any more tips would be appreciated, I've read that they get bored quite quickly (thats why I need a bigger enclosure) so I want to put in lots of plants and stuff so they can rummage n hide, (I thought about giving them a jigsaw puzzle to stop the boredom but quickly dismissed that idea)

tallus

Best of luck with it