Howie

This sulcata is in Bertram. This tortoise is one of 14 coming to CTTR from Nebraska. The current owner rescued them from bad situations and moved them with her to east Texas from Nebraska a year and a half ago. She cannot keep them as planned. They have all been kept outdoors during summer months in Nebraska, year-round here in Texas. They are given as much grass and weeds as they can eat in their outdoor pens with dry grass and hay offered at all times inside or in their heated building. They also get supplemented with Mazuri tortoise pellets about every 2 weeks. Leafy greens such as turnip greens and collards are given weekly and other veggies/snacks are given on occasion. This includes watermelon, squash and pumpkin depending on the season. Howie: adult male sulcata. Came with his brother Herbie about 20 years ago. They were the first two sulcatas taken into this home. They lived the beginning of their lives (about 8 years) in a high school science classroom in upper New York. They had never been outside or seen sunlight until they were given to the current owner. Size 51.8 lb Howie has significant pyramiding as is expected when raised indoors. He has limited space by his tail between his carapace and plastron. He had suffered a prolapsed approximately 14 years ago that did not require surgery. In order to adopt a sulcata or leopard tortoise allow them to always live outdoors where it can enjoy natural sunlight, lots of shady spots for hot summers, lots of plants and other hiding places, a warm shelter that it can freely go into when temperatures drop below 60 degrees, clean fresh water, and plentiful natural graze just like it would have in the wild. That means grasses, weeds, and cactus, but a little snack of store-bought produce is okay once in a while but not as a regular diet. Please do not feed your sulcata or leopard tortoise fruit or produce that is high in oxalates, such as spinach or carrots, as these can cause bladder stones which may be fatal. Do your homework. They must have at least 6,000 square feet to roam that it will NOT be sharing with another tortoise, so it doesn't have to worry about fighting or mating. In the wild, these animals have home ranges that are measured in miles, not feet. We've already taken them from their habitat, the least we can do is try and emulate it in captivity as best as possible. You may NOT adopt more than one sulcata or leopard, unless you have multiple 6000-square-foot enclosures, even the cute harmless little babies. It is dangerous for the animal as it grows, they do NOT need a companion, and we will NOT approve the adoption of more than one sulcata per enclosure. TEMPS NEED to BE KEPT ABOVE 60 DEGREES (this means you might have to bring your animal into your home during an historic freeze event). DO NOT BOTHER APPLYING if you aren't willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep this animal alive. You MUST have a way to monitor the temperature inside of the tortoise's outdoor house (buy a Bluetooth thermometer) and you should be willing to purchase a good generator, and/or bring the tortoise inside your house if the power goes out and you can't keep the temps in your tortoise's house above 60. If you are not in good physical shape to lift and carry a heavy sulcata or leopard tortoise in an extreme cold weather event don't apply to adopt. Please understand that these animals can live for 150 years and can reach 200 lbs. You'll need to have a plan in place for both of these eventualities. If you submit photos of your sulcata or leopard tortoise habitat (aka: your yard) with a piece of paper with your name on it or some other form of authentication in the same frame as the habitat then we will review your application, otherwise your application will expire in 30 days without being reviewed. Pictures should be e-mailed to [email protected] (this is the only way to submit your photos - please don't text them to me or send them over Facebook). Photos should show sturdy walls or fence of the enclosure, hides, water source, heated house (or explain your plans for this) Once your application has been reviewed and approved, we'll send you an e-mail that has a link to our calendar or contact information for a foster home so that you can schedule the pick up at a time that is convenient for you. The adoption fee for a sulcata or leopard tortoise is $150, payable through the adoption link I will text you once you are approved. You can pay using the link anytime before picking up the tortoise. You may pay cash at the time when you pick up the animal only at our Bandera, Pflugerville, and Bertram locations. Foster homes will not take cash.