Mary Allen
Spurred tortoises are occasionally sold as cute young animals in pet shops. But be careful: these tortoises are getting huge! Spurred tortoises used to be called Geochelone sulcata, today their scientific name is Centrochelys sulcata. There are no subspecies.
Sulcata tortoise size
The spurred tortoise is the third largest tortoise, only the Aldabra or Seychelles giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) and Galapagos giant tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra) are slightly larger. Spurred tortoises are said to reach a shell length of up to one meter. The largest known and measured specimen was a male that had a straight carapace length of 84.5 cm, the curved carapace length (i.e. measured with a measuring tape attached to the carapace) is then over 100 cm. Spurred tortoises usually grow to “only” 80 cm. They can weigh up to 100 kg.
Males are usually larger than females. The female spurred tortoises usually “only” reach a shell length of 60-70 cm with a weight of 45-60 kg.
Full grown sulcata tortoise
Spurred tortoises often grow too fast in human care. The diet when keeping spurred tortoises is often too rich, in nature they are used to meager food. Spurred tortoises, for example, often reach three kilograms a year after hatching if they are fed too much. Actually, after two years, only 1-3 kg body weight should be aimed for. At the age of 3-6 years, 4-6 kg would be good, but when kept in human hands, spurred tortoises at the age of five usually already weigh 10-20 kg. In the wild, tortoises only reach this weight when they are 10 to 15 years old. By the age of 15, pet spurred tortoises usually weigh over 40 kg. Spurred tortoises then hardly grow at the age of 20 years.
The distribution area of spurred tortoises
Spurred tortoises are African tortoises. They live in northern Africa, on the southern edge of the Sahara from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea. Although the region of origin is very long at over 8000 km, it is not even 1000 km wide. So it’s a long, narrow strip across North Africa, between the 12th and 18th parallels north.
Spurred Tortoise Pose
Spurred tortoises should not be acquired if they cannot be kept outdoors, i.e. in the garden. The seasons are offered to the spurred tortoises somewhat offset. During our summer they live in an outdoor terrarium with a greenhouse, which corresponds to the climate of the rainy season in the area of origin of the spurred tortoises. The spurred tortoises then spend the winter in the indoor terrarium with artificial lighting and heating so that the dry season can be simulated.
Greenhouse for Spurred Tortoises
The greenhouse for adult Spurred Tortoises should have a footprint of at least 8 x 4 m. There should be a wall or strong wooden walls in the lower area of the greenhouse, because the strong spurred tortoises can easily destroy the glass and double-walled sheets of a greenhouse. The turtles should be able to enter the outdoor terrarium through a door from the greenhouse. With a few slats*, like those used for horses, you can reduce the heat loss in the greenhouse a little. The blinds* that can be bought ready-made are usually too long, but can easily be shortened with a pair of strong scissors.
With forced air heating and metal halide lamps, the temperature in the greenhouse during the rainy season should be 28-35°C during the day, and the temperature can drop to 15-25°C at night. Under the lamps, the temperature must reach 40-45 °C so that the spurred tortoises can regulate their body temperature. The most suitable lamp for spurred tortoises is the Bright Sun UV Ultra with 150 watts, you need a ballast* and a suitable socket for this lamp.
A layer of soil (or a mixture of soil and sand) at least one meter thick is required in the greenhouse for egg laying.
Outdoor terrarium for spurred tortoises
Spurred tortoises can go outdoors from an air temperature of 15 °C and sun. The outdoor enclosure for spurred tortoises must be in full sun if possible, i.e. in the sun for at least eight hours. Don’t skimp on the size of the facility. Like the wild ones, spurred tortoises eat everything that grows in plants in the enclosure. With three spurred tortoises you should plan at least 50 square meters, better a lot more, otherwise, there won’t be a single plant in the enclosure by summer at the latest.
A fence is the worst option for enclosing the enclosure. If the turtles can see through there, they want to go through there too. In addition, turtles can climb better than you think and often climb fences. A smooth wall, smooth board walls or palisades are more suitable. Because spurred tortoises are good at digging, the enclosure must also be at least one meter deep in the ground surrounding the enclosure. The height above the ground should also be one meter. The boundary must avoid angles where turtles can pull themselves up or stack on top of each other. The corners of the enclosure are better designed as a curve, then the turtles continue along the curve.
Indoor terrarium for spurred tortoises
If you cannot offer sufficient temperatures in the greenhouse in winter, then you also need an indoor terrarium. An indoor terrarium is also useful for young animals. There are of course no suitable gals terrariums available for adult spurred tortoises, so you have to build up walls or convert a room for the spurred tortoises. For two to three adult spurred tortoises, the “indoor terrarium” should have an area of 10 x 5 m. It can be calculated for smaller spurred tortoises: up to two spurred tortoises need a terrarium with at least 8 times the shell length, the width must correspond to at least 4 times the shell length. 10% is added for each additional turtle, and 20% from the fifth turtle.
In other words: for two spurred tortoises with a shell length of up to 20 cm, you need a terrarium with an area of 160 x 80 cm. Because spurred tortoises grow quickly and run a lot, you should not start with a smaller terrarium. Metal halide lamps with a UV component are recommended as lighting for a terrarium of this size. For example, two to three Bright Sun UV Desert 70 W complete sets* are well suited. Not only do these lamps provide plenty of visible light, they also provide warmth and vital UV radiation. These lamps are evenly spaced along the length of the terrarium so that there is light everywhere. The height at which the lamps are hung is chosen so that it is 40-45 °C warm under the lamps, usually at a distance of about 30 cm. The lighting duration for the period of keeping them in the indoor terrarium (our winter, dry season for the turtles) should be between 12 and 14 hours. The air temperature between 28 and 35 °C. At night, the temperature should drop to room temperature.
The best substrate for spurred tortoises is a sand-soil mixture that is kept slightly moist in the deeper layers where the spurred tortoises bury themselves. In order to reduce dust formation, the substrate should be sprayed with water in the evening. If you keep sexually mature females, they can lay (unfertilized) eggs without ever having had contact with a male. Therefore, the substrate must be at least one meter thick for sexually mature females. Otherwise, a life-threatening laying emergency can occur.
When keeping spurred tortoises in the terrarium, you must always ensure that there is sufficient humidity, otherwise, the tortoises become susceptible to respiratory diseases. The aim is humidity between 40 and 60%, at night even 70-80%.
A few larger stones and roots can be placed in the terrarium for decoration and structuring. Planting will not succeed unless the plants are planted in containers that are so large that the spurred tortoises cannot reach the plants.
Hump formation in spurred tortoises
Actually, spurred tortoises should grow flat and have no humps. There are no humps on the vast majority of spurred tortoises in nature. Spurred tortoises need sufficient humidity in the terrarium/greenhouse (at least 60%) to avoid humpback in captivity. It is also postulated that you should feed your turtles a low-protein diet so that they don’t get humps. In scientific studies on spurred tortoises, however, there was no influence of the protein content of the food on the formation of humps.
Diet Spurred Tortoises
The Spurred Tortoise is a herbivore. In the wild, they mainly eat succulents, herbs and (in contrast to European tortoises) also grass. In order to absorb additional calcium, bones are also consumed in nature (from deceased animals), and earth and pebbles are also specifically ingested to supply minerals.
The food varies seasonally. In the spring, when it rains a lot, green plants that are full of sap are eaten. In summer, during the dry season, these are not available and dry plants are consumed, which are effectively hay.
Food for Spurred Tortoises
In summer, spurred tortoises like to mower the lawn in their outdoor enclosure, in contrast to European tortoises, they like to eat a lot of grass. About three-quarters of the diet should consist of grass or hay made from grass.
All forage plants that are also suitable for European tortoises are also suitable for African spurred tortoises. In winter you will also have to resort to various salads, as it is not necessary to collect enough forage plants all year round. We use our winter as a dry season when keeping spurred tortoises so that hay (dried grass*, dried dandelion*, dried buckhorn, dried nettle, etc.) is valuable and well-suited food during the winter.
Fruit and vegetables contain too much sugar and other carbohydrates and at the same time, too little crude fiber and are therefore not suitable as food for spurred tortoises.
Ready-to-eat food for spurred tortoises
Ready-made tortoise food available in pet shops is often not suitable for spurred tortoises and other tortoises. The only exception is Heucobs, which are grasses and herbs that have been dried and pressed into thick pellets (“cobs”), without any additives.
Such hay cobs are available in smaller portions, for example as Agrobs Pre Alpin Testudo 500g*, but also as a 12.5 kg bag. However, hay cobs for horses that only contain meadow grass and herbs, such as Agrobs Pre Alpin Wiesencobs*, are just as suitable. The horse feed is usually available in larger bags and is still cheaper. A factor that should not be underestimated for large spurred tortoises.
All Heucobs (whether for tortoises or horses) must be soaked in water until they break down before being fed. They increase significantly in volume. If you don’t do this, the haycobs will swell up in the turtle’s stomach and can lead to a bursting stomach.
Calcium supply of spurred tortoises
Our native wild herbs and especially salads do not always contain as much calcium as the plants that spurred tortoises eat in nature, so they must have the opportunity to absorb additional calcium. Sepia schoolpe are ideally suited for this, which you simply place in the terrarium/open-air enclosure and from which the spurred tortoises can use if necessary. You don’t have to remove the hard part of the cuttlefish, even small turtles still manage to eat from the cuttlefish.
Spurred tortoise droppings
What goes in at the front comes out at the back. You will be amazed what a remarkable pile such a spurred tortoise can make. Not only the size is meant, but also the smell. If the terrarium is in the living room, you will quickly feel the urge to remove the droppings from the terrarium immediately after defecation.
Spurred tortoises’ urine is highly concentrated because, as residents of arid regions, they have to conserve water. Spurred tortoises urinate significantly less than European tortoises, even though they are larger.
Water supply of Spurred Tortoises
Spurred tortoises can survive without water for a long time without suffering any visible damage. However, they should always have fresh water available in bowls big enough for the turtles to fit inside. The water level should be high enough for you to be able to completely submerge your head to drink. Because spurred tortoises prefer to defecate and urinate while bathing, the bathing and drinking area must be cleaned daily. If the spurred tortoises do not have enough water available, they often suffer from kidney and bladder diseases.
Breeding of Spurred Tortoises
Spurred tortoises reach sexual maturity with a shell length of 35-50 cm, their weight is then around 15-20 kg. Mating can take place all year round. In nature, the eggs are usually laid from October to April, when kept in Central Europe from January to June. The egg pits can be dug up to 80 cm deep. Spurred tortoise eggs are about the same size and weight as chicken eggs, but are spherical. A clutch can contain up to 40 eggs, but usually there are only half as many.
Before breeding you should definitely think about where you want to give the young animals that you don’t want to keep. Spurred tortoises get very old and very large, so there are not many tortoise keepers who can offer these wonderful creatures species-appropriate housing. When in doubt, it makes more sense to destroy the eggs. You can either open the eggs or boil them for 15 minutes. Just leaving them in the ground is not a good option as summers in Europe are getting warmer and natural brooding (especially if the eggs were laid in the greenhouse) can occur.
Spurred tortoise hatchling sex depends on breeding temperature. If you want to incubate as many females as possible, the incubation temperature must be 33-34 °C. If you want to keep males in particular, the incubation temperature should be around 28 °C. The incubation period, from egg laying to hatching, is 100-200 days.
Socialization of Spurred Tortoises
Spurred tortoises can be cared for alone without any problems, although spurred tortoise hatchlings in particular can be raised in groups without any problems. The problems usually only start with the onset of sexual maturity. Female spurred tortoises are usually easy to keep in groups with their own kind. The males are a bit different, they can hurt other spurred tortoise males with their ramming blows and also become too pushy towards females. Therefore only one male should be kept together with at least three females. If it follows the female spurred tortoise too closely, you must be able to house the male separately.
European tortoises are not suitable for keeping together with spurred tortoises. On the one hand, Greek tortoises and co. remain significantly smaller, on the other hand, they have completely different temperature requirements. Turtles can also infect each other with diseases.
In terms of keeping conditions, leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) are much better suited to spurred tortoises, although they remain somewhat smaller. They also differed in behavior. Leopard tortoises are shy and more sensitive than spurred tortoises.
Buy Spurred Tortoise
Spurred tortoises caught in the wild are usually not available, but captive bred ones. It doesn’t matter whether you buy from a pet store or from a private breeder. Spurred tortoises reproduce well in human care, so there is no need to resort to wild capture. Hatchlings and larger specimens are regularly offered on terraristik.com. However, one should not rely on the German name, but rather use “sulcata” as a search term. In addition, there are spurred tortoises of all ages in many reptile sanctuaries that are urgently waiting for a species-appropriate home.
Age of Spurred Tortoises
Spurred tortoises can be very as, over 70 years of life expectancy is documented. However, since knowledge about the species-appropriate keeping of reptiles has improved significantly in recent decades, it can be assumed that spurred tortoises will live longer in the future. A possible age of over 120 years is speculated.
CITES / Conservation of Species
Spurred tortoises have been under species protection since the 1970s. They are currently in Appendix II of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Spurred tortoises are in Appendix B of the EU species protection regulation. Therefore, spurred tortoises in the EU must be reported to the responsible species protection authority and proof of origin is required for the animals.
Hibernation in Spurred Tortoises?
As a tropical tortoise, the spurred tortoise does not hibernate. If you put them in the fridge in the winter, like you do with European tortoises, spurred tortoises die. However, there are differences in the behavior of turtles depending on the season. In nature, they are mainly active in winter in the morning until noon, i.e. they sunbathe and go in search of food. In summer they avoid the midday heat and only come out of their burrows in the evening. In spring and autumn you can experience them actively both in the morning and in the evening. In the wild, spurred tortoises sometimes survive the hot and dry summers in their caves during a summer rest. When kept as pets, however, they are usually active all year round.
Suitability for children
Spurred tortoises are not suitable as pets for children due to the size of turtles and the associated size (and cost) of appropriate housing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big do African tortoises get?
Appearance. Adult males of the African beaked turtle have a carapace length of 22.5 to 28.5 centimeters. Females remain significantly smaller and have a carapace length between 18.5 and 22.5 centimeters. The species usually has 10 marginal shields.
How fast do spurred tortoises grow?
Its weight will multiply within the first year. At one-year-old Spurred Tortoises often weigh between 150g to 210g. Spurred tortoise growth is highly dependent on husbandry. Animals in optimal husbandry grow evenly and gain weight every month.
Which is the largest turtle in the world?
The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is not only green but also black-brown to yellowish-green in color. With a length of up to 1.5 meters and a weight of up to 200 kilograms, it is the largest tortoise of the Cheloniidae family.
How much space does a giant tortoise need?
The enclosure should be at least 10 square meters for a turtle and at least 5 square meters for each additional animal. You should be very generous with the space.
How much does a giant tortoise cost?
It should be clear that you shouldn’t look at a turtle as a cheap hobby. The acquisition costs are around $100. The costs for the basic equipment, i.e. terrarium, food, electricity, etc. can quickly amount to $100.
How much space does a baby turtle need?
A fixed grid on the box protects the animals from enemies. This form of housing is suitable for very young tortoises. Later the animals need more space and the outdoor enclosure should then be at least one and ideally around five square meters.
How big does the enclosure have to be for 2 turtles?
The enclosure should grow with the size of the animals. Adult animals should have an area of at least 10 square meters and for each additional animal at least 5 square meters should be added. The border must be at least 25-30 cm high so that the turtles cannot escape.
How often to feed baby turtle?
However, it is generally recommended that baby turtles be fed often – usually once a day – as they are growing and need the extra vitamins and minerals. Baby turtles should be fed every day.
How much do young turtles eat?
In summer they are all in a common outdoor enclosure, where they are fed a total of 70 to a maximum of 100 g of green fodder (wild herbs, occasionally cabbage, carrots, rarely lettuce, no fruit, no tomatoes, etc.).
Which turtle is best to have as a pet?
Suitable species: species of Palearctic tortoises (Testudo), box turtles (Terrapene), geochelones, Pelomedusa tortoises (Pelomedusidae), European pond turtles (Emys), and the column turtle (Malacochersus tornieri) are particularly recommended for private individuals.