AboutMark Adkins Expertise I will be glad to help with your tortoise- and turtle-related questions. My specialty is Red-foot and other Tortoises, but I can help with many aspects of turtle care.
Understand- I am not a vet, and the more information you can give me, the more accurate my answer can be.
(Because of the number of questions I get, I reserve the right to direct you to a good website that will help rather than re-inventing the wheel.)
Experience Tortoise and other reptile keeper since 1964.
Member of the Nebraska Herpetological Society.
Author of books and articles on tortoise care.
Currently own five Red-foot Tortoises.
Expert: Mark Adkins Date: 7/10/2008 Subject: Sulcata Tortoise
Question I am about to order one of these tortoises online and was wandering if you could tell me exactly what I need and what I should do before I gets here.
Answer You need to research what you are letting yourself in for. This is a HUGE, DESTRUCTIVE species that as an adult will need lots of room, dig huge holes, be too heavy to move easily, etc.
It makes some sense to keep them in warm, dry parts of the world- the southwest US, for example, but I could never keep one here in Nebraska- I have no way to keep it warm outside, and nowhere near enough space in the house- even if I could move it. It also does not make sense to buy a small animal that you know will get big and think to yourself that you will deal with that later- 'later' comes faster than you think!
