# The next problem herp



## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Gechelone sulcatta......

I have received all kinds of calls this year asking me if I will take them in.....many people may suddenly think woohoo OK! but like the Alligator snapper this is one long-lived herp, who also gets HUGE and is capable of plowing through walls......sadly many of these animals have been bred and sold as "cute" babies with no regard to eventual size attained by these awesome chelonians....another problem is that the males are incredibly nasty towards each other and toward you if you are not carefull...I know you all get tired of hearing this but I can not ever say it or hear it enough...RESEARCH ANY ANIMAL YOU DECIDE TO TAKE ON, unfortunately they do not all make good captives. I say this so that hopefully many of you can help pass that message on especially to newbies and potential victims in retail pet establishments, etc....

This is a larger adult male sulcatta...they can get bigger than this far from record animal...he weighs 154lbs+ ( the tortoise..not the baby)


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## BoomerSub (Jun 23, 2003)

Couldn't agree more. Whenever I get them in I have tons of people asking about the cute little baby tortoises, they usually lose interest when I say how big they get. I try to steer them towards something more suitable, like Russians.

Perhaps it's for the better that that one ice age species that got huge (Geo Metro size, I think) is extinct.

-PK


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## WolfFish (Jun 30, 2004)

do they have a common name? I've never really seen the appeal in tortoises, but thats me.


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## BoomerSub (Jun 23, 2003)

WolfFish said:


> do they have a common name? I've never really seen the appeal in tortoises, but thats me.


 I've seen them sold as African spur-thighs or just spur-thighs. We usually just call them sulcatas around here.

-PK


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

I totally agree, add them to the list of burms, red tails, iguanas, pacu, etc.
Glad the baby isn't 154 pounds!


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2004)

I always wondered what becomes of all those golf-ball-sized Sulcattas being sold at the reptile shows. Like all turtles, most are kept so poorly that they quickly get sick and die.

But a few go on to be another big reptile that the owners no longer want.


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## TANK (Nov 18, 2003)

CROCKEEPER, this is one subject that is NOT brought up IMO. Most of these animals will die in captivity or have to live in horrible conditions. It makes me wonder........WHY is it si damn hard to regulate the selling/keeping of some species of herps??


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Because it is largely a self-regulation area...as soon as the government has to step into something to regulate it we all lose. Pet stores, wholesalers, importers, breeders, keepers, etc.. ALL have a responsibility to not see dollar signs but animals. Sadly it is most of the time the other way around, and because it is largely a state of self regulation the pursuit of the all mighty dollar is what becomes priority for most of these peoples. That is not to say there are not good people out there for there are many, however there are many more unscrupulous buggars out there. If we all help shoulder the burden of regulation amongst ourselves hopefully we can eventually weed out problem species BEFORE they become problems...the scariest thing I have been watching over the last five years or so is the market for venomous snakes..and I have to say it looks like this is one that is going to get uglier before it gets better.


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## TANK (Nov 18, 2003)

I agree completely about the "hot" herps. I for one just do not see any reason for the general PET owner to have one. The risk they put on themselves as well as others is not worth it. And I feel the same way about the "giant" snakes and lizards. 
Ive said it before.......I wish there was a way to control the sales/ keeping of these animals. Maybe a liscense system, one where the person interested in keeping the animal has to prove that he/she can PROPERLY house and maintain the animal. 
Hey, im not saying that NO ONE should keep these beautiful animals, but it would be nice to see that they are all PROPERLY cared for for a change. I cant tell you how many times I was at a Herp Expo and I watched as some kid forked over his $45 for a baby burm that he thought was gonna be the "bomb" when it reached 15 feet.........


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Totally agree...nice pic BTW...







!


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