Sulcata Tortoises As Pets: The Cold, Hard Truth.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
- #sulcata #gianttortoise #gardenstatetortoise
Keeping giant tortoises is no easy task. They’re heavy, deliberate, smart and capable of being destructive. When it comes to the sulcata tortoise, they can dig burrows 100 feet deep and they can do it FAST. Let’s get inside one of these massive, underground tunnels in our own backyard and check up on the other giant tortoise species of Garden State Tortoise.
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Who is Garden State Tortoise?
However you made it here, thank you and welcome to Garden State Tortoise. Garden State Tortoise is home to hundreds of animals from all around the world. We are a family dedicated to adventure, conservation of wildlife, and all things nature. We are a reptile rescue and breeding facility for more than ten years, offering refuge to those who need it, and working everyday to protect the beautiful world of reptiles in any way we can. Here on our TH-cam channel you will be able to join us on our animal adventures while learning how to care for, protect, properly identify, feed and even breed many species of turtle, tortoise, snake and lizard. We even work with frogs and salamanders! We hope you enjoy our videos and help us share them with the world so we can continue to educate people of all ages about herpetology.
Chris and Casey Leone
I'm just so taken by Dixie's happy smile. She must be so pleased with her design for a summer getaway.
I think she definitely is 🤣
I love the part when the red foot tortoise was peeking to see what was going on and then you started talking about ‘tortoises having personalities. Once my Greek tortoise hears that Im prepping food for my Beardie, he’ll be sprinting around his enclosure like an Olympian to signify to me that he’s hungry too
🤣🤣🤣
Mei wone too😂
Hi, our Sulcata is 24 yrs old, 165lbs, how did you build this ones enclosure? Mine is a tunnel rat as well, I should have named him Houdini. Thanks Ted
She’s like “get out of my air conditioning please”
This little big gal is just beautiful. Love my Sunday morning GST vids. Keep ‘em coming all
Cheers 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🐢🐢🐢
Haha yep! Thank you!
Well, there's nothing better than a quiet Sunday morning with my coffee watching another awesome video from GST. I just love seeing all the beauties and how happy and healthy they are. Stay cool my friends! 🥰
Thank you Lauren 😊
They are all exquisite and so obviously well taken care of and loved. The depth of that burrow is really amazing and to learn that they can be a hundred feet long is mind blowing. These animals aren’t dumb! 🐢❤️🐢 I’m so grateful for your videos. I’ve learned so much about turtles🐢
Thank you Lori!
Glad you are reliable to take them in n care for them. Can tell they're happy n healthy another great video content. They're so cute coming up to you to eat. Great job 👍 👍 😊😊❤❤
Thank you 🙏🏻
@@GardenStateTortoise You're Welcome
Chris, you are living out the dream of every kid who ever loved a turtle or tortoise! And you do it to world class specs. Bless you for all the effort your family invests to keep your very large group safe and sound. I was just going to mention how fast all your tortoises move when Dixie knocked you over! Put that lady on a football team! Everybody knows when it's feeding time which proves how smart they are. They must have excellent sense of smell.
I've had mine since 1993 30 years old. No regrets.
Turtles have such awesome personalities. I fall in love all over again 😆
❤️🐢
My dad bought me one in 1969. I was one. I’m 56 now. Eddie is my age. He’s huge Heavy and fast. Crazy thing he knows my voice so well. He was the size of a quarter. He’s maybe 200 pounds and 4-5 feet long.
Wow
What do you plan to do if you pass on. Is he going to a new home planned? It's something to think about. It's a huge responsibility.
@@windturbinesyndrome1067 my son is 30. He as kids also. Boys.
He still wants to climb on me. I figure he will live another 100 years. He bumps his head like he did in the 70’s. That was his I want to to pick me up.
Love the tortoises! Thanks for the updates on the Galops too! Great work as always you guys!🐢
I love our tortoise '! Button and Shelly. They are so much entertainment! Two different personalities ❤
I love the part in the beginning where Dixie is there judging her owner for daring to go in her home and struggling to get out lol
Great production great music choice !!As always 👍👍👍
Thank you!
They are ALL so awesome looking🥰👍❤️
Thank you 😊
When you dig up an awesome burrow but your food delivery guy takes it for himself:
Edit: Sorry but I had to laugh when the giant tortoise rammed into you like a tank 😂
🤣🤣🤣🐢👍🏻
Love the tortoise coming to judge the interloper.
😂😮😂😂😅🎉😅❤😮😅😅🎉q😂😅q❤❤😂🎉❤😂🎉😂😂😅😅😅😂q🎉😅
She judged hard 🤣
A fabulous tortoise vid breakt is always welcome 🤩 on a Sunday spent up to my neck in work yet again...
Thank you!!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the tortoises! I love seeing them!
It's really nice to see Sally and Dixie getting along
This was my FAVORITE video yet. I am enthralled by your whole world. You are living the dream.❤
what do you do during the jersey winters?
Aw what a handsome couple! I love how curious tortoises are! I remember when we first got Shelly, our Russian tortoise. Across the room from her enclosure was my cockatiel’s cage. Shelly was spending most of her time informing us that she was a free tortoise and was too big for her enclosure, but whenever Taji (my cockatiel) played with his bell Shelly would stop everything and just stare. Like, “what is that sound? I must have it!” Yes so now she has her own enrichment balls with bells in them that she can ignore until she thinks we’re not paying attention.
Friend has four African Sulcattas,got them the size of half dollars and are huge by large now.
I can imagine. They grow fast!
Just love everyone of your videos.
They keep me amused for hours and love the way you and Carey take care of all your incredible animals.❤
Casey.
By that thumbnail, it looks like chris lives in that tunnel
On second thought on watching the video more, nevermind
With how cool if felt down there, I certainly could!
Cutest bulldozers 🐢🐢🐢🤭🥰😻🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
Dixie comes up and says he bud, what you doing in my house? All these guys are awesome ❤
She's like, "Dude... why you in my burrow?" 😂
awwww baby galops!!! they are so cute 😊💚🐢
Mickey looks like an old man already.
She’s an ancient soul 😊
Until I move into a place with room for a tortoise to roam I watch people's videos. I will watch tonight. Thanks
you have the most lovely videos. the beauty of the tortoises and their environment is amazing. Blessings!
Thank you!
I would looove to live next door to this guy and get to enjoy the animals without the hassle of owning them lol. I would gladly pitch in though
Haha thanks!
Thankfully my sulcata, which is about that size, is not a digger. He has a nice house and lots of shade for hot days at the beach here in SoCal.
Just keep a close eye, we had one not start digging until it was nearing 30 years of age. It’s a natural instinct that some start doing early while others don’t start until much later.
@@GardenStateTortoise ....dang. My boy is twenty years old. I would not be happy with a digger. :-) Once in a long while he'll forget to go back to his house when it gets dark, so he digs in. Lordy is he tough to get out of a hole that's only a foot deep or so. Lots of digging with a shovel while he's resisting. They're tough critters!!
I am really concerned about the number of sulcata tortoises being produced for the pet trade. There is no way there are that many homes for them. It makes me really sad.
What’s your point? I can be sad for the animals that will definitely suffer due to being placed in improper homes and becoming unwanted pets if I want to. I just think too many people are producing huge numbers of them to make cute TH-cam videos. Garden state tortoise is not one of them, of course. Have you watched any of their videos about red eared sliders? Sulcatas are becoming the tortoise equivalent in my opinion.
My 2 year old sulcata dug 23 feet!
mickeyyyy love her! 🙌🏻🤗🐢
Depending upon the soil profile, is there a danger of the tunnel collapsing?
I’m sure there is but luckily here the substrate is very “tortoise friendly”.
It would be interesting to find out what are the future plans for housing the giant torts in the wintertime.
Lmao Dixie was like "and this is for you, for sticking your TOES in my burrow.. SIR!"
I really love the radiated tortoises the babies and the full grown just so cute and their personality and how they stand up in the 🌧️ in the cutest
Thanks for educating! Here in California, people buy Sulcatas, not really realizing how huge and destructive they are. Lovey, majestic, but not really meant to be pets you buy at the flea market!❤❤
I watched a video yesterday where Florida's Wildest built a new pen for a new to them Sulcata. They sunk the wire on the perimeter down about 3 or 4 feet. Now I'm thinking that may only be a mild deterrent to a determined tortoise.
Never get tired of watching this❤
Wonderful video, as usual.
We have one the size of a honeydew and the pushing torque she has is amazing!
Red foot look like it should be a lava type pokemon lol
They are all amazing.
Theyre so cute!!!! I want to sit with each and every one of them!!
Thank you for the great videos explations
Question, I've seen you say that they need outdoor enclosures but I also see people who have them on their farm and they don't seem to escape or run away, am I missing something or is it very rare that they will stay around there human? Thank you for your awesome videos!!
Hoping you do an in depth clip on your plan for Mickey, especially winter plans. Thanks. Whatever you do may end up as my blueprint for doing the same.
Thanks. We have a 1,200 square foot building that houses our giants.
@@GardenStateTortoise Yep. Have watched every video you've ever made but your family of giants has gotten, uh...gianter than ever. 😊 Figured expansion or additions might be on the horizon.
So fun. Love them.
I love them so much.
I’m having a problem with my young redfoot not wanting greens even though I offer a variety of cleaned organic greens. They just ignore them and it’s been a problem for a while I don’t know what to do they will eat other things but not greens. Do you have any advice?
My best friend has like 3 of them lol they’re cool and keep the backyard grass cut 😂
What do you do with them when it snows?
🐢😂must say that was a big hole sulcatas love to dig my sulcata tank dose the same ❤
Oooo come climb down in my guys den... We have no clue where it goes
Tortoise: Hey human !!!, what are you doing at my den ???
my house.... my home sweet home.
Are you spying my house.
My tortoise private property...
Wait !, i didn't know it fits in human as well... really shocked for the tortoise
You guys are on the southern shore of New Jersey? Haha I would love to say hi to you guys one day! I reside around there as well!
They can run too when they want too they can go pretty fast
Are dandelions one of the better foods we can get for sulcatas or the testudos?
They’re ok as part of a well-rounded diet. Grass is best for Sulcatas.
Where do you buy all the greens. Not a store obviously.!
More on sulcatas 🐢🐢
where did you order that green box?? I need to get it!
Tiptoe the star tortoise in california and his mom caitlin has him as a pet and had him since a baby.One thing I always asked her but never got an answer is why she doesnt provide places for tip toe to dig, isnt that what salcatas do?
My mom’s has never dug that deep wow!!!
My 8 year old has always had a about 2 foot deep burrow I made for him. Covered by plywood and dirt. When I cut the pampas grass down I also used that as Insolation. Was just wondering if two feet is enough. He’s always been happy and healthy but I will upgrade according to size
Where do you get that organic dandelion?
I love you ❤
❤️🐢
Do you worry about mixing species?
Only those that will cross-breed.
Hello new subscriber here do you have a video on a desert tortoise habitat Enclosure?.. looking to build an outdoor Enclosure for my desert tort
The red foot tortoises are the coolest
How do you house the Sulcatas in winter, heated and lit indoor enclosures?
We have a heated 1,200 square foot building with indoor runs and pens.
is galapagos turtle illegal to keep?
Where so you keep your giant tortoises that cant overwinter outside?
We have a 1,200 square foot building that’s heated.
❤❤❤
I saved one of these African tortoises 1.5 yrs ago. I know nothing about them. I’ve fed him lots of greens and some fruits. I just recently found some Grassland Tortoise food pellets because I saw something about pyramiding? But I see your shell looks like mine so is that normal?
I don’t understand I was told never to mix different species of tortoises 🐢
Do you have any tiny Eastern painted turtles I have a juvenile painted turtle and he doesn't have company
Where do you guys get your dandelion?
I would have loved that for my bearded dragon and uromastyx lizard. I would grab it from the sides of roads and areas that weren't sprayed with pesticides and always triple wash it but it would have been great to have a big staple of it year round. They also loved the flowers. Both of them would go crazy for them. I also wish I would have tried buying bee pollen because I see that the lizards love it as well.
you can get them at grocery stores
How old is Dixie the sulcata?
man these things can eat lol.
Sulcatas look -- grumpier than the average tortoise. I don't know why it is.
The Aldabras look the most "normal," and the Galapogos tortoises seem more bizarre and "alien" to put it mildly.
I guess I'm more comfortable with the smaller tortoises and turtles.
Good way to put it but the Aldabra has the more atypical face when compared to most tortoises.
How do you let them burrow safely?
They looks a little bit like a micheal Jackson 😁
My grandson has a red foot tortoise called red.
Hey man, im from northern california. I really want to get involved with animal care. Whats the first step i should take?
What do you do in the Winter?
They have a huge building
I got a sulcata this summer her names delta
Never go down a tortoise hole ever!! Think about it they can kill you you cannot push a tortoise
Why are you allowed to keep Galapagos turtle tortoises? I went to the Galapagos and I thought they were only allowed in the Galapagos why are these animals that are native to other countries in the US? Are they here legally?
They are here 100% legally, these were gifted to us from a known sanctuary and we’ve talked about this in several videos along with what it is we do here. The only way to preserve species from actual extinction is by doing this. That’s not opinion, it’s factual.
😂 I've got a female sulcata named PeaPod who keeps trying to burrow. She's very irritated that I keep filling them in.
🤣👍🏻
How can you tell male and female. We just got a couple of sulcatas.
my name is nick have a tortoise and i need to speak with you about her is there any way i can get in contact with you please
How can u tell if it's a male or female
Wich show there no climate change the grown still is staying cool😊
Poor dude got tackled by a hungry tortoise.
Haha 😂