Please contact me at azsulcata@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
You can place an order through our Online Store or you can email me with what you'd like and I can send you an electronic invoice to pay. I accept Credit, Debit, PayPal, Checks, Venmo, and Zelle.
This is a very broad question that can quite literally take weeks to answer. There are many ways to care for a tortoise, some certainly better than others and with a vast majority of incorrect information out there simply "googling" for answers won't help you any. To start read over the care section on my website. This will help you gain a basic knowledge of how to care for your tortoise without overwhelming you. I am more than happy to provide a lifetime of answers to all my customers, simply email me your questions any time and I would be happy to assist you!
I feed all my hatchlings grass, weeds, Hibiscus, and Mulberry leaves. Your tortoise won't have any bad eating habits when it comes from me and it will be eating what it's meant to be eating. If you do not have a yard to pick from Spring Mix lettuce and Mazuri Tortoise Diet are good substitutes. I recommend hatchlings not have hay. Hay itself isn't bad for them but it's dry and tough which makes it both hard to eat and hard to digest for them. When it's dried it has lost most of its nutritional value so fresh is best when younger.
Tortoises should have access to food at all times. They will eat when hungry and stop when full, they will NOT over eat despite what you might read online. If your tortoise is eating the food all gone, feed more. If the food is going to waste, cut back a little.
Tortoises only hatch a certain time of year, generally March through August. My Sulcata hatchings are usually 100% reserved by the time my first clutches of the season start hatching. Deposits are held on a first come first serve basis. I can't tell you how many times I get contacted by people who decide to wait until I "have them available" and they end up missing out completely. In order to reserve your hatchling(s) you will need to place a deposit to hold your spot in line. My customers will all attest that it's well worth the wait with my hatchlings being top quality, having an exclusive health guarantee, being priced well below most other breeders or retailers, and getting my help 24/7 for the entire lifespan of your tortoises' life.
The priority overnight shipping starts off at $55 and goes up once you purchase more than 4 tortoises. Visit the Shipping page under Information for detailed pricing. Arizona residents receive discounted shipping starting off at $30.
I used to allow pick ups but unfortunately it was a small percentage of my business which took up the majority of my time. Due to this I am no longer allowing local pick ups unless a large tortoise is purchased. I am however offering discounted pricing for all Arizona residents starting off at $30. Please email me to receive this discount.
There are risks in shipping anything but in my experience it is VERY safe! Being on the west coast I have a time zone advantage. They don't get sent out until 6 PM AZ time and are generally delivered before 10:30 AM in their delivery time zone. That means the tortoise is only in the box for 12-16 hours on average. I've been shipping for nearly two decades now and I've yet to have a tortoise harmed during shipping. It's so safe I offer a no questions asked live arrival guarantee in ALL weather conditions. All you have to do is be there to sign for the package upon delivery. I check all weather conditions throughout the shipping route and pack accordingly.
I ship the tortoises priority overnight through FedEx delivered right to your door. All live animal shipments will require a signature upon delivery so make sure someone is available to receive the tortoise(s). I will never ship a tortoise without the consent of the buyer. Upon receiving an order we will contact you to schedule a day that works best for you to receive it. Please make sure you provide an accurate email address. The packaging I use is designed specifically for shipping live tortoises. Temperatures are also monitored and boxes are temperature controlled if sending to an area that requires it either hot or cold.
I can ship anywhere in the US excluding Hawaii.
Live animals can only be shipped Monday - Wednesday with delivery days being Tuesday - Thursday. They do not operate the overnight shipping service on the weekends which is why they can only be shipped during those days. I avoid shipping Thursdays for the safety of the tortoises because if there is any delay they would not be delivered until the following Monday causing an extended 4 day delay.
Once a tortoise is purchased I will contact you to schedule shipping, there will never be any surprises. I will ship according to your schedule and what works best for you. If you are not able to receive a tortoise Tuesday - Thursday I can also have it held at your nearest FedEx Ship Center for pick up when you're available.
Unfortunately it's not possible to sex a young tortoise. Sulcatas take a minimum of 3-5 years before you can start to tell if they are male or female. If anyone says otherwise they either are misinformed or are just trying to make a quick sale. Some claim their tortoise was temped to be female or vice versa. Temp sexing is not reliable or accurate. There is no way to tell the sex of a hatchling unfortunately.
Unfortunately this just wouldn't be possible. Sulcatas hatch many hatchlings at the same time, all looking nearly identical. It just wouldn't be possible to pick one out in a picture, have me separate it from the others, and have it be the exact tortoise you picked out. You are more than welcome to request lighter, darker, spotted, unspotted, etc and I would be happy to accommodate. With certain species that hatch less tortoises at a time such as Leopards you are welcome to pick out an individual tortoise.
No. Unfortunately there are many out there on places online claiming their tortoise is a Sulcata Desert Tortoise. This is not the case. Desert Tortoises are a native species to the Southern United States and are illegal to sell (not own). Sulcatas come from Africa and are more accurately described as a grassland species.
The simple answer to this is yes, it's possible. However I would strongly advise against it. Outdoors there are so many factors that can't be controlled such as temperature, humidity, predation, sunlight exposure, what they eat, etc. I highly recommend they live indoors in a controlled environment for at least the first year or until they are 5" or bigger depending on your particular climate.
They can but it is certainly not recommended for several reasons. Different species have different personalities and major size differences. Not only that but certain species carry illnesses that others do not and they can get each other sick. There are certain species with the same temperaments and sizes that can live together successfully but it is not recommended.
Pyramiding is when the scutes of the tortoise raise up causing them to take on a "pyramid" shape. This is not good and is most often caused from a mixture of a poor diet and a lack of hydration. Once the pyramiding has occurred it is there to stay. It can be corrected with the proper care though. The cause of pyramiding is highly debated but it's not caused by just one particular thing but usually a combination of things any of which can include: incorrect diet, not feeding enough, dehydration, overheating, and improper lighting.
Somewhere along the way aquariums got a bad reputation for tortoises. This was due to people being concerned with them being able to see outside the glass and having it stress them out. There is some truth to this however it's very easily fixed by taping the bottom or adding a wallpaper background. Aquariums are excellent at maintaining proper temperature and humidity levels, two majorly important factors when raising a healthy tortoise. So people took a small problem and created much bigger problems by switching to tortoise table type enclosures which are next to impossible to maintain proper temperature and humidity levels. Aquariums for the win! I recommend starting off with a minimum of a 40 gal tank or any other form of closed chamber type enclosure.
Soakings should be done daily with young tortoises under 5". Once over 5" you can back off to biweekly soakings. Soakings should last for a minimum of 20+ minutes. The water should be shallow, just enough for them to be able to dunk their head to drink. Regular soakings are THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in raising a healthy Sulcata tortoise. Soakings allow the tortoise to hydrate through its skin and by drinking. Visit the Videos page under Information to see how and why it's so important to soak your tortoises.