We Adopted a Huge Sulcata Tortoise! 

Sharon is a boy

I have a roughly 40 pound sulcata as well that loves the mazuri low starch pelleted diet as a supplemental feed with his produce! We buy it in bulk and it lasts quite a while, and allows us to make sure he is getting a complete diet without having to spend a huge fortune on produce.

Sharon in definitely a male.

Please make it so guests can give Sharon food, like a treat for 'em Just heard you mention the collared greens

Former tortoise owner here - combi-bulbs are not recommended for tortoises. When they dim because they’re temperature controlled (some are even only able to be on (fully) or off which is even worse) on a thermostat, the amount of UV reduces too. They’re overall not great, especially for animals that need relatively high levels of UVB. I’d strongly encourage you to find a different solution.

I want to hug him.

Ed, we love to see him 💚

Yeah he's so silly and friendly. I like seeing them being happy with similar interests.

@𒆜𝕒𝕞𝕖ℝ𝕚𝕔𝕒𒆜 😐

I was crying of laughter when he started spinning 😭

That's what I was thinking. That or the original owner doesn't know that their tortoise had been given away. I've heard some horrow stories of family of SO giving away pets while the owner was gone. Either way this tortoise is in good, caring hands now.

That was my thought as well.

Or she was stolen. That happened here once. Someone just found a giant tortoise roaming down the sidewalk at the park. Turns out he was stolen from his front yard. They were able to find his original home though.

I think that's what happened too, especially since she was obviously taken care of very well for quite a while

I’m hoping to teach my baby to love our turtle so when we pass he will be happy to take exertal in as a reminder of his parents. We got exertal the year we got engaged and moved into our own house, he’s 5 years old now and we are expecting our first baby in April

And we need an ASMR playlist of all the animals that eat veggies!

She made eggs? And also spends time hiding from Rafiki in Rex's tunnel

@@StonedtotheBones13 You make it sound so romantic!

​@@Nemodoglmao tbh dude seems single minded in his pursuit of her. Dunno if that's normal for his species, but it seems to me a lot more like Sharon's just doing her thing and Rafiki follows with uh intent

Does/did your brother watch Dr K’s Exotic Animal ER? The vet, Dr Kelleher, has a few Sulcatas, and talks about them frequently on the show.

@@khills I’m not sure! I know he watches The Tortoise Whisperer. He knows literally everything about Sulcatas.

Hopefully he can take in a rescue one day! They’re such cool animals

Not sure if it would work for a sulcata this large, but I know some people use low-riding modified wagons or reinforced produce carts to move around smaller tortoises if necessary to take them to a car for a vet visit, or to lug them about short distances. Maybe a nice big one can be made for Sharon?

i would love to see a tortoise in one of those metal red wagons

YES! i was looking for this comment.

@@NemiDK81 Yay for another kamper ! Lol

I could definitely see how a cushion would b more comfortable. I kno for sure that if I were the one laying on a small platform on my belly how much discomfort that would bring.

I'm sure that their rock will be fine. Remember, Universal Rock isn't real rock, plaster, or anything, it's some sort of really strong polyurethane like material and can withstand even the claws of monitor lizards. This stuff is made to be reptile proof.

In that case get a Big Uggly polystyrene pad from your local handyman's corner

Kenan from Kamp Kenan just moves his big tortoises in a wheelbarrow 😂

@@lauriepenner350 he’s the best lol 😂

I hope they supervise, kids can be the worst! they can be to young to truely understand pain or how their actions affect others.

Its not just the children... At where i volunteer there had been multiple times i had to stop adults from knocking on their shells too 🥲 also sharon isnt a big sulcata so im worried people would kick her by accident haha...

And I could imagine someone trying to take her home...

There's also a very real risk of someone tripping over her - especially if they're distracted by the exhibits

some kids just need discipline. Where were their parents in this ENTIRE thing!

I like your comment! I was actually going to mention switching to the grass-based diet as well :) With younger sulcatas, I notice that pyramiding and other subtle signs can show up within several months of feeding them nutrient-rich greens rather than a grass-based diet but I don't know how long it takes the adults to show signs. Definitely want to keep the diet balanced.

Commenting to help get you to the top 🤗 also hello fellow horse person 😁

Ohhh good comment hope they read this! Good to know.

Wow, guess you learn something new everyday. This is some awesome info thank you.

I love that you can treat it like a horse. Amazing

Had a bunny some years ago , grocery store glady gave us their "scrap" ( still very good for any animals, just not consider "appealing" for human ) employees were pretty happy to know that those scraps were used to feed animals, they always had a smile givings us bag of greens :)

I work in a grocery store and we sell boxes full of "unsellable" (really it's just slightly bruised/wilted/not pretty) produce to our local monastery for like $0.50 a box. We also donate what can't be sold to our local misson. I agree that you guys should check with as many stores/restaurants as possible and see what they'd be willing to sell you. I work the floral dept of our store and would gladly give some lovely animals some flowers (whatever was safe for them) to snack on if I could. (I realize this changes from state to state and company for legality issues but sometimes it just depends on the person in charge of the location.) I grew up raising/rescuing Southern Box Turtles and a Tortoise (unsure of species) named Matty. I hope to see Sharon's personality come out. Tortoises can be quite the characters once they "come out of their shells" as Emily said.

@@BillieBillehkinzThomas Flowers produced for the wholesale/retail market are not a good choice for food. Why? Because many many chemicals, pesticides, herbicides & fertilizers are used to grow & protect those plants from seed to market. Sprayed with all kinds of things to keep bugs from chomping. All of these harmful residues can remain in the stalks, leaves & flowers/buds. Not all flowers regardless of spray are good, some very poisonous. Stay away from feeding florist flowers.

Yes!!!!!

OMG that's such a great idea 😂

Local pet shop has a tortoise roaming around. They have a sign like that right on the front door, and yet, people are still surprised when they're walking around and feel a light bump on their leg.

Yes 👍🐢

Yeaaa

That’s what I was thinking too. 🤔. Looks male to me

I thought i was the only one who thinks it looks more a male

My partner and I thought the same

I was looking for someone else to say this. I also think Sharon is a male.

yep same, I'd say male.

That's what I would guess, too. Whoever was taking care of her passed away or was forced to rehome her and the new owner decided they didn't want to keep her and just dumped her outside. :/

There have also been stories of pets being kidnapped and “given away” because someone (parents, roommates, significant others) didn’t want it around, without the original owner’s knowledge or consent.

That or the original owner(s) had to move away and weren't able to bring her with them for some reason :(

I assumed because she was well kept and was dropped at a location where the owner presumably knew she would get good care - that the owner had a change in situation and was doing the best they felt they could do with a bad situation. A lot of shelters have rehoming fees, and if the owner couldn't afford that (we used to see that a lot when I volunteered for a place) they drop them off after hours because they know they will be cared for either way

@@riyaseshadri4824 I feel that isn't the case. Considering how well cared for she was, I think if her owner was trying to re-home her they'd have done better than to dump her in a box outside (even if it was outside a potentially good place for her). I agree with the idea that the original owner passed away, and then their family dumped Sharon. Perhaps sentiment made them decide on a place where she'd have some chance at a good life, but they didn't care enough to make sure of it

I was thinking that too. Like a flatbed hand trolley

I might be cheaper, if she is available, to get Mandy to do it. From what I've seen of her construction in the building videos, I think she would enjoy it... and likely make two so they could have race.... er, a backup tortoise cart. >.> yep! No unsafe suggestions here.. nope nope nope!

Sharon Transportation 😂😂😂

That's how the local museum transports their 55 years old alligator snapping turtle from the pond enclosure inside for birthday, yearly vet exam weight and length, etc. The animal is bigger than my coffee table, and gets transported on a modified pallet jack (giving it a platform).

I was thinking like a wagon LOL

good idea

That is a great idea. I would be worried someone will trip over her and hurt her by accident.

Yhea, I love that idea and the idea of her free roaming, but with strangers around there's endless possibilities of accidents that can happen.

That doesn't really work if she roams whenever she wants to though. She needs to be able to use her basking light after all.

We did that with our tortoise so it could walk around outside when it was smaller. Because the moment your back was turned, it would book it across to the other side of the yard and hide in a pile of leaves or long grass.

omg. . . They have a tortoise and a hare?

That is so cute

That sounds like it could be 'Louis pet shop' to me? I love that place lol

I had a friend who had Fleish rabbits.... one time they almost killed me in my sleep by trying to sleep on me

@@ConstantChaos1 That sounds both terrifying and adorable!

I came to look for a comment saying this, and surprisingly, there's like none. I thought the same thing XD

Same. I even paused and looked between her and the images. I think she might be a he, but I'm no specialist. xD

I also thought that Guess they'll find out if it's a male when/if it splooges everywhere like tortoises love to do(from what I've read lmao)

Totally thought she was a male

I think it’s a male too

That’s an excellent idea!

That also happened to a zoo near where I grew up, or at least it was attempted. The tortoise enclosure had just a waist high fence and somebody hopped it and stuffed a tortoise into a backpack. I can't remember if another guest reported it or if the backback straps broke but either way the thief didn't get away with it.

I wonder if they could attach a small gps tracker under the edge of her shell or something, if it wouldn't bother her. or maybe something that would set off a door alarm.

@@Dzaeli like a clothing tag, or detergent tag maybe? Obviously not one that needs a hole to attach but maybe a sticky one? That's a good idea

Yeah my local stores have bag bans so you can't bring in anything except a purse really. Unless you come in, talk to employees/owner for the specific reason you need a backpack or bag (such as large orders or specific things like that) then you can bring in your bag under their supervision but they don't allow customers to come in and wander with drawstrings or backpacks or anything like that. Drawstring backpacks and other backpacks are the thieves biggest tools for stealing reptiles and birds.

@@whoahanant I don't think that anybody is going to be putting a 40 some odd pound tortoise in a backpack. Not only is Sharon a bit heavy for most people to carry in a backpack without them moving noticably slower, she's also rather large to fit in anything but a large hikinr backpack or military style rucksack, both of which are going to be very conpicuous walking into the zoo with.

Ik right! I haven't watched this channel in awhile and it's changed!

Kenzie Andrew's Arm you need a binge session. They’ve come so far and I think the family a d friends that help build the facility is testament to how awesome Emily and Ed are. I’m in the uk and unable to fly but visiting the facility is my bucket list top ❣️

They did but it was just a long time ago

@@pamdosestuff7699 yeah but that was back when they didn’t have a store or a zoo so it would be interesting to see a more updated version

That’s a good idea

Damn 😂😂😂😂😅😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😂😂😂😅 you doing today even if you don't know yet

U mean stealing?

@@Therockgotnothinonme nah he meant taking the tortoise with no permission

@@ZephVEVO tortoisenapping

@@Therockgotnothinonme it vanishes daily for secret missions for his animal agency. Sometimes the mission takes longer then a few hours so it may be noticed missing at time. Thankfully the species don’t do much so people won’t suspect a thing.

@@shadowwriter329 haha. That is the best

Yeah I'd be afraid of some people's ignorance. I could imagine perhaps setting up a sign on "what not to do" and perhaps have an employee check on Sharon once in a while on busy days.

@@dashinypunnymarsking omg imagine a do's and don'ts sign on sharons shell thats amazing

I feel like maybe they should epoxy some spikes onto her shell on the top to deter idiots from hurting her. But I don’t know how feasible that is. Or how safe for her.

Omg if I saw someone do that to my huge tortoise (if I had one) I’d just about murder them.

That’s actually a really good idea! I hope they see this!

Was thinking the same thing and they could set up like the best worm compost bin too with all that animal waste and woodchips. Good fertilizer.

A bail of quality hay is also very good for this type of tortoise.

Good idea but at the same time: do they have the time? They have like 75 enclosures to tend already 😅

That’s what I’m building for my bearded dragon! Grocery stores won’t give out the food they scan out because of liabilities

LOL that's what I said, looks like a butterfly. Definitely looks like a male.

Agree actually... But Sharon works as a unisex name

Glad I'm not the only one who thought this. haha Looks like a boy to me with the butterfly shape.

I saw butterfly on both too

That's what I thought too

I'm also worried. I have a very horrible memory of finding a large box turtle when I was a 7-8 and spending the day watching it do its thing. The older boys in the neighborhood killed it that night. I won't give any detail more than that, but it was traumatizing for me to find the next day.

@@AMNmrrll My family actually got our box turtle as a baby when a large area was going under construction to build stuff at my school. The disturbance caused her to start wandering around (thankfully, since it prevented her from getting killed). Because of this, some students found her on campus and started throwing her around and playing hot potato with her above concrete sidewalk until a classmate of mine stopped them and brought her to the science teacher. I ended up taking her in since my family has a lot of experience with animals and rehabbing injured wild turtles. My dad was thrilled, though, since box turtles are his favorite animal. She was only about the size of an Oreo then. We named her Spike and have had her for eight years now. I'm just happy everything turned out okay. I'll never understand how people can just abuse animals like that.

@@Dandylion567 yeah, its because “oh its not a dog or a human so it doesn’t have feelings.” I don’t get it either.

They have security cameras so if someone does steal her they would be able to rescue her. It would be fairly difficult to hide a large turtle being carried away. That and I would hope other visitors would help prevent this. Kids riding on her would be a different story though 😕

@@lotuslady9821 Unless the thief was walking around with their home address taped on their body, security cameras won't help

Wow, now that you mentioned looking at the square scutes right above it, it really does look like a boy. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time they accidentally sexed a critter wrong! Lol

I thought it was more about the hole shape. The females is egg shaped and the males is like three slots. I think they are right she is female

The pictures they showed aren’t the best examples IMO. Males have wider openings, and the anal scutes tend to be curved and to flare out. Females tend to have smaller openings, and the anal scutes tend to be straight. Females can have long anal scutes though they usually grow against the body (curving up) vs the males whose flare. The plastron looks fairly flat as well. I’d have liked to see the tail, but I think it’s a female.

@@juliedoesharry I agree. The female in the image had really short anal scutes, and it’s giving people a false sense of what they might look like. I saw someone talking about how the way the plastron curves out above them is a male trait, but females with long straight anal scutes develop the same thing.

like the previous reply says, those images are t the best example. I feel as though Sharon is a female, as the hole size is rather big compared to the male’s image.

I mean they did accomodate rex in their own guest room lol XD

That's one bonus of having built their own facility. They know exactly how to reconstruct it when needed. 😂

They have a greenhouse too! That would be so amazing for them!

Using some of the greenhouse to grow produce for the critters would be so cool!

dinosaur kale would be perfect :3

up

IRL Torterra garden ^^

I wish I could go but I’m a Brit so I can’t fly to Wisconsin and see the zoo maybe one day 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

It would be pretty simple to add ledges by the doors so Sharon can’t get out and then just signs saying keep the tortoise inside.

Id be more concerned about people standing on her or kicking her on accident.

@@SaviourInDistress or on purpose (particularly unruly children)

@@MazTheMeh16 yeah didnt want to say cos i dont wanna be presuming the worst but yeah 😔 some people are awful and kids just dont have empathy at certain ages. Facts of life.

@@SaviourInDistress I saw a very silly TV show with a rude name, where a character is scared he might step on his pet turtle, so he ties a balloon to her shell. The balloon would float at human eye level, but wouldn't bother the turtle.

That is kind of what I was thinking too.

that would be so neat!!

@@nibbledrake14 it's a cool system. I have seen simple ones that are just old rain gutters. They can't do fish but can grow veggies.

They already have a greenhouse.

Her pressing her face to the wall reminds me of how some dogs will do that after being traumatized. She's safe now, eventually she'll know it.

@@johnDoe-gv8si one of my cats does that when I move. I've tried to make it easier on him each time but so far nothing has worked. I just keep him in a small room and cuddle him a lot until he relaxes. It makes me really sad to see him so upset :(

They wouldn't be able to cover the measures they have in place for anti theft (like with the turtle pond) because that would give thiefs exactly the info they need to steal her.

Tortoise

@@ElfsArt24 a tortoise is a type of turtle

@@PieSpie, Turtle = water, tortoise = land

I know that they are all turtles but people that are more educated don't use the word turtle for a land animal. Once you know, you don't revert. It's like once you know the difference between poison and venom, you don't interchange them. So you correcting, someone that is correcting, is like telling people, it's fine call it what you want. Yes, do as you want but people will automatically talk to you in a way based on the words you choose.

Putting it on a rotating schedule so that all the employees can do security detail shifts would probably also make work more fun for them

Make the S in Sharon and Security with the Snake Discovery S!

I know it's been a couple months but i just want to say: imagine a little gopro video of her wandering around! Just from her shell? Let her do her thing, watch her interact with people if she wants, who knows!

i feel the same, the bottom plates were not connected on the edge which is the male trait

I thought the "flower" looked more like a butterfly :) But yes I agree, Sharon looked like a male.

Higher up from the 'flower' also has more of a squared off look like the male example, rather than a straight line down to the W shape on the female example :) I think Sharon might be a boy lol

Yup, I also think Sharon is a male 😂

That’s what I thought too. My kid and I both immediately went “oh, male!” So we were surprised when Emily said she was female. But I also figured Emily and Ed know more about it than me. I’m guessing maybe they were going more off the scutes by her neck than the ones by her tail? I’ve seen those long scutes on males Emily was talking about and they’re definitely noticeable in adult tortoises. They look like they’re constantly at risk of stabbing themselves in the throat, lol.

This is my main concern as well..or kids going in her space/home 😔 I worry about parents also encouraging that bad behavior and the tortoise getting hurt.

I'm hoping they have a wrangler with her during open times to keep kids off of her. That would be my guess as to what they'll be doing.

Or someone stepping on or trying to ride her. Or stealing her all together. Hopefully, they will keep an open eye out.

I would be putting alarm on her (like on expensive stuff in stores). So the alarm sounds if she goes beyond set points so the doors and the little step Ed was worried she will get stuck in. Stops anyone being able to take her and her getting stuck.

There did used to be a greenhouse on the side of the building!

More than that, they should be growing grass. Sulcatas are grazers; most of their diet is supposed to be grass and hay. Maybe they should install recessed flowerbeds sprinkled around the zoo and grow grass in them? It probably won't be enough for Sharon's daily needs, but it would top her off and also provide enrichment. For her primary diet, they should look into sourcing hay

Yeah the stores here will not give away anything and lock the trash cans. My uncle works for one and he can’t bring any of the stuff home that he scans out unless he pays for it or they will fire him lol

@@lizzw4216 the last store that I worked at was a really small store so we were actually able to be a bit more generous, being able to donate stuff to local charities or just locals with interesting animals (rabbits, horses, peacocks, etc). The store i work at now is much larger and way more controlled about damaged/unsellable items

@@SashaSRenee small stores really are better haha

I was thinking the same thing. I used to work in a grocery store and anything that was about to expire (in our bakery and produce department) we’d put in shopping carts each night and take it to the homeless shelter. But we would never give it away to individual customers.

The grocery stores here do, we had Costco and publix donate to our zoo.

:0 you should def contact them! That's a wild coincidence

Watching a tortoise eat dandelions is good for the soul. 🌼

Many she is speedy?She was just dropped off at the vet alone?🤷🏻‍♀️

It's gonna be pretty hard to stuff her in a bag

Hey! You missed a lot, but I hope your taking it all slow and best of luck!

@@jennifer7685 yeah shes right!

Holy cow! That is a really long time to be in a coma. I'm glad you are still with us! Hope you are doing well!

OMG!!!! I'm so glad you're okay!!! Welcome back 😭😭❤️❤️

@nevebutcher1790 glad you are okay now. Hope you had a good recovery from it all.