NEWS104
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AfricanSpurredTortoises are real lawnmowers.
AfricanSpurredTortoise,around30 cm long.
aestivationperiod there, the timewhen they
“sleep away” the driest part of the year.
Experience has shown that burrowing
behavior is greatly reduced in captive-bred
specimens. But there aremarked individual
differences inthisrespect,and it isessentialto
beprepared for all eventualities.Henceboth
the indoor and outdoor quarters should
include a 2-3meters thick bottom filling to
allow for the digging of burrows. Indoors
there should be a high light intensity and
adequateUV light.Whenkeepingsomewhat
largerspecimens it isessentialtosimulatethe
aestivationperiod these tortoisesundergo in
thewild,which should takeplaceduringour
cold time of year. This will do the African
SpurredTortoisesanextraordinaryamountof
good, and they will reward it with robust
goodhealth.
Feeding
Itshouldalwaysbeborne inmind that in the
natural habitat the African Spurred Tortoise
enjoys short commons. These animals have
no feeding inhibitorsandwill carryoneating
as long as food is available. But at the same
time theyalsohave toundergodays,weeks,
or even months of fasting in the wild.
Naturally thisdoesn’toccurunderconditions
in captivity. Hence they should be fed
sparingly, and the diet should be
characterizedbyahighfibercontent.Suitable
foods includegrassesofall types,hay,carrots
and all possible salad greens (endive,
Romaine, radiccio), plus soaked hay pellets
Infobox
AfricanSpurredTortoise
Theexperts are indispute regarding
the genus to which the African
Spurred Tortoise belongs. Some
regard it as the only species of the
genus
Centrochelys
, while others
believe it is so closely related to the
Asian species
Geochelone elegans
and
G. platynota
that a separate
genus isn’t justified. This is an
academic argument of little interest
here and is also without any
practical significance. One needs
only to be aware that additional
information on this tortoise can be
found in the literature under the
names
Testudo sulcata
,
Centrochelys
sulcata
,and
Geochelone sulcata
.
Lexicon
AfricanSpurredTortoise
Centrochelysmeans "spiny turtle ".
sulcatameans "furrowed".
Geochelone:means "land turtle".
Testudomeans "tortoise".
(rabbit food) can be offered. Wild African
SpurredTortoises canoftenbe foundeating
carrion and actively hunt any “tenants”
(grasshoppers,small lizards,etc.) intheir living
burrows. But this type of supplementary
feeding isbestavoided incaptivityor should
representaveryrareexception.It is important
toprovide for thehigh calcium requirement
of these tortoiseswitha food supplement,a
large selection of which are available in the
pet trade.Themajorityofhealthproblems in
African Spurred Tortoises are the result of
over-generous feeding,whichpromotes too
rapidgrowth.Soalwaysbeawareof thisand
– as already stated – feed sparingly.Given a
well-designed outdoor terrarium it is often
possibletodispensecompletelywithfeeding
in summer, as the tortoiseswill simplygraze
thenatural foodgrowing in their run.
Easy-goinggiants
AstonishinglyAfricanSpurredTortoisescan
readily be kept in groups. Even themales
behave comparatively well towards one
another. But every male should have the
optionofmatingperiodically. Because the
habitatof these tortoises lies in the tropics,
they do not have any particularly strict
breeding season andmating can be seen
year-round. But it is beyond the scope of
this article togo intobreeding theAfrican
Spurred Tortoise here as well. Maybe
another time…
If you are now filled with the desire to
keepAfrican SpurredTortoises, then your
pet dealer can undoubtedly order them
for you from a wholesaler of his
acquaintance, for example reptilia24, Fax
+496430–9250100.
