Xena had been sold to the store less than an hour before I arrived there, and the staff present at the time didn't know what he was, either. Thanks to the internet, I quickly learned what I had, and I became familiar with Turtle Homes, a wonderful organization dedicated to reptile rescue, rehabilitation, education and placement. I also found Melissa Kaplan's Sulcata Reality Test which should probabaly be mandatory reading for anyone considering bringing a sulcata home. Turtle Homes doesn't want to discourage adoption of sulcatas, they certainly have plenty for placement, but they try to be sure you are making an educated, well thought out decision before you bring one home.
Personally, I love having dinosaurs in my yard. I love their funny faces that look old even when they're not, especially when they are stained blood red with cactus berry juice! I love their funny back legs that look like elephant legs as they stomp across the yard, and I love watching the dirt fly over their backs when they get the urge to dig to China. I love the fact that they perceive no barriers, just obstacles to be run over or pushed aside, LOL, even if it is me, sitting in a chair which they are pushing out of their way
However, I can see how keeping sulcatas wouldn't be just anyone's cup of tea. If your sulcata is bigger than a breadbox and your tortoise enclosure is smaller than a house, the enclosure will surely become a moonscape. I have found very few plants that sulcatas won't eat, and my sulcatas have found a few plants I wish they hadn't eaten!
Fortunately or not, sulcatas breed easiy in captivity. On one hand, that is good, because it eliminates any demand for capture of wild sulcatas to satisfy the pet trade. On the other hand, it means there can easily be way more sulcatas in the U.S. than there are suitable homes to care for them. Having that clutch of babies appear in my yard was indeed a mixed blessing, because as wonderful and amazing as it was to find these precious miniatures mini-stomping around the sulcata patio, I also know there are many sulcatas without suitable homes, and it had not been my intention to bring more into the world.
A reasonable protocol for sulcata birth control is to not keep opposite genders together, or, cold as it may seem, to prevent eggs from maturing. This can be accomplished by simply breaking the eggs, and I think a "no waste" policy is good. Those calories can be put to good use in the diet of another creature. You choose which. :-)
Other than my first sulcata, all mine have been released to me by people who had acquired them and for one reason or another decided to not keep them. That's a logical decision to make if the tortoise is tearing apart your stucco exterior trying to get in the back door, or if you can't afford to provide artificial heat for them all winter, or if they keep pushing under your chain link fence and are going to be killed on the street.
Sulcatas can get pretty big, third in size only to the Galapagos tortoises and the Aldabras, but they don't have to be that big to do a LOT of damage to your home. As mentioned before, they have no concept of "around," only "over" or "through." Through the fence, through the plants, through your leg...
I wouldn't want to be without mine.
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