African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)

Short answers

African spurred tortoise: How big does the enclosure need to be?

Adults: a heated outdoor/greenhouse enclosure, with at least 30 m² of open space, better from 100 m², plus a frost-proof heated house; juveniles in an indoor terrarium from 80 × 40 × 50 cm.

African spurred tortoise: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 28–35 °C, basking spot 40–45 °C, at night 18–22 °C.

African spurred tortoise: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Essential (desert and steppe-grade UVB).

African spurred tortoise: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 50–80+ years.

African spurred tortoise: Is it suitable for beginners?

No – better suited to experienced keepers (difficulty: Intermediate to expert).

Climate

Daytime temperature

28–35 °C

Night temperature

18–22 °C

Basking spot

40–45 °C

Humidity

40–60 % by day, higher in the hide and at night; juveniles more humid (to prevent pyramiding)

UVB

Essential (desert and steppe-grade UVB)

Enclosure

Minimum size

Adults: a heated outdoor/greenhouse enclosure, with at least 30 m² of open space, better from 100 m², plus a frost-proof heated house; juveniles in an indoor terrarium from 80 × 40 × 50 cm

Substrate

A sand, soil and loam mix, deep and diggable

Feeding

Food

Herbivorous: grasses, hay, fibre-rich wild herbs; NO fruit or protein

Feeding interval

Plant food daily, high in fibre

Key facts

Adult size

60–80 cm, individual males up to 86 cm; 40–100 kg (the third largest tortoise)

Life expectancy

50–80+ years

Origin

The African Sahel (semi-desert and dry savannah)

Protection status

CITES Appendix II / EU Annex B – registration required

Brumation

None

Cohabitation

Keeping them singly is the safest option and no disadvantage for the animal; the space requirement is enormous anyway. If you keep several, put one male with several females and plan a way to separate them. The downside: the male harasses the females, and under constant courtship a female visibly loses weight. Two males harass and ram each other and do not belong together.

Notes

It grows huge and digs burrows metres long – keepable only with a lifelong large, escape-proof enclosure. A pure grass eater.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) – Expert
• Speckled padloper (Homopus areolatus) – Expert
• Serrated tent tortoise (Psammobates oculifer) – Expert
• Bell's hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys belliana) – Intermediate
• Speckled padloper tortoise (Chersobius signatus) – Expert
• Angulate tortoise (Chersina angulata) – Intermediate
• Home's hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys homeana) – Expert
• Natal hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys natalensis) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (Adults: a heated outdoor/greenhouse enclosure, with at least 30 m² of open space, better from 100 m², plus a frost-proof heated house; juveniles in an indoor terrarium from 80 × 40 × 50 cm), substrate (A sand, soil and loam mix, deep and diggable), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.