I have a very large open chicken enclosure (outside their coop), and wonder if a sulcata tortoise would be a good companion to the chickens? Has anyone had them co-habitating? I realize that the tortoise is another huge commitment, but I have a friend who's kids received one, and it is now a few years old, and they would like to find it a home.
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I have a 150lb sulcata tortoise (who is not full grown) and 4 chickens but they are in separate areas of the yard. Sulcatas make wonderful pets but you have to appreciate what a tortoise this size means - they are like tanks and will walk over plants and smash them down or eat them to the ground. Ozzie (the tortoise) did break into the side yard last year where the chicken coop is located and ate all of the grapevines that were shading the coop. I was also told to be aware that if my tortoise had salmonella (very common although Ozzie has tested negative - but that is just one test on one day each year), the chickens can get salmonella from the tortoise manure and then you need to make sure all eggs are cooked thoroughly. I have had my tortoise for almost 12 years so if you have any questions, my e-mail is mspiller@cox.net.
Ozzie is gorgeous! I was concerned about the potential "manure" mixing... and read that sulcata's shouldn't eat corn, so I wasn't sure if the chicken feed would bother them. Once the tortoise got really big, he could have the run of the rest of the yard, but until it got bigger, I would want to sure him in a smaller space. We have a highly vegetated 1/2 acre yard, and a small tortoise could get easily lost, and potentially overturn and get stuck. Thanks for your advice!
Also, since the sulcata is from the Sahara Desert - our summer heat will not bother them (they will need shady areas or a cool burrow to hang out in during the hottest part of the day) but the heat is hard on the chickens and in the winter here, chickens can easily handle our coldest temperatures but the sulcata can't. Sulcata's do not hibernate (they estivate) so when it is cold here - below 45* especially when the sulcatas are young, you may need to provide a heat source if they don't have an appropriate burrow. If the sulcata digs it's own burrow (mine finally did last year) - the burrows can be up to 50' long and who knows how deep. I just keep backfilling his burrow each week so he continually digs the same dirt over and over again - don't know what the chickens would do when presented with a large tortoise burrow! I don't feed Ozzie many special treats although his favorites are white corn on the cob and strawberries - I'm sure if I let him, he'd love to eat the chicken feed too.
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