Giving a Tortoise as a Holiday Gift: What to Know First
A baby tortoise under the tree is a gift people remember for the rest of their lives. Sulcatas can live 70 years or more, after all. But a live animal isn't like other gifts. Here's how to do it right.
1. Make sure they want one
A sulcata grows from 2 inches to 50 pounds or more, and needs a yard as an adult. The best tortoise gifts go to someone who has asked for one, or a family that has talked it through. If you're buying for a child, the adults in the house are the real owners. Read how big sulcatas get together first.
2. Have the setup ready before the tortoise
The enclosure, heat lamp, UVB bulb and water dish should be set up and running before your tortoise arrives. A great gift idea: wrap the setup, and let the tortoise follow.
3. Plan around the weather
We ship overnight in insulated boxes with heat packs, but some winter days are too cold to ship safely. If that happens, we hold your tortoise on the farm and ship the next safe Monday. That makes an exact Christmas Eve delivery hard to promise. See how we ship in winter.
4. Or give a gift card instead
Our $165 One Hatchling gift card covers one baby sulcata, including free overnight shipping. It's delivered by email right away, so it works as a last-minute gift. The person who gets it picks their tortoise and the delivery date. Their tortoise arrives when their setup is ready and the weather is right, often in spring.
Our hatchlings
Every tortoise we sell is captive-bred on our family farm in south Louisiana, incubated for females, and held for at least two weeks before shipping so it's eating well. Each one ships free overnight with our live arrival guarantee, and you save $55 on each additional tortoise.
