A faceful of fruit for two of Muhammad’s testudine pets (above and below).
Spending tens of thousands of ringgit to purchase 31 land tortoises as pets may seem wasteful.
For Muhammad Jantan, however, it has been worthwhile as he finds caring for the reptiles a good stress-buster.
The 29-year-old owner of a marketing consultancy said his interest in these exotic animals came about after he noticed many Indonesian social media influencers keeping them as pets.
His collection started in June last year, with the purchase of two four-month-old Sulcata tortoises costing RM500 each.
He quickly became enamoured of the testudines and soon expanded his collection to 31.
“I now have 24 African spurred tortoises of the Sulcata breed, six leopard tortoises and one Indian star tortoise.
“Their ages range from one month to 35 years,” the father-of-two told Bernama.
Out of the 24 African spurred tortoises, three are giant tortoises which he named Mila, Bedah and Habib.
The three are between 56cm and 60cm long, and weigh 35kg to 50kg each.
Muhammad, who lives in Durian Tunggal, Melaka, did some research before deciding to keep land tortoises.
Through various information sources, he got tips on how to care for the reptiles.
His pets’ monthly food bill may cost RM2,500 to RM3,000 but for Muhammad, tortoises’ eating habits are endearing. — Photos: Bernama
Social media is also where Muhammad has been regularly sharing photos and antics of his exotic pets. He goes by the handle Abah Sulcata on social media.
Among the things he finds endearing about tortoises are their eating habits.
“I spend quite a lot on their food as tortoises are animals that eat all the time.
“Every day, I prepare their food in large quantities of around 10kg.
“But I feed them only once a day to enable them to digest the food properly,” he said, adding that the reptiles can get kidney stones or flu if they overeat.
Their diet consists of vegetables, fruits and flowers.
These include leafy greens, long beans, watermelon, hibiscus and mulberry leaves, and fresh grass.
They are also fed a special type of bran mixed with calcium powder twice a day.
In one month, their food bill could reach RM2,500 to RM3,000.
Muhammad has built a special enclosure next to his house to ensure the tortoises can move freely, as a way of enabling their growth.
He has also erected a special structure, fitted with UVA and UVB light, to house his tortoises aged below one.
Inside, the temperature is conducive to their growth.
“The tortoises that are still young must be kept separately for fear that they may get crushed by the adult tortoises,” said Muhammad.
He said all the animals had licences issued annually by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
Considering the high selling prices of land tortoises, he is planning to apply for a licence to breed land tortoises.
Hoping to do so by the end of this year, he will also have to open a pet shop to exhibit some of his tortoises for potential buyers.
