# What Kind of Turtle do I have???



## MadLoca (Apr 4, 2010)

Ive only had him for a year!
I took my turtle to a Vet a while back but she really didnt know much about turtles!
I dont even know if its a boy or a girl!! 

Please help!!


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## Kayti (Apr 4, 2010)

Sulcata Tortoise. 

http://www.sulcata-station.org/basics.html


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## samstar (Apr 4, 2010)

Thats a beauty


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## egyptiandan (Apr 4, 2010)

Almost Kayti 

You have a Desert tortoise, _Gopherus agassizii_ 

Danny


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## Tom (Apr 4, 2010)

Welcome to the forum, Madloca. We'd love to help you make sure you've got the right set-up and diet info for your desert tortoise. There is a lot of old, outdated and mis-information out there in the world. Please send us some enclosure pics and tell us your temps. Hot side, cool side, basking spot and night time. Or, judging from the pic, maybe he just lives outside? Anyhow, tell us all about what your routine is and what you've been feeding him/her. He/she looks healthy in the pic. What's your tortoises name? What's your name?


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## Kayti (Apr 4, 2010)

egyptiandan said:


> Almost Kayti
> 
> You have a Desert tortoise, _Gopherus agassizii_
> 
> Danny



Lol I thought it had a weird color!


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## MadLoca (Apr 4, 2010)

Hey Guys

Im Maddy I live in Vegas with my turtle Bronco he lives outside (below i have a pix of the set up i have so far) Im goin 2 get rid of the rocks soon and put in some planets n flowers 4 him!! So i have a Desert Tortoise I believe? Do i need a permit or something?? I got him from a co-woker and she got him from a customer who had turtles so he gave her one! 

Thanks 4 the input so far everyone =)

I feed him the grassland tortoise food so he gets fiber and protein plus i put some greens, carrots, broccoli, or tomatoes in with it and of course i have the calcium supplement!!

Then i like to put on the VitaShell once or twice during the hot vegas summer just to keep his shell Conditioned!!


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## Maggie Cummings (Apr 4, 2010)

Please keep in mind you have a tortoise not a turtle. They are vastly different. And he shouldn't be fed broccoli it's not good for a tortoise. Here's a link to a care sheet that will help you feed. He's got a great set up but no weeds or grasses to munch? He looks dehydrated, how often do you soak him? He should be soaked at least every other day at his size... Welcome to the forum. You have a very shy personable desert tortoise. They are very easy to care for. They are my favorite species.


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## Fokkerdon (Apr 4, 2010)

Maggie's right, cut out the broccoli, natural graze foods and weeds and grasses are the best diet for him and the effort eating small plants will help develop muscle and also help keep the beak trimmed. Cuttlebone with the hard, thin layer removed always available will allow him to self regulate calcium intake and also help keep beak trimmed. 
You should also never use the vitashell on him, it does not allow the shell/keratin to breathe. 
I always make sure my baby deserts have burrows so I do not have to soak them at all, they maintain their moisture and hydration via drinking and the microclimate of the burrow. 
Don't see the link Maggie intended to give you, but I have a lot of info on them on my website including lists of preferred native plants, etc. 
www.donsdeserttortoises.com


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## MadLoca (Apr 4, 2010)

I know he is a tortoise but 4 some reason im hooked on sayin turtle i need 2 stop lol

Ya he does look a lil dry in the pix prob from roamin around while i was gettin his food

I soak him like u said every other day or so

I have a pix below where he is chillin in the water but when he saw me with food he is running out lol 

Dang i didnt know Broccoli was bad for him......i didnt get the link in ur last post please repost

In a few weeks im gettin rid of the rocks and puttin in stuff for him 2 graze on


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## Scooter (Apr 4, 2010)

Welcome to the forum! Bronco is a very cute guy. 

Maggie how could you tell he is dehydrated?


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## Yvonne G (Apr 4, 2010)

Hi Maddy:

I'm glad to hear that you're getting rid of the rocks. It looks like a very sterile environment. It would be much better and healthier for him if there were dirt in there with lots of grasses and weeds growing. The plantings would also make it more humid, and a lot cooler than the rocks. Keep up the good work! We are all learning new stuff every day...even me!


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## Candy (Apr 4, 2010)

Fokkerdon said:


> Maggie's right, cut out the broccoli, natural graze foods and weeds and grasses are the best diet for him and the effort eating small plants will help develop muscle and also help keep the beak trimmed. Cuttlebone with the hard, thin layer removed always available will allow him to self regulate calcium intake and also help keep beak trimmed.
> You should also never use the vitashell on him, it does not allow the shell/keratin to breathe.
> I always make sure my baby deserts have burrows so I do not have to soak them at all, they maintain their moisture and hydration via drinking and the microclimate of the burrow.
> Don't see the link Maggie intended to give you, but I have a lot of info on them on my website including lists of preferred native plants, etc.
> www.donsdeserttortoises.com



Don do you have any pictures of your setups that I could see? I would love to see the burrows so I know exactly what you're talking about. Thanks.


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## Maggie Cummings (Apr 4, 2010)

Scooter said:


> Welcome to the forum! Bronco is a very cute guy.
> 
> Maggie how could you tell he is dehydrated?



He just looks dry and shrunken. Like his skin is too tight. His eyes don't look bright and full, he just doesn't look right...I think that 90% of the time I forget to add the link after I say I'm going to...so you have Don's link he's an expert in the desert tortoise world so really his link is all you need...but here is the forgotten link...

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Gagassiziicare.htm


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## Tom (Apr 4, 2010)

I agree with all of the above advice too. I'd add cut out the tomato. The best foods are grasses, weeds (check the numerous lists to see which ones are best and safe), spineless cactus pads and fruits (some grocery stores carry these. If not, look for a local "ethnic" or Hispanic store), mulberry leaves, roses and rose leaves, grape leaves, hibiscus flowers and leaves and when he gets a little bigger you can try introducing dry grass hay into his diet. You can put in the hay now, but he'll probably only hide in it. If you can't find these items, then a variety of leafy greens from the grocery store is second best. Hold off on the fruits and veggies. They don't need much of that stuff, if any.

You definitely should cut out the shell goop. That stuff is totally unnecessary and not good for them.

The only other thing I would say is watch those temps. Did he live out there last summer? I'd really be worried about how hot that pen will get in the sun, on a 122 degree Vegas summer day. Do you have an indoor retreat for those days?


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## Shelly (Apr 11, 2010)

MadLoca said:


> I took my turtle to a Vet a while back but she really didnt know much about turtles!



Shocking.


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## Skyler Nell (Apr 11, 2010)

I was just in the same predicament and I got some awesome advice on what type of enclosure to make/how to fix it and what types of food are right! You can check out that thread? It may be helpful  Good luck with you tort!

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-13652.html


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