# What kind of tortoise is this???



## LClaire (Oct 13, 2019)

This little gem was found walking around in Las Vegas. I’ve adopted it and am trying to figure out what kind of tortoise it is. I’m thinking it’s a Sulcata?


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## Yvonne G (Oct 13, 2019)

You have a protected desert tortoise. Check out your state's laws about taking them in.


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## LClaire (Oct 14, 2019)

Yvonne G said:


> You have a protected desert tortoise. Check out your state's laws about taking them in.



yikes! Thank you for the reply.


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## LClaire (Oct 14, 2019)

LClaire said:


> yikes! Thank you for the reply.



I do know this baby was NOT found in the wild. He was hatched in someone’s back yard. They had both parents and have had them for ages. When they moved, the adults were taken but apparently they were unaware of any little ones so they were left behind. This one was found wandering around in the middle of the road and would have been squished if my friend hadn’t taken it in. Several neighbors said they saw others but I have no idea what happened to them.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 14, 2019)

Doesn't matter. Because it's a protected species you still need to know the laws governing them.


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## LClaire (Oct 14, 2019)

Yvonne G said:


> Doesn't matter. Because it's a protected species you still need to know the laws governing them.


Absolutely! I’ve gotten in touch with the tortoise rescue in my area. They say there are between 120,000 and 150,000 tortoise in captivity in my area alone! As long as they are the progeny of captive parents that have been held in captivity since before they were protected, they can be kept. These can not be released into the wild because of the risk of spreading disease to the wild community. I’ve got a huge back yard that I would like to turn into a tortoise habitat and finding this one as well as the rescue will help that happen.


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## TammyJ (Oct 14, 2019)

I hope this works out for you and the little guy!


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## TechnoCheese (Oct 14, 2019)

For now, give these a read. They have very similar care to russians.
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/


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## LClaire (Oct 14, 2019)

Thank you so much! Amazing info in this forum. I now know I need to replace the substrate I’m currently using and will be doing that today. Already did research on feeding so the diet I’m feeding is good. I do have a shallow dish of water in with him for several hours each day which he seems to enjoy soaking in for a short time before moving on. Stayed in the water for hours the first day which was worrying but it’s not happening now.


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## TammyJ (Oct 14, 2019)

LClaire said:


> Thank you so much! Amazing info in this forum. I now know I need to replace the substrate I’m currently using and will be doing that today. Already did research on feeding so the diet I’m feeding is good. I do have a shallow dish of water in with him for several hours each day which he seems to enjoy soaking in for a short time before moving on. Stayed in the water for hours the first day which was worrying but it’s not happening now.


He stayed in the water for long the first day because he needed to! Soaking is GOOD.


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## Analogue (Oct 14, 2019)

LClaire said:


> This little gem was found walking around in Las Vegas. I’ve adopted it and am trying to figure out what kind of tortoise it is. I’m thinking it’s a Sulcata?
> 
> View attachment 282103




It's ok to take in captive tortoises. In fact, there are SO MANY of them in Arizona, our game and fish dept is begging for homes to take them in. https://www.azgfd.com/dozens-of-captive-desert-tortoises-need-forever-homes/


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## LClaire (Oct 14, 2019)

Analogue said:


> It's ok to take in captive tortoises. In fact, there are SO MANY of them in Arizona, our game and fish dept is begging for homes to take them in. https://www.azgfd.com/dozens-of-captive-desert-tortoises-need-forever-homes/


It’s the same in Nevada.


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## LClaire (Oct 14, 2019)

TammyJ said:


> He stayed in the water for long the first day because he needed to! Soaking is GOOD.


He/she is looking soooo much better now and pretty much ignores the water dish now so I consider that a good sign. 
I am changing the substrate out tomorrow. Changing it from the rocks and gravel I’ve had him on to coco husks as was advised here. Went today to buy a bigger tank for him and was told to use a 50/50 mix of potting soil and play sand. I worry about the sand because of what I have learned here so I’m going to stick to the coco fiber


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## DesertGirl (Oct 16, 2019)

Welcome to the Forum. We are the last exit outta Las Vegas in the northe northwest part of Las Vegas


LClaire said:


> This little gem was found walking around in Las Vegas. I’ve adopted it and am trying to figure out what kind of tortoise it is. I’m thinking it’s a Sulcata?
> 
> View attachment 282103



Welcome to the forum! We are in the northwest part of Las Vegas. We have a Sonoran DT that wandered up our driveway 2 years ago and she’s been the love of the household ever since! Yours looks to be a Mojave DT. What are his dimensions? Length and weight. Maybe we should arrange a play date.


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## LClaire (Oct 16, 2019)

Analogue said:


> It's ok to take in captive tortoises. In fact, there are SO MANY of them in Arizona, our game and fish dept is begging for homes to take them in. https://www.azgfd.com/dozens-of-captive-desert-tortoises-need-forever-homes/





DesertGirl said:


> Welcome to the Forum. We are the last exit outta Las Vegas in the northe northwest part of Las Vegas
> 
> 
> Welcome to the forum! We are in the northwest part of Las Vegas. We have a Sonoran DT that wandered up our driveway 2 years ago and she’s been the love of the household ever since! Yours looks to be a Mojave DT. What are his dimensions? Length and weight. Maybe we should arrange a play date.



thank you so much! our little guy/girl is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long right now but growing stronger every day! Went to a local store today and got a ton of great info. Someone had just dropped off another DT hatchling. He obviously can't sell them because that's against the law. He said he would be happy to "donate" him/her to me as a rescue. I now have 2 of the little darlings! Both seem to be doing well and I just set up a larger habitat for them which they have been having fun exploring for the last several hours. They're currently sleeping


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## DesertGirl (Oct 16, 2019)

Best wishes and have fun!


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## LClaire (Oct 23, 2019)

They’re just so stinking cute!


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