# Picking up Gopher tort within the week :)



## pryncesssc (Jul 23, 2012)

so my IDNR (Illinois department of natural resources) permit FINALLY came in the mail !!!! WOOO HOOOO  

Today I went to the Tractor Supply Store and picked up a 100 gallon Rubbermaid Stock tank and then went to home depot and picked up 400 lbs of top soil and 5 large bags of sand. I am setting the cage up outside in my parents yard and i will have at least 12 inches of substrate so the little guy can tunnel !! 

My brother is going to weld me a lid to keep out animals and hopefully this little guy can spend the rest of the summer and early fall (God willing) outside in the sun where he should be !!! 

As you can tell i am SOOOOOO EXCITED to set up his tank and bring him home  

Anyways when i get home from work i will post some pics of the progress !

~~~Anyone have any ideas for tort safe bushes or plants that i can put in the cage outside, prefferably one that grows in Florida ?? ~~~~ 


THANKS A MILLION EVERYONE


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## tortadise (Jul 23, 2012)

Congrats. They are a wonderful species. Very fun to watch. They like thick leaved brush, im not sure what the species is but they like to hide under the brush, Typically the bigger ones will do the tunnels, not sure what size your getting, but when I had sub adult they didnt really seem to dig tunnels like the adults did. Be wary about handling them they really are a timid species, and hissing is totally normal with these guys. I would wait till someone from florida can tell you which native broad leaf species of scrub are down there. These guys are very active during early morning and late afternoon, I had best results with placing food in the enclosure at night and was devoured by early morning. Stick with dark leafy greens, pothos, endive, and st.augustine grass and no fruit. Good luck they are a fun species.


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## pryncesssc (Jul 25, 2012)

Ok so as promised here are my pics ... of course i will add more as i get them  
I started with a 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank 






And added A LOT of dirt/sand and put my turtle Kala in to check the height out 









Then I built a frame for the screen top and a shade box/ access panel for the water bowl 





Then i got it painted so it looks nicer and protects it outside 





Then i added the screen to keep animals out





And FINALLY I added the door  YAY perfect fit !!









And the moment you have all been waiting for ...::::RUM ROLL::::.... , Flipper, the baby gopher tortoise checking out his new house 













And walking around the yard a bit ...


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## wellington (Jul 25, 2012)

Fantastic[/i]


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## Kerry1976 (Jul 25, 2012)

So cool!


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## StudentoftheReptile (Jul 25, 2012)

Congrats...you lucky skunk!


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## pryncesssc (Jul 25, 2012)

StudentoftheReptile said:


> Congrats...you lucky skunk!



Thanks  I only get to keep him temporarily though !


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## dmmj (Jul 25, 2012)

Why only temporary?


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## pryncesssc (Jul 25, 2012)

dmmj said:


> Why only temporary?



I work at a wildlife center and we had an adult gopher tort and when we got the baby in, we had nowhere to put him, and the adult hates him so they cant go together! Anyways I have a 1 year permit to keep him because he was getting eye infections and getting bullied.


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## ascott (Jul 25, 2012)

Absolutely beautiful.....what is the long term plan for him then?


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## CJSTorts (Jul 26, 2012)

He is beautiful!


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## Julius25 (Jul 26, 2012)

Congrats !!!
Very nice tort


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## pryncesssc (Jul 26, 2012)

ascott said:


> Absolutely beautiful.....what is the long term plan for him then?



Well hopefully while I have him, we will find somewhere for him to permanently live at the center. I think my boss tried to put in a good word for me with the DNR to keep him forever , but we don't know what will happen. Im happy to be able to let him live alone outside in the sun at my house and eat our home grown greens and veggies  he's on a vacation at the tort spa !!!


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## pryncesssc (Jul 29, 2012)

As an update ... today the baby started to DIG !!! it makes me so happy to see him/her digging tunnels like they do in the wild. The tunnel is about a foot in length  

















Im trying to upload a video, but it is not cooperating ! Ill post it when i figure it out


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## CJSTorts (Jul 29, 2012)

Thats wonderful! Looks very happy!


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## pryncesssc (Jul 29, 2012)

CJSTorts said:


> Thats wonderful! Looks very happy!



THANKS ! i was so happy when i saw his tunnel that i could cry  i just need to make sure it cannot cave in on him ... he probably looks happy because he is all messy and dirty like they like to be !!


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## ascott (Jul 29, 2012)

If it does cave in a bit, he is big enough to dig himself out.... I do not know what the rain situation is like where you live at...however, is your set up able to drain water in the event you have a down pour?


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## pryncesssc (Jul 29, 2012)

ascott said:


> If it does cave in a bit, he is big enough to dig himself out.... I do not know what the rain situation is like where you live at...however, is your set up able to drain water in the event you have a down pour?



I figured he would dig out if necessary. And yes there is a drain on the tub and we have had some bad storms , but with no standing water in the tub  

Here is the video I promised. I tried to edit it to show the kids at the wildlife center, so i took a 10 min video and made it into 2. Sorry for the cruddy editing (it was my first video ever) and as a warning, there is a dog barking in the background for a minute, so put the volume down


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## CJSTorts (Jul 30, 2012)

Great video!


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## pryncesssc (Jul 30, 2012)

CJSTorts said:


> Great video!



Thanks  I just noticed you have a FBT too ! how old ??


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## pryncesssc (Jul 31, 2012)

Saw this article today and thought it was cool  http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/07/27/elusive-threatened-gopher-tortoise-spotted-laying-eggs-in-alabama/


maybe the Gophers are making a comeback !!


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## CJSTorts (Jul 31, 2012)

"Thanks I just noticed you have a FBT too ! how old ??"

I'm not sure here age. She was an adult when we got her. A lady picked her up off the road and took her home. The lady said she was dehydrated and not moving. She got her rehydrated and kept for for a while. Then decided she could no longer care for it. I did not feel comfortable releasing her back since she had been in a home walking around on the floor with a baby and dogs. I was worried about her picking up something with them and taking it back. So now she lives with us permanently, she is doing great!



"maybe the Gophers are making a comeback !!"

I sure hope so!


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## jaydog6644 (Jan 5, 2013)

how much was your tortoise and where did you get it?


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## Yvonne G (Jan 6, 2013)

jaydog6644 said:


> how much was your tortoise and where did you get it?



You can't buy gopher tortoises, or any of the Gopherus species of tortoise. They are protected by law. You can adopt them through a rescue or club. And you must get a permit to keep them.


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## NorCalAl (Jan 10, 2013)

That's exactly what our Cartman spends the winter in every year. Well, we put in substrate (soil and hay), then set his Dogloo on top. This is the 7th winter we've had him. No idea how old he is. One day he showed up on our front lawn - and we live in the Sierra foothills! Since then, he spends summers outside and the long, cold winters inside. Works perfect.


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