# Thoughts, opinions, facts, experience, etc



## reticguy76 (Aug 11, 2013)

on my Az desert tortoise moving with me to east/southeastern Texas? Will little cooter live just fine there or will it be too humid for him to live there and I should adopt him out here to somebody in Az before I move to Texas?


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## reticguy76 (Aug 11, 2013)

on my Az desert tortoise moving with me to east/southeastern Texas? Will little cooter live just fine there or will it be too humid for him to live there and I should adopt him out here to somebody in Az before I move to Texas?


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## theelectraco (Aug 11, 2013)

By law I believe you have to leave him in Arizona



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## Team Gomberg (Aug 11, 2013)

Do you know what the laws are? Legally can you move an AZ desert tortoise out of state?


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## reticguy76 (Aug 11, 2013)

I cant seem to find a clear answer on the legalities of crossing a native dt out of AZ. 

Aside from that, do yall think he would do well health wise there in the higher humidity of eastern texas?


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## jaizei (Aug 11, 2013)

> Any of the state-sanctioned desert tortoise adoption facilities will accept desert tortoises that can no longer be cared for by adoptive families. Typically, this occurs when adoptive families leave the state or the owner passes away. *Desert tortoises cannot be removed from Arizona, so if you are a desert tortoise custodian and are moving from Arizona, you must return the desert tortoise to one of the adoption facilities*. If you relocate within the state, please contact the nearest adoption facility to update your address in our records. Remember that it is not only illegal to release a captive desert tortoise into the wild, and doing so is detrimental to wild tortoises because it can spread disease and disrupt uniquely adapted genetics in wild populations. It is also illegal and detrimental to desert tortoise populations to collect tortoises from the wild. Desert tortoises cannot be adopted outside of their natural range. You may adopt a desert tortoise if you live in the greater Kingman, Bullhead City, Lake Havasu, Kingman, Phoenix, Tucson, or Yuma areas. Desert tortoises cannot survive the severe winters that occur in the northeastern or southeastern regions of the state. Contact information for desert tortoise adoption facilities are listed below.


http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/captive_tortoise_care.shtml


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## reticguy76 (Aug 11, 2013)

What I am "concerned" about, is that I didnt get my tortoise from an adoption place. It came into my clinic after a good sam had found it being chewed up by a dog. We were going to euthanize it, but I opted to take him/her and rehab him. It took quite a few months to get everything back to normal (shell, attitude, eating, etc). So, I guess what are thoughts as far as that goes? Do I just turn him/her over to a local place to takes them in and adopts them out or do I take him/her since there was no binding adoption process? Ps, when the tortoise came in, I called game and fish locally here and all they said was that I was ok to treat, and that legally if I kept captive more than 72 hours, I could not return it to the wild, as he/she was officially mine to keep for life.


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## mike taylor (Aug 11, 2013)

Sometimes you have to do what is best for your tortoise . That is the only thing I can say. If you are the best for it then so be it . I live in east Texas and I think they would do just fine here. But the law is the law and if you break the law you will have to pay the price.

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## Yvonne G (Aug 11, 2013)

The tortoise actually belongs to the state, even though you rescued it and didn't officially adopt it. It is the state's property and cannot be moved out of the state.


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## theelectraco (Aug 11, 2013)

It is also against forum rules to advise you to do anything illegal.


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## ascott (Aug 11, 2013)

> live just fine there



In my opinion, a California or Arizona Desert Tortoise would do just fine in the great state of Texas....I believe even further that it would thrive very nicely....I mean, if one were to somehow find itself there 

On a different note; you have taken great time and care with this little tort that would have otherwise been deceased had you not taken the action you did...for this, you have a bond that no one else will ever have...


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## Arnold_rules (Aug 12, 2013)

Yvonne G said:


> The tortoise actually belongs to the state, even though you rescued it and didn't officially adopt it. It is the state's property and cannot be moved out of the state.



Unfortunately, this is true. Our wards belong to the state and not to us, we only look after them for the state. What is legal, I believe, is you can see if someone is willing to adopt him rather than putting him back into the system for adoption. If you are willing to go that route, send me a PM, I know of some experienced DT keepers that might be interested in adopting him/her.


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## ascott (Aug 12, 2013)

Whatever you decide, I am sure the tort will be just fine. Good luck on your move by the way...


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## reticguy76 (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks for all your thoughts, opinions, etc. I have to admit, I dont want to get rid of him/her. Here in Az, most of us herpers and wildlifers are "anti-game and fish" to an extent and on certain things. In my opinion, the dt and gila monster and the four protected rattlers in this state is unjust and unwarranted. I have bonded with Cooter and I dont want to give him up. I have had him now almost 2 years and is doing great and recovered 100%. Some laws are stupid and unjust and need to be dealt with. I am not saying I am going to defy the law on this "protected" species (which there is more than an abundant of here) but I am saying I have bonded with this tort and I love this little one like I love my furry animal, and I think he deserves the same special home and care.


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## Tom (Aug 13, 2013)

All legalities aside, it is very humid and a totally different environment in South East Texas. I don't know how well your tortoise will fare down there. Since this is rarely ever done, and not talked about if it is done, I have no prior experience to draw from. What I do know is that DTs here in CA that get too close to the beach almost always get sick. I have rehabbed a lot of them by simply moving them to a warmer drier environment. South Texas is warm, but its also wet and humid. This might have a negative effect on your tortoise. I suspect the onset of winter might lead to respiratory infection problems.

Knowing what I know of DTs, and seeing what I saw while working down by the beach for a year, I would not take him to that part of TX. I think its in the tortoises best interest to stay where he is.


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## Yvonne G (Aug 14, 2013)

quite a while ago, I used to be in the local turtle club. There were two instances of members moving out of state and taking their desert tortoises with them. One family moved to Florida, and the other to Colorado. We kept in touch for a few years, and it was sad to hear from them that the desert tortoises in both families died. 

This is an animal that has the potential of living for close to a century. Do you want to take the chance on a premature death for your tortoise?

It's one thing to have a desert tortoise as a youngster that grows up in a humid area and gets used to it gradually, but its a totally different thing to take an adult desert tortoise that has lived in a dry climate, with dry air, all its life and all of a sudden ask him to get used to living in a humid environment.

Aside from the legalities...I wouldn't do it.


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## tglazie (Aug 19, 2013)

I wouldn't do it either. The climate in Southeast Texas is not only more humid; it's more unpredictable. I've seen summers where it barely rained during the month of July, and others where it was completely drenched, where the southern, lower spots in my yard were consistently sustaining marshlike floodwaters. Texas tortoises are more adept at dealing with this hot/dry cool/rainy dynamic, the sort that can switch at the drop of a hat, than their more westerly brethren from everything I've read. You could probably do it, but not without extensive indoor accommodations with proper air treatment and ventilation. But given the legal dimensions of the situation, there are no good choices here, and that the best thing to do would be adopt out the tortoise to someone you can trust. 

T.G.


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## reticguy76 (Aug 21, 2013)

I guess its tough for me to understand that, in my line of work, veterinary medicine, I see so many Nordic breeds of dogs that move here and die from heat stroke but yet I am on a few dog forums and I never see anybody recommending that people dont buy dogs in this heat or move to this area with a nordic type of dog breed. And many people come here and with Nordic breeds and dont die of heatstroke because they take good precautions. I guess I just dont really see why reptiles pets that you get close to (and torts have such personalities that they become a true pet) that they cant move if the owner has ways and thoughts of keeping them healthy. I have seen torts of all species (tropicals that live/adapt well in dry hot environments and vice versa) that thrive well in non-optimal environment. Hell, my retics lived for years and years in this state simply living in 20-30% humidity on the average. 
I am sorry for the venting, but I being in veterinary medicine believe and have seen animals that thrive and are native to certain environments do well in other and even opposite. 

I had to get that off my chest. Most everybody on my local Az herp forum have said, that little Cooter will do fine, but they are concerned about the legal aspects. 

I so appreciate all the replies and know everybody here is just stating what they think is best. I will maybe ultimately leave him here, but he has had such a hard tough start in life, that it makes me nervous leaving him here when I am in veterinary medicine and feel I can more properly care for him no matter where I end up. 


Thanks again everybody, this is such a great forum.


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