# Saw this tort, just wondering what kind



## NoSup4U (Nov 1, 2008)

I did some searching around online, and this tort seems darker than most of the desert tortoise pictures I saw. (I'm in AZ) Just wondering if anyone can confirm what kind of tortoise this is.

Thanks!
Mark


----------



## tortoiselady528 (Nov 1, 2008)

Looks like a DT to me.... I have a DT who is just as dark.


----------



## egyptiandan (Nov 1, 2008)

Hi Mark,
Welcome to the forum 

It is a Desert tortoise. 

Danny


----------



## NoSup4U (Nov 1, 2008)

Wow thanks for the quick replies everyone!

Mark


----------



## purpod (Nov 1, 2008)

What a lil' cutie ~ 

Purpod


----------



## siwash (Nov 2, 2008)

That is a gorgeous tort.... How large do they grow?


----------



## Jentortmom (Nov 2, 2008)

very cute little DT. Is it yours?? I have three two came from the same clutch and one is really orange and the other is really dark. Siwash they can get up to 15" or so.


----------



## siwash (Nov 2, 2008)

I'm in Canada. I wonder if anyone breeds them up here? That'd be a tort I'd consider. Or are there laws against that?


----------



## Jentortmom (Nov 2, 2008)

Desert Torts are federally protected and it is against the law to bother them or to remove them from the state they reside in. Or to remove them from the wild. But I will say they are cute and have great personalities.


----------



## NoSup4U (Nov 2, 2008)

siwash said:


> That is a gorgeous tort.... How large do they grow?



This one is about 7" long. Anyone have a guess as to about how old he/she is? A friend of ours found it in the street in his neighborhood.

Mark


----------



## purpod (Nov 3, 2008)

Hopefully, your friend put up "Found Turtle" signs in the neighborhood; one must have a special license to own such a tort & I'm sure the owners are missing him/her ~ 

Purpod


----------



## Jentortmom (Nov 3, 2008)

Unless you know hatch date it is very hard to determine the age as each one grows at a different rate. Depending on where in AZ you are located it could have been a wild one. Your best bet is to contact the phoenix herp society and surrender the DT to them so the can either find the owner and determine if it is need of any medical care. If your friend wants to care for a DT, he can set his yard up and the fill out an adoption packet which is available at PHS. Or if the want to start out with a smaller one they can watch for posts from people who need to adopt out babies from there "accidental clutches". Actually Purpod unless the laws have changed in AZ since I last reviewed them, you don't need a permit unless you house more DT's then people in your home, and then at that point there are a couple of different permit choices, But I will look at the laws again to confirm this.


----------



## Marla (Nov 3, 2008)

Yup its a Desert Tortoise alright..but its the sonoran desert tortoise..There are a few different types of Desert tortoises..the mohave, gopher, snonoran, and texas ...



NoSup4U said:


> siwash said:
> 
> 
> > That is a gorgeous tort.... How large do they grow?
> ...



My guess this tortoise is about 7-8 years old..could be younger but the growth is even and the shell looks nice and thick so counting the rings on the scutes is the best estimated way to age this tortoise..Really its a nice healthy looking tortoises...

Also I'm guessing its a male..Its mating season right now before hibernation and the males are wondering away from homes in search of females..The shape is oval like a male as well..Look for signs posted.. someone may be missing him...

You are allowed one Sonoran Desert Tortoise per member of house hold..Other Desert Tortoises such as the Texas, Mohave, and Gopher are not allowed in the Sonoran Desert..they must stay in their own states...so you neighbor is OK to keep this fellow but I would look for posted signs first, someone may be missing their pet..Adobe Mountain Wildlife through Game and Fish is the best contact..They adopt these fellows out through an adoption program handled by volunteers...


----------



## purpod (Nov 4, 2008)

Hiya Jen ~

"Actually Purpod unless the laws have changed in AZ since I last reviewed them, you don't need a permit unless you house more DT's then people in your home, and then at that point there are a couple of different permit choices, But I will look at the laws again to confirm this." 

Xllnt info, GF! Thanx a bunch for the clarification. I know that here in Cali, you must have as permit from the Dept. of Fish & Game to own any DT.

Great post Jen!
Purpod


----------



## Jentortmom (Nov 4, 2008)

It would probably keep the "accidental" breedings down here if they required permits. Thats how I got all three of mine.


----------



## purpod (Nov 4, 2008)

jenrell23 said:


> It would probably keep the "accidental" breedings down here if they required permits. Thats how I got all three of mine.



I'm not sure what their logic is, altho I'd bet that the accidental breeding would be a factor. I'd imagine, also, to prevent the destruction of many DT's too, considering how much of this state is desert and how fond peeps are of motorbikes, atv's and the likes that zoom thru the deserts here.

Be well ~
Purpod


----------



## NoSup4U (Nov 25, 2008)

So no luck finding the owner of the desert tortoise, so I guess my sulcata is getting a permanent friend. The seem to like each other at least 

Mark


----------



## Josh (Nov 25, 2008)

Mark, for the health of both tortoises, it isn't advisable to allow them to come into contact with each other. they could spread germs between themselves and put each other at serious risk.


----------



## NoSup4U (Nov 25, 2008)

Josh said:


> Mark, for the health of both tortoises, it isn't advisable to allow them to come into contact with each other. they could spread germs between themselves and put each other at serious risk.



Hrm ok, what do people with different kinds of torts normally do, keep them in different habitats?

Thanks!
Mark


----------



## Yvonne G (Nov 25, 2008)

Even though they both have the same habitat requirements, the sulcata and the Gopherus tortoises have different micro-organisms inside their bodies that might be harmful to one or the other. I liken it to when the Europeans came to the Americas and the native people got quite ill and died. The native tortoise has pathogens inside him that his species has grown used to over the eons and has developed a resistance to them. But these pathogens can be quite deadly to a tortoise from a different continent. Some people keep these tortoises together with no apparent problems, but my take on the matter is that because the tortoise hides his symptoms quite well, it may be a long time and you may not realize, down the line, that your tortoise is sick because he has been housed with the other species. At least once a year I take in a sick desert tortoise that the people giving him up say had been housed with a sulcata. It usually shows as an upper respiratory infection. Its really hard to get them well. So far I haven't lost one, but I'm sure there will be a time when I get one I just can't save. Its better to be safe than sorry. Build them two different pens, or divide the backyard in two.

As to the question of accidental breeding, here in California, it is illegal to artificially incubate desert tortoise eggs. If you have a male and female together, you have to leave the eggs in the ground and let nature take its course. However, the DFG frowns upon keeping a pair together (but this isn't talked to in their regulations).

Yvonne


----------



## purpod (Nov 25, 2008)

Looks like you've already gotten the word about housing different species together so I will just say... CONGRATS on your new family member! {S}he is a beauty!

Have fun,
Purpod


----------



## aktech23 (Nov 25, 2008)

purpod said:


> Hiya Jen ~
> 
> "Actually Purpod unless the laws have changed in AZ since I last reviewed them, you don't need a permit unless you house more DT's then people in your home, and then at that point there are a couple of different permit choices, But I will look at the laws again to confirm this."
> 
> ...




I live in phoenix, they place the native torts in homes actually. you cannot remove them from the state, but they are looking for people to adopt them.

I was looking into getting one when my wife found a sulcata walking down the street. we tried to find it's owner but never did. so I ended up with a sulcata as opposed to a DT. 

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/desert_tortoise.shtml
http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/w_c/tortoise/new/ArizonaTurtleAdoptionFacilities.pdf


----------



## krissy2288 (Nov 26, 2008)

its a DT but it probably grew up in a darker enviroment,,, its just adaption


----------

