Urgent! Tiny guy found !!

tinytortoisetim

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I am brand new to this website but I still know a lot about tortoises. You should have NEVER EVER picked it up. If you keep it for to long it could develop a respiratory infection. Study it closely and watch for bubbling through the nostruls. Do you live in the US? If so what state? REPLY SOON!!!!!
 

jsheffield

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I'm new here, but in my explorations on this forum have gotten the feeling that people are, as my grandmother used to say, always certain, often right ... take the advice for what it's worth (and what it costs), and feel free to double-check or wait for more voices to be heard.

Jmho, ymmv.

I'm glad the tortoise was still there, and is in your hands in the short term.

Jamie
 

Marym77

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I am brand new to this website but I still know a lot about tortoises. You should have NEVER EVER picked it up. If you keep it for to long it could develop a respiratory infection. Study it closely and watch for bubbling through the nostruls. Do you live in the US? If so what state? REPLY SOON!!!!!
I’m in Nevada
 

Toddrickfl1

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I've never heard of a leopard desert Tortoise hybrid, and the chances of you finding such hybrid walking down the street in Nevada are slim to none. I would wait for @Markw84 or @Will to come back and give there opinion
 

Markw84

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Thanks for the great pictures. Able to see everything with these...

Everything about this little guy says Gopherus agassizii except for the spots on the carapace. Rarely G. agassizii does have some spotting as babies, but these are so evenly distributed and defined it makes it confusing. All the scutes size, shape and arrangement match G. agassizii exactly though. (It does have abnormal scutes as there are only 3 left costals) But everything says G. Agassizii = The defined and broader nuchal. The 4th and 5th vertebral as wide (or slightly wider) than the rest, all the plastral scute shapes and sizes, the extending gulars. The head and leg shape and scalation is also classic G. Agassizii.

Also looks to be 3-4 years old and the look of a wild tortoise growth.

Has to be Gopherus agassizii - The Desert Tortoise!!! with a very unique spotting morph.
 

Yvonne G

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Thanks for the great pictures. Able to see everything with these...

Everything about this little guy says Gopherus agassizii except for the spots on the carapace. Rarely G. agassizii does have some spotting as babies, but these are so evenly distributed and defined it makes it confusing. All the scutes size, shape and arrangement match G. agassizii exactly though. (It does have abnormal scutes as there are only 3 left costals) But everything says G. Agassizii = The defined and broader nuchal. The 4th and 5th vertebral as wide (or slightly wider) than the rest, all the plastral scute shapes and sizes, the extending gulars. The head and leg shape and scalation is also classic G. Agassizii.

Also looks to be 3-4 years old and the look of a wild tortoise growth.

Has to be Gopherus agassizii - The Desert Tortoise!!! with a very unique spotting morph.
Yes, I thought so too, but the carapace design confused me. The head and legs are desert tortoise, but the shell design says maybe hingeback.

@Marym77 - try to find someone who has an interest in the desert tortoise, maybe a rescue, and see if they'll take the tortoise. It is so unique-looking. I would hesitate to tell you to let it go because you don't know if it's a wild tortoise or someone's escaped pet. An escaped pet should not be returned to the wild.

The Tortoise Group should be able to help you: https://tortoisegroup.org/i-found-a-tortoise/
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Marym77

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Yes, I thought so too, but the carapace design confused me. The head and legs are desert tortoise, but the shell design says maybe hingeback.

@Marym77 - try to find someone who has an interest in the desert tortoise, maybe a rescue, and see if they'll take the tortoise. It is so unique-looking. I would hesitate to tell you to let it go because you don't know if it's a wild tortoise or someone's escaped pet. An escaped pet should not be returned to the wild.

The Tortoise Group should be able to help you: https://tortoisegroup.org/i-found-a-tortoise/
Thank you so much!

Yes, i contacted them yesterday and unfortunately they don’t pick them up anymore or take them in . They offered to help build a burrow if we decide to adopt her if there’s no owner that shows up . I posted it in our neighborhood group and put up flyers .
In the meantime, she loved exploring our yard today :)

image.jpg image.jpg
 

Tom

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I am brand new to this website but I still know a lot about tortoises. You should have NEVER EVER picked it up. If you keep it for to long it could develop a respiratory infection. Study it closely and watch for bubbling through the nostruls. Do you live in the US? If so what state? REPLY SOON!!!!!
None of this is correct. How old are you?
 

Minority2

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sorry, I did not know that that was wrong. but I did research that on a good cite. could you tell me what the truth behind that is?:)

Your original message sounded as if you were just giving random advice that didn't make much sense to the situation at hand.

Non-native tortoises should definitely be picked up if one is able to temporarily look after the tortoise while they make efforts in searching for the tortoise's owner. If unable to care for them, one should at least try to get in contact with local animal control services, shelters, rescues, and anywhere else that can temporarily take care of them as well as help get the word out in an effort to possibly finding the owner.

If they're not native to the area in question they may carry certain diseases that may harm the native species of tortoises that inhabit said area, causing harm to the overall population. This problem has been well documented in the past. This is one of the reasons why desert tortoises have such strict laws regarding their captivity and restrictive breeding.

Thank you so much!

Yes, i contacted them yesterday and unfortunately they don’t pick them up anymore or take them in . They offered to help build a burrow if we decide to adopt her if there’s no owner that shows up . I posted it in our neighborhood group and put up flyers .
In the meantime, she loved exploring our yard today :)

What did the tortoise group classify this tortoise as? Were they able to come to a consensus?
 

SweetGreekTorts

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A guy up in San Tan Valley, AZ just posted these 2 photos on Facebook in a tortoise group I am a member in. Said the mother is housed in a pen with a male leopard and he's wondering if this tortoise is a hybrid. No answers to his question yet, but the tortoise in his photos looks exactly like the little one we're discussing on this thread. Though his is bigger, it has the same markings.FB_IMG_1539219655908.jpegFB_IMG_1539219665534.jpeg
 

Marym77

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Your original message sounded as if you were just giving random advice that didn't make much sense to the situation at hand.

Non-native tortoises should definitely be picked up if one is able to temporarily look after the tortoise while they make efforts in searching for the tortoise's owner. If unable to care for them, one should at least try to get in contact with local animal control services, shelters, rescues, and anywhere else that can temporarily take care of them as well as help get the word out in an effort to possibly finding the owner.

If they're not native to the area in question they may carry certain diseases that may harm the native species of tortoises that inhabit said area, causing harm to the overall population. This problem has been well documented in the past. This is one of the reasons why desert tortoises have such strict laws regarding their captivity and restrictive breeding.



What did the tortoise group classify this tortoise as? Were they able to come to a consensus?
They will send a volunteer over to see her in the next few days !
 
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