Can anyone identify this tortoise?

[Mackenziehannah94]

I found this little one crossing a semi-busy street on my way to work about a month ago. I live in Orange County so this isn't something you see every day. He/she (I think he..) is pretty tiny, about the size of a burger, so I'm thankful I was able to spot him! I've had a Russian my whole life so I have some experience, so I decided to take him in. (They are in separate areas of our yard, no contact possible.) There's been no luck finding the original owners, posted on nexrdoor app, asked around the neighborhood, etc. So looks like he's our new addition to the family. He's very active, huge appetite, seems overall healthy besides some scratches/chips on his shell. Problem is we have no idea what kind of tort he is. I've tried to google but I still cant figure it out. Any ideas?

 

[Toddrickfl1]

That is a horsefield or Russian Tortoise. Not native to CA. Probably an escaped pet.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

That is a very pretty Russian Tortoise

 

[TechnoCheese]

I agree with the above, definitely a Russian in need of a beak clipping.
I would try to find the original owners if you haven’t already

 

[Mackenziehannah94]

I agree with the above, definitely a Russian in need of a beak clipping.
I would try to find the original owners if you haven’t already

No luck so far finding the owners, we were trying for a few weeks though. I'm surprised he's a russian! Our female russian is about double his size, but I guess female is the key word there. Our female that we've had for 20+ years has been fighting a respiratory infection for a few weeks now and having weekly vet visits so unfortunately I cant afford to take this new guy to the vet yet to get checked out/ beak trim. I'll definitely be taking him within the coming weeks though.Thanks for the info.

 

[Changa]

I found this little one crossing a semi-busy street on my way to work about a month ago. I live in Orange County so this isn't something you see every day. He/she (I think he..) is pretty tiny, about the size of a burger, so I'm thankful I was able to spot him! I've had a Russian my whole life so I have some experience, so I decided to take him in. (They are in separate areas of our yard, no contact possible.) There's been no luck finding the original owners, posted on nexrdoor app, asked around the neighborhood, etc. So looks like he's our new addition to the family. He's very active, huge appetite, seems overall healthy besides some scratches/chips on his shell. Problem is we have no idea what kind of tort he is. I've tried to google but I still cant figure it out. Any ideas?

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Aw he looks happy glad u saw him

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome from another Orange County owner of a Russian escapee. In my experience, that’s how fifty percent of us become Russian owners!

Males get to be about four inches or so; a burger sounds about right.

Given the look of those growth rings, he has had plenty of access to food since coming to the U.S. Chips and scratches are normal for a wild caught tortoise.

He does need a beak trim; relatively easy to do, you can search for instructions on the site.

I trust you are keeping them isolated.

 

[Mackenziehannah94]

Welcome from another Orange County owner of a Russian escapee. In my experience, that’s how fifty percent of us become Russian owners!

Males get to be about four inches or so; a burger sounds about right.

Given the look of those growth rings, he has had plenty of access to food since coming to the U.S. Chips and scratches are normal for a wild caught tortoise.

He does need a beak trim; relatively easy to do, you can search for instructions on the site.

I trust you are keeping them isolated.

They are separated, no way of getting any contact, especially since my female tortoise is currently sick with a respiratory infection, so shes been spending a lot of time indoors anyways in an enclosure. Thanks so much for the great info, I'm glad to hear it seems as though he was well taken care of! His big appetite scared me a little into thinking he was starving before. My other tortoise has never eaten as much as he does in a day, but shes also over 35 years old so maybe that has something to do with it as well lol.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Well, if he’s been roughing it on the streets for a bit, perhaps he’s a little extra hungry. Or perhaps he’s just a pig, mine certainly is.

Thirty-five years old, wow! I didn’t realize they’d been imported for so long!

 

[vladimir]

I can just imagine him scarfing down his first meal after being "out on the street"

 

[pguinpro]

Looks like CA desert tort to me.

 

[Yvonne G]

Looks like CA desert tort to me.

Nope - Russian.