Found 2 of these little guys in our yard tonight

[bbuyack]

Hello, we don't know much about tortoises. We live in Gilbert, Arizona, on the edge of town with some desert around us. We have flood irrigation that fills our acreage with water. Tonight after irrigating, we found two of these litle guys on our back porch. I don't know if they're desert tortoises or sulcatas. Looking for some direction. The kids are of course begging to keep them, but we'll be having to learn a lot about them, and trying to figure out what I'm getting myself into here. Please advise.

 

[Tom]

You found a couple of sulcatas. Do you have a neighbor with adults? Have you been in the house for less than a year and the previous owner had some adults? There are probably a whole bunch more out in the same area.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and Welcome!

 

[bbuyack]

You found a couple of sulcatas. Do you have a neighbor with adults? Have you been in the house for less than a year and the previous owner had some adults? There are probably a whole bunch more out in the same area.

So you can tell from the picture that it is a Sulcata? We had assumed it was a desert tortoise. We live in an area that are large horse properties. We don't know of any neighbors that have them. We're wondering if there could be wild ones around.

 

[wellington]

Hello and WELCOME. How lucky are you. If you can't find who they belong too, read the threads at the bottom of my post. You will learn how to raise them there for about a year or more. Then things will change a little. Get them out in the sunshine whenever possible but make sure they have shade and water they can get in and out of. They get very large and can dig huge tunnels. Everything you need to know can be found on this forum. Good luck in whatever you do.

 

[tiff3grl]

Welcome....I'm not too far from you in East Mesa

 

[Jacqui]

How cute! Hi and welcome! I sure hope your going to end up giving into the kids and keeping them. It's a big commitment, so big sure to research them well. Have the kids gone out on a search mission, to see if they can find more?

 

[Neal]

Definitely a sulcata, and not native to our area.

The hatchling in your picture is brand new, maybe even just a couple of days old. There is very likely a nest around with more around it. If you live on the outskirts by the desert, it would be a very good idea to see if you can find more before they make it off into the desert and disrupt the ecosystem.

 

[N2TORTS]

You found a couple of sulcatas. Do you have a neighbor with adults? Have you been in the house for less than a year and the previous owner had some adults? There are probably a whole bunch more out in the same area.

" It's raining Tort's N Frogs in Arizona"

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Very cool!

 

[mctlong]

Thats so cool! Sulcata nests have more than a dozen eggs, sometimes upwards of 40. You may be finding many, many more in the coming days.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with the new babies!

 

[blafiriravt]

Awesome! You are very lucky

 

[mctlong]

If you're not up to caring for the hatchlings (they're alot of work), someone on this forum may be able to suggest a good shelter, local tortoise club, or sanctuary willing to take them in.

As others have mentioned, sulcatas are not native to your area (they're native to Africa). These little hatchlings are essentially fodder in AZ, so please collect them as you find them and don't let them wander off into the desert. They'll get gobbled up pretty quick by coyotes and hawks. Those that don't get eaten may die of heat exhaustion. If any survive and grow to adulthood, they could cause issues with the native desert tortoises.

 

[Jacqui]

You found a couple of sulcatas. Do you have a neighbor with adults? Have you been in the house for less than a year and the previous owner had some adults? There are probably a whole bunch more out in the same area.

" It's raining Tort's N Frogs in Arizona"

Just too bad they aren't something like radiated or ploughshare....

 

[Yvonne G]

I've been interested in turtles and tortoises for over 40 years. I've NEVER ever found a turtle or tortoise. Some people have all the luck.

 

[acrantophis]

I've been interested in turtles and tortoises for over 40 years. I've NEVER ever found a turtle or tortoise. Some people have all the luck.

Yvonne maybe you could try kayaking in some of the lakes up by you. I'm sure there are western pond turtles. I'm south of you in San Diego and I've seen 3 in the 10 years I've lived here. ;-)

 

[Irwin4530]

I've been interested in turtles and tortoises for over 40 years. I've NEVER ever found a turtle or tortoise. Some people have all the luck.

RIGHT?!! I was thinking the same thing!!

Keep us posted about any additional hatchlings you find....I am quite jealous!!

 

[ascott]

RIGHT?!! I was thinking the same thing!!
I am quite jealous!!

Greeeeeen with envy here as well.....

 

[pam]

Welcome