Hello, I am a new member of the forum located in Texas.

TexTort

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Aug 14, 2016
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I own two hatchling Mojave Desert Tortoises. I was given a clutch of six eggs by a friend who collected two hatchlings from his parents backyard in Apple Valley California in 1982. He brought them back to Texas then and has had them here ever since. Each year the female of the pair lays eggs but they have never hatched. I asked him if I could try my hand at incubating them and he gave me 6 eggs that were laid just before Memorial Day this year. In spite of some mistakes I managed to hatch two young Desert Tortoises. They are a bit over two months old now and doing well and growing fast. I am housing them indoors right now but I try to get them outside for natural sunlight as much as possible, but not as much as I would like. Here is one at around six weeks old foraging in my yard. I will post updates as they continue to grow. I feel fortunate to be able to work with this species, they are not common in captivity outside California. These are my first and only tortoises, I feel lucky to this forum as a resource!IMG_6184 edit.JPG
 

Tom

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Hello and welcome.

That species is Federally protected and it cannot be legally kept outside of it state of origin which would be CA, NV or AZ. I'll leave you to figure out what to do with that info.

For care: Babies do best when kept mostly indoors. Excursions to a large, well designed, safe outdoor enclosure for an hour or two during fair weather are good, but outside all day is not good for them, despite what so many care sheets say.

The main killer of these babies is dehydration and "exposure". They should be soaked daily, kept on lightly damp substrate, and offered a humid hide. I have raised dozens of them this way and they THRIVE. Keeping them dry, in a dry enclosure, on dry substrate under desiccating heat lamps is usually a death sentence. So is keeping them outside all day in a dry climate, like in their states of origin. We have to keep in mind that out small, artificial enclosures cannot simulate the variety of conditions and microclimates that exist in the wild. We must also remember that somewhere between 300 and 1000 die in the wild for every one that survives to maturity. The wild is a very harsh place for them.

I typed this up for Russian tortoises, but care is identical for DTs:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

This one will have some useful tips for you too, such as don't house them as a pair:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
 

Gillian M

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Jordan
A cute little tort. GOD bless.

And a very warm welcome to the forum.
 
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