Help identifying

[Alsty]

My friends received this baby tortoise for Christmas and I was wondering if anyone knew what kind it could be? They were told he could be a crossbreed,definitely with African in him. Oh, his name in George btw hah. (I took these pics while George was staying at my house until they gave him to the kids)

 

[Baoh]

It is a Gopherus species hatchling. Likely a desert tortoise, as I do not know your location and the animal is too dusty to see some details. Nothing to do with Africa.

 

[Tortus]

Is that dust or is it really dry?

 

[Yvonne G]

Not a good idea to have him in with the sulcata.

Its a little Gopherus agassizii. He needs you to set him in a little tub of warm water for about 15 minutes.

 

[Alsty]

He was just really dusty. They had just picked him up. The sulcata, Wilson, is mine and we are in LA. George lives in Phx. Any suggestions on what they should do for him early on?

 

[ascott]

Not a good idea to have him in with the sulcata.

He needs you to set him in a little tub of warm water for about 15 minutes.

Ditto here...also, the soaking should happen each day for a few weeks since the little one is so dry looking (not the shell, but an overall of the skin and such)...the tortoise should be in water just deep enough to rise to where his lower and upper shells meet and he can still comfortably lift his head out of the water between drinks...

until they gave him to the kids)

I hope that this statement does not mean that children will be the sole/major caretakers....as this tort baby will need constant repetitive routine to help assure the baby thrives...

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I don't think that Gopherus sp can breed with any African species. It is my opinion that the misconception comes from the fact that they simply resemble each other to the layman.

 

[tortoise007]

In the last picture, he looked just like a baby desert tortoises(I have 5 of them) It didn't in the others though. Was it even the same tortoises in the last picture?

 

[SDDTMama]

^ I agree with you, although all of the pics seem to be to be of a 'baby' gopherus agassizii, the one in the last pic appears to be a few months older than the others; notice the brown growth lines around his scutes compared to the other pics where there is very little demarcation between the 'yellowish' colored scutes?
In the last pic he looks more like my Owen, whom is now, roughly, 5 months old.

PS- Transporting a federally protected gopherus agassizii across state lines is illegal.

 

[Laura]

now that you know what he is.. you dont want to be pet sitting anymore.. they need to get a permit.. easy to do, and they also need to read up on their care...

Sulcatas carry 'germs' that they are ok with, but if tranfered to a more fragile species, like a desert tort.. it can make them sick.