Help with my new tortoise

[AdrianTorres]

Hey guys, I am kind of in a weird situation with this tortoise right now and I would love if you guys could help me out

A friend of my parents offered to give us a tortoise, my parents are not the best when it comes to taking care of animals (as long as the pet is getting food and water he should be fine kind of people), but since I love turtles they accepted.
So now I have this tortoise with me and I have no idea of how to take care of him/her. I don't know the species or sex of this little guy. I have read a little online to get an idea of how to care of him and I am trying to get my parents to take him to the veterinary so they can help us out but on the meantime, I think other tortoise owners could give me some good help with some of this questions.

-is it okay for him to be inside the house or should he be outside?

-the whole temperature lights and UV lights stuff I read, I am really confused about this. Especially since I live in northern Sonora Mexico, a desert place, and I don't know how I should be taking care of his temperature.

-what should I feed him?

I am love with this little tortoise and I want to make sure he has a healthy place to live so any advice is welcomed.

 

[Minority2]

Take pictures and post them here so we know what species of tortoise you have.

Tortoises can be very expensive pets. Start up costs can easily add up to hundreds of dollars. These are rough figures but not far from the average.

Basking lamp and incandescent flood bulb - $20-30+ (12-14 hours day cycles)
UVB strip light fixture and tube - $50-100+ (12-14 hours day cycles)
Overnight heating fixture and element - $40-100+ (Left on day and night)
Small sized (4 x 2 ft) tortoise indoor enclosure - $30-400+
8 x 4 ft adult sized small species tortoise enclosure - $600-1000+

Monthly electricity bills from added wattage - ++
Varied diet of broad leaf weeds, flowers, succulents, and greens - ++++
Vet checkup bills - ++++++

Tortoises require their own separate space from people and pets. They do not belong on the floor of your home.

 

[AdrianTorres]

Are there pictures good?
Also, thanks for the information, getting my parents to help with this tortoise is gonna be hard based on those prices.

 

[Big Charlie]

To my uneducated eye, it look like a desert tortoise. If it is, you might be in the tortoise's natural habitat.

Wait for more experienced opinions.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

That looks like a young desert tortoise to me, but I could be wrong. Impossible to tell the sex though.

 

[AdrianTorres]

At least I know he is from the desert, good to know the heat won't annoy him much. thanks

 

[TammyJ]

You need to read about what desert tortoises need in terms of temperatures, humidity, diet etc. They do NOT need to be kept "hot and dry." Check out the care sheets for desert tortoises. Others here will come along and help you. Good luck! And welcome to the site!