Help with species

[christina731]

Hi all, new member here. I was recently given a juvenile desert tortoise and would like to know if anyone can help with species identification so I can get a better idea of diet, habitat, potential size, and lifespan. I have owned water turtles in the past but I understand this is very different. It was given to me by someone who was watching it for a friend who never came back for it. The person who gave it to me did not have the means to take care of it but I do. I have very little information about it but here’s what I have:

-I was told it is likely less than a year old by the prior owner
-it was found in southern NV (I did not take this tortoise from the wild - it was given to me)
-it is missing it’s left rear leg, I don’t know how or why that happened
-the prior caretaker had it since last fall and it did brumate over the winter
-current weight is 75 grams
-carapace length is about 4”
-it currently lives inside my home in a large, temperature-controlled enclosure and I am prepared to give it an outdoor habitat on my large property once it’s older

Can anyone give any insight about what type of tortoise it is? Google lens says sulcata but I am uncertain about that because I’ve read that sulcatas don’t brumate. I just want to be sure so I can learn and give it the best life that I can.

Thanks!

 

[zovick]

Hi all, new member here. I was recently given a juvenile desert tortoise and would like to know if anyone can help with species identification so I can get a better idea of diet, habitat, potential size, and lifespan. I have owned water turtles in the past but I understand this is very different. It was given to me by someone who was watching it for a friend who never came back for it. The person who gave it to me did not have the means to take care of it but I do. I have very little information about it but here’s what I have:

-I was told it is likely less than a year old by the prior owner
-it was found in southern NV (I did not take this tortoise from the wild - it was given to me)
-it is missing it’s left rear leg, I don’t know how or why that happened
-the prior caretaker had it since last fall and it did brumate over the winter
-current weight is 75 grams
-carapace length is about 4”
-it currently lives inside my home in a large, temperature-controlled enclosure and I am prepared to give it an outdoor habitat on my large property once it’s older

Can anyone give any insight about what type of tortoise it is? Google lens says sulcata but I am uncertain about that because I’ve read that sulcatas don’t brumate. I just want to be sure so I can learn and give it the best life that I can.

Thanks!

It is a Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) rather than a sulcata. You need to register a Desert Tortoise with the state of NV to keep one legally as they are a protected species.

Here is some info on how to register one:

Living With Desert Tortoises- Nevada Wildlife

Nevada is filled with wildlife that is as varied and unique as our state. Learn how to live responsibly with Nevada’s desert tortoises.

www.ndow.org

 

[Tom]

Hi all, new member here. I was recently given a juvenile desert tortoise and would like to know if anyone can help with species identification so I can get a better idea of diet, habitat, potential size, and lifespan. I have owned water turtles in the past but I understand this is very different. It was given to me by someone who was watching it for a friend who never came back for it. The person who gave it to me did not have the means to take care of it but I do. I have very little information about it but here’s what I have:

-I was told it is likely less than a year old by the prior owner
-it was found in southern NV (I did not take this tortoise from the wild - it was given to me)
-it is missing it’s left rear leg, I don’t know how or why that happened
-the prior caretaker had it since last fall and it did brumate over the winter
-current weight is 75 grams
-carapace length is about 4”
-it currently lives inside my home in a large, temperature-controlled enclosure and I am prepared to give it an outdoor habitat on my large property once it’s older

Can anyone give any insight about what type of tortoise it is? Google lens says sulcata but I am uncertain about that because I’ve read that sulcatas don’t brumate. I just want to be sure so I can learn and give it the best life that I can.

Thanks!

Hey! I have property in Pahrump. Loos like you have already found the correct care info. That is a pleasant surprise since most of the care info out in the world for this species is all wrong. Here is all the care info for your desert tortoise. Feel free to ask all of your questions:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[christina731]

It is a Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) rather than a sulcata. You need to register a Desert Tortoise with the state of NV to keep one legally as they are a protected species.

Here is some info on how to register one:

Living With Desert Tortoises- Nevada Wildlife

Nevada is filled with wildlife that is as varied and unique as our state. Learn how to live responsibly with Nevada’s desert tortoises.

www.ndow.org

Thank you for your quick response! I thought it might be a Mojave Desert Tortoise but I wanted input from a pro. Is there something about it that differentiates it as a Mojave vs other species?

I will register it, thank you so much!

 

[christina731]

Hey! I have property in Pahrump. Loos like you have already found the correct care info. That is a pleasant surprise since most of the care info out in the world for this species is all wrong. Here is all the care info for your desert tortoise. Feel free to ask all of your questions:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Hi! The person who gave me the tortoise recommended this forum as well as your info

Thank you for the links. I will be busy reading.

We just moved to Pahrump from Las Vegas and we absolutely love it here!

 

[Tom]

Hi! The person who gave me the tortoise recommended this forum as well as your info

Thank you for the links. I will be busy reading.

We just moved to Pahrump from Las Vegas and we absolutely love it here!

I like it because it is quiet there. Be sure to try Mom's Diner if you haven't already. Fantastic food. Just don't go there if you are in a hurry.

 

[christina731]

I like it because it is quiet there. Be sure to try Mom's Diner if you haven't already. Fantastic food. Just don't go there if you are in a hurry.

Yes, we love the peace and quiet. We are way on the south end of town near the CA border and our community is surrounded by BLM land so it’s extra quiet. And we LOVE Mom’s Diner! That was the first local place we ever tried!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

How has the missing leg healed?

 

[christina731]

Welcome to the forum!

How has the missing leg healed?

Kinda hard to see but it’s totally healed and he or she gets around just fine

 

[COmtnLady]

They are so resilient!

Its good that you are now the care-giver!

Welcome to the Forum.
.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not so sure this is a North American desert tortoise. @Markw84

 

[christina731]

I'm not so sure this is a North American desert tortoise. @Markw84

What species do you think it is? I’m a complete newbie to this and would like to gain as much knowledge as possible from the experts. Thanks.

 

[Markw84]

I'm not so sure this is a North American desert tortoise. @Markw84

The coloration is unusually light at the growth seams, but it is certainly a desert tortoise.

Nuchal scute
front leg and head scalation
uniform width of vertebral scutes

 

[Yvonne G]

The coloration is unusually light at the growth seams, but it is certainly a desert tortoise.

Nuchal scute
front leg and head scalation
uniform width of vertebral scutes

Thank you, @Markw84 . I was looking at the plastron picture and the gular looks different from CDT.

 

[christina731]

The coloration is unusually light at the growth seams, but it is certainly a desert tortoise.

Nuchal scute
front leg and head scalation
uniform width of vertebral scutes

Could this possibly be a “mixed breed?” I was able to get some more info from the person who gave it to me. Apparently, the person who gave it to her had multiple tortoises (presumably male and female) and ended up finding hatchlings in their habitat including this little one.

 

[Yvonne G]

Do you know if the tortoises were different species?

 

[christina731]

Do you know if the tortoises were different species?

I do not. Unfortunately the original owner is long gone.

 

[Yvonne G]

I guess it doesn't really matter, I was just curious. You can use our desert tortoise care sheet for him. In my opinion he should be set up in a closed enclosure with damp humid environment for another year or so, to help his shell grow smoothly.

 

[Markw84]

Could this possibly be a “mixed breed?” I was able to get some more info from the person who gave it to me. Apparently, the person who gave it to her had multiple tortoises (presumably male and female) and ended up finding hatchlings in their habitat including this little one.

I don't see anything to make me believe it mixed. The coloration is light, but that is not that uncommon. @Yvonne G The gulars have the overall shape of G agassizii and to me look a bit "off" as it appears it had a very dry start its first few weeks, and we see a pronounced ridge at the original scute margin with the later growth then coming in much smoother. This gives those gulars a bit of a funny look. Ignoring that and looking at the overall gular shape - it is very much a young agassizii. If you look at all its scute on the carapace you can see the initial ridge formed from very dry start, then smooth new growth.