Hoping to Rescue a Desert Tortoise

[Shellwork]

Hello! I am new to this forum; thank you for allowing me to be part of it. I live in Arizona and have been seriously considering rescuing/adopting a desert tortoise. I am at the research/planning stage right now. Our yard is large enough for an outdoor enclosure; in fact our entire side yard will be devoted to that. I have yet to clear out the rocks, make the berm and plant grass/shrubs. The AZ Game and Fish Dept requires that these be in place before adoption can take place.

My initial questions: 1) most of the area that will be the enclosure is surrounded by concrete walls (property fences) and our house wall (we will need to put one more side in). Will the concrete walls suffice as enclosure walls? 2) I hear that tortoises make big droppings – what do you do with them? Scoop and throw? 3) How often do you need to clean the enclosure, and what is involved in cleaning it? 4) We intended to keep a small concrete courtyard open to the enclosure, so the tortoise can walk on it and up to French doors. Is this a bad idea? We do not intend to let it into the house. 5) Any suggestions on plants to place in the enclosure?


I want to do this correctly and provide a tortoise with the best care, and make sure I can do that. Any other suggestions are welcome! Thank you!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Most of the care info given for this species is wrong and will result in the death of the animal if followed. Included the info given by the state. Here is the correct care info:

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

All those rocks will have to go. They are likely to be eaten and cause an impaction.

Your questions:
1. The block walls should be fine.
2. Not that big, but I guess this is relative. Its not stinky like a dog and is easy to remove. I'd spot clean daily, but most days there won't be much to clean.
3. Once a day you can walk around and clean up leftover food and pick up and poo.
4. Probably fine, but watch out for too much abrasion on the plastron and feet.
5. Not sure what survive out there. How about grape vines, mulberry trees, lavatera, and spineless opuntia? If you plant grass seed, don't buy it at a hardware store. Buy it from a feed store where it is intended for pasture use. Or buy it from a tortoise supply place like tortoisesupply.com

 

[Shellwork]

Hello and welcome. Most of the care info given for this species is wrong and will result in the death of the animal if followed. Included the info given by the state. Here is the correct care info:

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

All those rocks will have to go. They are likely to be eaten and cause an impaction.

Your questions:
1. The block walls should be fine.
2. Not that big, but I guess this is relative. Its not stinky like a dog and is easy to remove. I'd spot clean daily, but most days there won't be much to clean.
3. Once a day you can walk around and clean up leftover food and pick up and poo.
4. Probably fine, but watch out for too much abrasion on the plastron and feet.
5. Not sure what survive out there. How about grape vines, mulberry trees, lavatera, and spineless opuntia? If you plant grass seed, don't buy it at a hardware store. Buy it from a feed store where it is intended for pasture use. Or buy it from a tortoise supply place like tortoisesupply.com

Thanks so much for your reply, Tom, and for all the info and tips. I definitely plan to remove all the rocks and plan to consult with a landscaper or nursery regarding plants. I'm excited to get this project moving. I believe the AZ Game and Fish Department will not release a tortoise until spring, so I have some time to get everything ready.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome! That area would be great for a desert tortoise once you get it cleaned out, but if that's an oleander bush I see in the pictures, get rid of it. Very toxic!